Since lemon crinkles are a crowd-pleaser, let me tell you this is the best and only recipe you'll ever need. Perfectly tender, easy to make, and with an intense fresh lemon flavor, they’re simply sensational!
As far as lemon cookies go, these are extremely good. And truth is that I’m not, in essence, a cookie person. I'm more of a cake fiend.
I told you before how I take all my baking to the office. These little lemony things brought raves and more raves. Pretty much like the brownie cookies, or the Mexican wedding cookies.
They are soft and lemony and keep well for days. I dare say the lemon flavor intensified after a few days.
They're simple lemon cookies that get rolled in powdered sugar before baking so the cracks that happen when the cookies bake are more visible as there's a contrast in colors.
Why do they crack? Because the outer edge of the cookie stops expanding while the center is still raw. As it keeps baking, the center starts cracking looking for a place to grow.
Ingredient list
- Lemon: lemon zest and juice are used for a great flavor.
- White granulated sugar.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
- Egg: fresh, large.
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they're not expired.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
Step-by-step VIDEO
They are very simple, like most drop cookies.
- Cookie dough: it's a simple recipe where you mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. The final mixture (image below) is soft so it needs refrigeration before you can roll and bake them.
- Powdered sugar: roll them in a heavy layer. That way the contrast of colors will be more noticeable. Spoiler alert! Being this a lemon cookie dough with a pale color to start with, the contrast with the white sugar will not be dramatic like for example the chocolate mint crinkles.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Dry ingredients: sift them before adding them as they (especially the baking soda) can be clumpy and not dissolve during baking.
- Lemon: use fresh lemon juice, and don't skip it, it makes all the difference. You can use less, 1 or 1 ½ tablespoons instead of two. The amount of lemon zest can vary according to your taste. I don't recommend increasing the juice because it adds liquid to a somewhat soft cookie.
- Extra lemon flavor: use up to a teaspoon more lemon zest or add pure lemon extract or lemon paste. Start small and see how you like them )unless you regularly use them). I use pure ones like Nielsen Massey pure lemon extract or Mc Cormick culinary pure lemon extract. There are artificially flavored ones that you can use if you know are good, like Frontier lemon flavor.
- Dough: you can keep it in the refrigerator for several days making sure it's covered to avoid dryness. Or freeze it for up to a month, well wrapped in plastic. The cookie dough can be more or less sticky depending on the weather, the size of the egg, and the amount of juice you use. You might need to refrigerate it before making the balls.
- Baking: I like them rather soft, but you can keep them a few minutes longer. They will color more and be crunchier. The effect of the sugar will be somewhat lost, but the flavor will be fantastic. Keep in mind what I said about the cracks: each batch will deliver different patterns.
- Storing crinkle cookies: keep them in tins, containers, or jars with tight-fitting lids. You might taste more lemon flavor a few days after you bake them.
- Variation: skip the rolling in powdered sugar and bake fabulous regular lemon cookies. They will be more lemony and less sweet. I love this version. Love it.
When a cookie bakes, the top hardens at some point. This happens in more or less time depending on the type of dough, how cold it is, oven temperature, etc. The amount of cracks also varies with each recipe.
So, if the outer crust hardens before the cookie is fully cooked, the interior will still want to keep on expanding, and the batter will try to rise wherever it can, forcing the hardened crust to separate and crack.
Several things can cause that (or a combination of all of them): the dough wasn't chilled enough, the butter was used melted instead of softened, there was not enough flour (this might be due to inaccurate measuring or maybe the egg was too big)
Oh, I love this question and have pondered on it myself every time I make this recipe. And I don't have a definite answer, that's the truth. Because the sugar is more visible with some batches and less with others, even though I make it exactly the same each time. The flavor is always fantastic. So I'll leave it at that.
Related recipes you might like:
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PrintEasy Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Since Lemon Crinkle Cookies are a crowd-pleaser, let me tell you this is the only recipe you'll ever need. They’re simply sensational! Perfectly tender, easy to make and with a fresh lemon flavor. I'm hooked.
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 30 medium cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (115g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose or cake flour
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, to roll cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
- Line two cookie sheets with wax paper, or grease the bottoms.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar well.
- Add vanilla, egg, lemon juice and zest and mix well until creamy.
- Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and soda, and add it to the butter mixture. (I suggest you sift the baking soda since it can sometimes have lumps that will not disintegrate during baking).
- Mix until it forms a ball and is well blended with no dry spots.
- The dough at this point might be too soft and sticky to form into balls. Refrigerate it for a few hours until soft but easy to roll between your palms.
- Put powdered sugar in a shallow dish or bowl. Make walnut size balls with the lemon mixture, and roll them in the powdered sugar, coating well.
- Place them in the baking sheets spacing them a bit.
- Bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, until they barely start to color, are crinkled and rather dry on top.
- Let cool on wire rack and keep in tins or airtight jars or containers.
- I find that they taste more lemony 1 or 2 days after they are baked.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Lemon: use fresh lemon juice and don't skip it, it makes all the difference. You can use less though, maybe 1 tablespoon instead of two. The amount of lemon zest can vary according to your taste. I don't recommend increasing the amount of juice because it adds liquid to an already somewhat soft cookie.
- Extra lemon flavor: use up to a teaspoon more lemon zest or add pure lemon extract or lemon paste. Unless you regularly use them, start small and see how you like them. I use pure ones like Nielsen Massey pure lemon extract or Mc Cormick culinary pure lemon extract. There are artificially flavored ones that you can use if you know are good, like Frontier lemon flavor.
- Dough: you can keep it in the refrigerator for several days, just make sure it is covered. Or freeze it for up to a month, well wrapped in plastic. As I said before, the dough can be more or less sticky depending on the weather, the size of the egg, and the amount of juice you use. You might need to refrigerate it before making the balls.
- Baking: I like them rather soft, but you can keep them a few minutes longer. They will color more and be crunchier. The effect of the sugar will be somewhat lost, but the flavor will be fantastic. Keep in mind what I said about the cracks: each batch will deliver different patterns and sometimes the sugar melts almost completely.
- Storing crinkle cookies: keep them in tins, containers, or jars with tight-fitting lids. You might taste more lemon flavor a few days after you bake them.
- Variation: skip the rolling in powder sugar and bake fabulous regular lemon cookies. They will be more lemony and less sweet. I love this version. Love it.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/25
- Calories: 72
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 76.9 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.9 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 8.1 mg
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café
Carrie Grosse says
I made these for mother's day and they are delicious. Easy recipe, I did chill over night. I drop a teaspoon full into the powdered sugar then roll in a ball. It's less messy.
This just moved to the top of my favorite list. Oh and my husband loves them too.
Thank you
Paula Montenegro says
Very glad you both liked them! Thanks for the rolling tip. Have a great week Carrie!
Autum says
Mine were so runny they were pancakes
Angelina Padilla says
These were delicious but I just went to try your fabulous option of 2x or 3x and luckily I noticed that the grams measurement doesn't change. I prefer to work with grams and was so happy to see your option. I will adjust it but just wanted you to know.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Angelina and glad you liked the cookies. I add the metric measurements manually because the recipe card doesn't allow it. So it remains unchanged.
Aline says
Best cookies EVER!! You weren't lying when you said this is the only lemon crinkle recipe you’ll ever need. IT'S TRUE!!! So good, thank you so much for the recipe!!
Paula Montenegro says
Thank YOU Aline!
Sharon says
Lemon desserts aren't just for summer! These lemon crinkle cookies would be perfect for the holiday season.
Jess says
Lemon crinkle cookies are one of my all time favorite cookies to munch on. Your recipe looks delicious!
Eden says
We loved these cookies so much! Made these for a bridal shower and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks You Eden!
Marisa F. Stewart says
Lemon is the top flavor in my list. It tastes so clean and good. I made these cookies as regular lemon cookies without rolling them in the confectioners sugar. They didn't last long at our house. Next I'm making the crinkle version. Can't wait.
Paula Montenegro says
So glad you liked them Marisa!
Tammy says
These look so soft and beautiful! I'd love to reach in and grab one! I love lemon cookies and these look so delightful!
Veena Azmanov says
Love the lemon flavor to these cookies. Best Snack Box option.
Leslie says
I love your tip on skipping rolling them in powdered sugar to make them more lemony. That's exactly how I like them!
Amy Dong says
Lemon crinkle cookies are so refreshing! Love the lemon zest and brightness in these treats. Such a great alternative for holiday dessert!
Amanda says
I love anything with lemon, so I'm super excited to make these cookies! They look so easy and will be perfect with the upcoming holidays.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Amanda! Hope you like them.
Juliana says
Lemon is always the best choice!
shoshanamom says
Can you make these without being crinkly? I prefer a smooth cookie.
wp_vknotes_admin says
I never tried, but maybe without the powdered sugar coating they will bake smoother.
Kathy says
Cookbooks are an obsession with me…I always say I will not buy anymore and then see one that I just have to have! These cookies look fabulous…love the flavor of lemon…very pretty!
The Ninja Baker says
Oh, good, you've alleviated my guilt, Paula...I also have piles of cookbooks and there is at least one amazing recipe in each...Certainly these lemon crinkles are a gem, indeed. BTW I'm in Boulder. Post swimming, I was in a hot tub and met a woman from Argentina and told her all about you and Vintage Kitchen Notes!
Laura Dembowski says
Lemon cookies sound amazing! They look very pretty too.
e / dig in hobart says
i've made lots of lemon cakes and puddings but never biscuits - i definitely have to change that then and make these - especially when they come so highly recommended by you! i think everyone loves lemon flavours.
Kitchen Riffs says
I love lemon! A lot. So you know I'd like these. Really terrific cookie. And I agree things have changed a lot in the blogging world the last couple of years. Which is OK -- I've found my little corner, and am happy there. And am always happy to visit your corner. Thanks for this.