Easy 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.
Servings 30 medium cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup powdered sugar to roll cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease with butter or line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar well in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and mix well until creamy.
- Sift together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, and add it to the butter mixture.
- 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 ½ cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish or bowl. Make walnut-sized 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
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 to check that the temperature is right. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Lemon: Use fresh lemon juice; don't skip it; it makes all the difference. You can use less, though, maybe 1 tablespoon instead of 2. 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 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. There are artificially flavored ones that you can use if you know are good.
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. Remember what I said about the cracks: each batch will deliver different patterns, and sometimes the sugar melts almost completely.
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.