Lemon crinkle cookies or lemon snowflakes are a chewy lemony cookie coated in powdered sugar, just what you need to fight off the winter blues. Lemon zest and lemon juice give them a burst of fresh lemon in every bite.
I thought I’d share my husbands favorite cookie today. He loves anything lemon so it’s not a surprise that he loves chewy buttery lemon crinkle cookies. But he’s not the only one, the rest of my family will not stop raving about these lemon cookies.
My mother-in-law shared this recipe from an America’s Test Kitchen magazine she had in 2014. I adapted it somewhat but don’t have the magazine anymore and can’t find it on Amazon.
I first made them to round out an assortment of cookies I served for friends who came over for appetizers one night, I wanted a different flavor to go with the double chocolate cookies, and chocolate chip shortbread I had on hand and lemon cookies seemed the perfect compliment. They were going so fast around the house, I was afraid I wouldn’t have any left for our friends.
If you haven’t heard of lemon crinkle cookies, you may have heard them called lemon snowflake cookies, which is what we always called them. I think they look like a snowflake. However crinkle cookies are more common and are just any cookie that is coated with powdered sugar and has cracks on the top like chocolate cherry crinkle cookies.
Sometimes when I make cookies, my testers will give comments or suggestions about how to make them better, but with these, everyone kept telling me how good they were and how they were their favorite of any I’ve made. I’m not going so far as to say these are my favorite, but others are making that claim.
I did manage to save enough for my guests, who after sampling the assortment, also raved that they liked these the best. So don’t sell lemon cookies short, they’re pretty tasty.
Why You’ll Love this Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe
- Each bite of a lemon crinkle cookie is chewy and delicious!
- Lemon is a nice change up from chocolate and gives you fresh summer vibes!
- They look beautiful and each one is unique – that’s why I like to call them snowflakes.
Lemon Crinkle Cookie Ingredients
- Lemons – you’ll use the zest of 2 lemons along with the juice. I’ve got some great tips for getting the most juice out of your lemons.
- Butter & oil – for a buttery taste and perfect chewy texture.
- Powdered sugar – to roll the balls in before baking.
- Pantry staples – flour, baking powder sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
How To Make Lemon Snowflake Cookies
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest and mix until combined. Next add the wet ingredients and mix until it’s pale and thickened.
Step 2: Add flour and baking powder and salt to the mixture, stir and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Step 3: With a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, form balls and dip into the powdered sugar, completely covering the balls of dough.
Bake for about 10 minutes.
How To Store Lemon Snowflakes
Lemon snowflakes can be stored in the freezer. To protect the powdered sugar on top, try placing parchment paper between the layers of cookies and freeze in an airtight container.
Can This Lemon Crinkle Cookie Recipe Be Shipped?
Lemon crinkle cookies can be shipped. They are sturdy enough that they won’t fall apart when jostled. However, if it is very hot, the powdered sugar could melt into the cookies, so keep that in mind if you are shipping to a very hot climate.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies FAQ
I have two tips that help the powdered sugar go on smoothly and still be there after they come out of the oven. First sift the powdered sugar so that it is free from clumps, and second, roll the cookie balls several times in the powdered sugar so that they are completely covered with a thick layer.
You have to refrigerate the dough for this lemon cookie recipe or they will be very thin and flat. That’s because the butter is melted. Refrigerating the dough allows the fat to harden so that they don’t spread too much when baking.
I’ve found that a small 2 tablespoon cookie scoop makes the perfect sized cookie. If you go larger, they seem to flatten out more.
These can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can alternatively freeze them for 3 months.
Dust your hands with a little powdered sugar and it’ll work like flour to keep the dough from sticking.
Don’t let the cookies overbake. If you take them out just at the 10 minute mark and let them sit a few minutes on the cookie sheet afterwards, they’ll set perfectly.
If your cookies are not crinkling, you may need to add more sugar to the outside. The sugar makes the top of the cookies dry out causing the crinkles.
Love lemons, try some of these lemony desserts
Still in the mood for cookies, try these fan favorites
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 large lemons both zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled slightly
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl.
- Zest two lemons first before juicing.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and lemon zest from two lemons until well combined. (Or you can use a food processor.) Add the egg and yolk, butter, oil, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until pale and thickened. Add flour and mix just until it's incorporated. The dough will be stickier than most cookie doughs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the powdered sugar and place it in a small bowl.
- Form into balls using a 2 tablespoon scoop. Toss in powdered sugar to coat and place on prepared pans. Bake until cracked and set on top but still moist within the cracks, 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- The dough will be sticky but will firm up when refrigerated.
- This dough needs to be refrigerated at least an hour or the cookies will spread.
- To help the powdered sugar evenly coat the cookies, try sifting it first and then roll the balls several times to make sure each ball is coated.
- You can refrigerate the dough longer than 1 hour.
Nutrition
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