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 lemon in every bite.
I thought I’ld 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.
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 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.
What you’ll need
- Lemons – you’ll use the zest of 2 lemons along with the juice.
- 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.
I use a food processor but a mixer will also work.
How do you make a chewy lemon crinkle cookie
Step 1: Process the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor then add the wet ingredients and process 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 scoop, form balls and dip into the powdered sugar, completely covering the balls of dough.
Bake for about 10 minutes.
FAQ’s and tips
I have two tips that help the powdered sugar to go on smoothly and to still be there after they come out of the oven. First sift the powdered sugar so that is 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 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.
Processing the lemon zest with the sugar ensures a lemon flavor throughout the cookies.
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.
I’ve found that the larger size does not turn out quite as pretty as the smaller size although they taste the same.
Love lemons, try some of these lemony desserts
Still in the mood for cookies, try these fan favorites
- Peanut butter sandwich cookies
- The BEST chocolate chip cookies
- Cranberry pistachio shortbreads
- Potato chip cookies
- Frosted pumpkin cookies
- Blueberry white chocolate cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 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 confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl.
- In a food processor, process sugar and lemon zest until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add egg and yolk, butter, oil, vanilla, and lemon juice and process until pale and thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until incorporated. (It will be sticky) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.
- Form into balls using a small ice cream scoop. Toss in confectioners sugar to coat and place on prepared pans. Bake until cracked and set on top but still moist within 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 or even freeze it.
Nutrition
Follow Me On SocialDid you make this recipe? Mention @ButterandBaggage or tag #ButterandBaggage
on Instagram!If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
Leave a Reply