Easy & Delicious Lemon Sugar Cookies
These easy, delicious lemon sugar cookies are humble, little golden circles of pure joy for any lemon lover. The classic combination of rich butter and lemon citrusy, zesty zing comes together in this soft, rich, lemon cookie recipe.
Every bite is full of lemony sunshine with a sugar-kissed top and a melt in your mouth center.
And the best part? You probably have everything you need already in your pantry. These are the best cookies for any celebration, gifting a treat to a friend, or simply craving something comforting and citrusy, these cookies deliver every time.
💛 Why You’ll Love These Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies
These cookies are basically a classic sugar cookie with bright, fresh lemons added in. You’ll want to keep this recipe on repeat:
- Bright, fresh lemon flavor – The perfect balance of tart and sweet, thanks to fresh lemon juice and zest in every bite.
- Soft and chewy centers, crisp edges – Textural perfection. The inside stays soft, the edges get just the right golden crisp, and the tops crackle like a dream.
- No stand or hand mixer required – You can make these with just a whisk and a spatula for easy, fast cleanup.
- Crowd-pleasing & freezer-friendly – These cookies vanish quickly at gatherings, and they freeze beautifully.
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of unsalted butter (melted and golden)
- 1½ cups sugar (plus more for rolling—don’t be shy)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Easy Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- Step 1: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
- Step 2: Melt butter until golden and fragrant. Let it cool.
- Step 3: In a separate large bowl, mix the sugar and melted butter together. Add the zest of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons) and then add the juice of the zested lemon into the mix. Stir until everything is well incorporated.
- Step 4: Crack the egg and add to the wet ingredients along with the 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts, gently folding with a rubber spatula and scrapping the sides of the bowl in between each part. Mix just until the flour streaks disappear. (Overmixing = tough cookies)
- Step 6: Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for an hour.
- Step 7: Using a medium or small cookie scoop, scoop and roll the chilled dough into balls. Then roll each one in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving about 2″ in between each cookie ball.
- Step 8: Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. When cookies develop crackly tops and slightly tan edges they’re done.
Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a minute or 2, then transfer to a wire rack.
✨ Cookie Recipe Tips and Suggestions
- Want a stronger lemon punch? Add a drop of lemon extract or double the zest.
- These cookies freeze beautifully…raw or baked.
- Freeze raw cookie balls by freezing them on a cookie sheet. When frozen transfer them to a large freezer bag or a freezer safe container.
- Freeze baked cookies by in a large airtight container. Both methods will last in the freezer for about 2 months.
- Omit the lemon for classic soft sugar cookies.
- If using salted butter, omit 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Make these soft lemon sugar cookies extra special by topping with lemon icing or a lemon glaze.
Kitchen Tools
Lemon Juicer Squeezer – a must have for every kitchen!
Citrus Zester Tool – lemon zest adds the perfect zing in any recipe.
More Sweet Treats You’ll Love💛
Creamy Old Fashioned Pineapple Coconut Pie
Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
Best No Bake Banana Pudding Recipe with Cream Cheese
Easy Decadent Blond Banana Brownies
Easy Delicious Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- citrus zester
- citrus juicer
Ingredients
- 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, melted 2 sticks
- 1.5 cup sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp real vanilla extract
- 1 large lemon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl, gently whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
- Melt butter until golden and fragrant. Let it cool.
- In a separate, large bowl using a rubber spatula, mix the sugar and cooled melted butter. Add the zest of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons). .
- Add juice of the zested large lemon straight into the mix. Stir until everything is well incorporated
- Crack in your egg, add the vanilla, and mix until smooth (overmixing = tough cookies). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for an hour.
- Using a medium or small cookie scoop, scoop and roll the chilled dough into balls. Then roll each one in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving about 2" in between each cookie ball.
- Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. When cookies develop crackly tops and slightly tan edges they're done. Rest the cookies for a minute or 2, then transfer to a wire rack.
