Description
Zesty lemon crinkle cookies dance with tangy brightness, offering a delightful twist on classic cookie charm. Powdered sugar-dusted edges and crisp exteriors give you a perfect bite of refreshing citrus delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
Leavening Agents:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Flavor and Coating Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper for even baking.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, creating the dry ingredient base for the cookies.
- Cream butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until the mixture becomes pale and airy, developing a light texture.
- Incorporate eggs individually, thoroughly mixing after each addition to ensure smooth integration.
- Infuse the mixture with bright citrus notes by adding lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, blending until fully combined.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring minimally to maintain a tender cookie texture.
- Form dough into small spheres, approximately tablespoon-sized, ensuring uniform shape and size.
- Generously coat each dough ball in powdered sugar, creating a crisp, crackled exterior that will develop during baking.
- Arrange sugar-coated dough balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving sufficient space between cookies for expansion.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, watching for signature crinkled tops and set edges without overdrying the delicate cookies.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for 2 minutes to stabilize, then transfer to wire cooling racks for complete cooling and texture development.
Notes
- Always zest lemons before juicing to maximize flavor extraction and minimize mess in your kitchen.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar to help create more pronounced crinkle effect and prevent spreading.
- For deeper citrus flavor, use fresh lemon juice and consider adding an extra teaspoon of zest to enhance the bright, tangy profile of the cookies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 137 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 87 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg