Lemon Crinkle Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links, please visit our privacy policy for details.
Soft and chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies for all of your weekend baking needs! The cookie is made from pantry staples, requires no mixer, and taste so good. You wouldn’t believe this recipe is naturally dairy-free! Every bite is soft, chewy, extra lemon-y, and just melts in your mouth. Such a simple cookie, but soooo delicious! There’s just so much to love. Perfect for all year-round baking, but especially during the spring/summer months when you’re needing lots of wonderful citrusy bakes!
About The Recipe
We are calling all the lemon lovers with this recipe! It’s so simple and heavily focuses on getting the most lemon flavor possible, all without the use of a mixer. Heard of a dump cake? Well, meet dump cookies! It’s the same idea behind a cake, but with a cookie instead.
We originally tested this recipe with your standard cookie ingredients. Butter, sugar, flour, etc. Though, after baking…it just didn’t taste good. The cookie burned on the bottom every time, the flavor itself was…greasy? And it clashed with the lemon. It just wasn’t good!
We almost scrapped this cookie, until my mom came up with idea of swapping the fats. I mean, we do it with cake all the time, why can’t we try it with a cookie?
So, we did…and the cookies turned out perfectly! No more burned bottoms, no greasy flavors, and it had even MORE lemon flavor than the first batch with the butter.
The middles were soft and chewy, while being perfectly baked. We also found that, if you roll these cookies in granulated sugar before powdered sugar, it helps them spread and get that iconic crinkle look! Such an easy way to always get perfect cookies.
Trust me, if you love lemon flavored desserts and simple baked goods, these cookies are FOR YOU!
Why You Need To Make These Lemon Crinkle Cookies Right Now!
- Naturally dairy-free.
- You don’t need a mixer for this recipe!
- Soft and chewy.
- Soooo much lemon flavor.
- No artificial colors.
- Ready in about 35 minutes!
Equipment Needed
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Small Cookie Scoop
- Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
For The Cookies:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Lemon Zest
- Large Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Vanilla Extract
For The Coating:
- Granulated Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
How To Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Step 1: Make the dough
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix until blended. Do not over-mix!
Step 2: Scoop, roll, and bake
Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough. Roll into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat. Then, roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat. Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until done.
– Lemon Crinkle Cookie FAQ’s –
Why is there no butter in this recipe? When we were developing and testing this recipe, we found that the butter based cookies were greasy, crunchy, and overall had an unpleasant flavor. Switching to vegetable oil made these cookies soft, chewy, easier to make, and bake SO much better!
Can I mix these cookies by hand? YUP! Another great thing with this recipe is that you only need a whisk and a rubber spatula to make the dough. No stand mixers or hand mixers!
Fresh lemon juice or store-bought? This recipe strongly benefits from fresh squeezed lemon juice. You also need lemon zest for the recipe, so go ahead and use the lemon you zested! It should take 1 or 2 small lemons for the juice and the zest. You can also roll the lemons on the counter before zesting them, that way, when you squeeze them for juice, you’ll get the most out of it.
Why do I need to roll these cookies in two types of sugar? It may seem odd, but I promise it’s worth it! The granulated sugar helps the cookies spread, which gives you the classic crinkle look. If you just roll it in powdered sugar, it may or may not happen.
How To Store
Once these cookies have cooled, you can store them in a zip top bag or airtight container on the counter for up to a week. You can also freeze them 1-2 months!
4 Tricks For Making The Best Lemon Cookies
- Don’t skip lining your pan!
- Fresh juice is always better. While using store-bought is convenient, the flavor of fresh squeezed lemons is unmatched.
- You can use a rubber spatula to fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients to ensure you don’t overwork the dough. Mix until just blended together and you don’t see any flour.
- Roll these cookies in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar to get the BEST crinkle cookie.
Expert Tips
- Be careful to not over-mix these cookies!
- Even when fully baked, these cookies should be pale. You do not need to brown them!
- Don’t skip coating them in granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
- For the best results, sift the powdered sugar before you roll the cookies!
When you make these Lemon Crinkle Cookies, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅜ cup vegetable oil
- 5 Tablespoons lemon juice, strained
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Pour over dry ingredients.
- Mix together, but do not knead.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough.
- Roll into balls.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat.
- Then roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until done.
Notes
- Be careful to not over-mix these cookies!
- Even when fully baked, these cookies should be pale. You do not need to brown them!
- Don’t skip coating them in granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
- For the best results, sift the powdered sugar before you roll the cookies!
EQUIPMENT
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
– Still Hungry? –
Here are a few recipes may like!
Im not sure what I did wrong but mine barely tasted like lemon and the consistency was almost scone-like. I was expecting them to be more chewy. Either way they were good just not what I expected.
Hi Gina! It sounds like you overworked the dough. About the lemon flavor, did you pack the zest into the measuring spoon; and did you use fresh lemon juice?
We did lime instead if lemon zest and they were awesome!!!! My only complaint is there is no salt and it’s dearly missing. I’d consider adding salt if you are into that.
Great delicious, simple and easy cookie recipe. I didn’t even have to use my mixer, just a spatula. My family loved these. They look just like your photo. Thnx for sharing! It is now one of my favorite cookie recipies.
Love these. Quickly became my families favorite. Versatile recipe- I’ve done mandarin orange, key lime, and lemon flavors. Love these and the lofthouse imitations. Always seems to need an extra half to cup of flour for me.
Hi again! The lemon taste was very good! I used cane sugar, so it tasted different! It’s baked with sugar powder, so it’s yellow and white with the taste of this sweet, and it was a lot of fun! Thank you very much.child like it very much. He had a sour face! Happy Christmas!
Is it possible to substitute the eggs with baking powder and vegetable oil and water combo? I want to make these for someone who can’t eat eggs.
Hi Ashley! I have never done it that way. The thing that concerns me is too much leavening can make things bitter. Maybe try a different substitute? My go to is nearly always aquafaba. It works in most things, but I have not tried it with these cookies. I suggest making a small test batch first.
You could always use flax egg, unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, baking soda and vinegar, yogurt and sour cream, and many more!
This is my first time that I make cookies and I loved it😊😊
Love it, love it, love it😊😊