Lemon Crinkle Cookies
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These one bowl Lemon Crinkle Cookies use fresh lemon juice and zest for an extra lemon-y cookie that melts in your mouth. Bonus? They are naturally dairy-free with no chilling required!
Our Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are definitely a reader favorite, but believe it or not, these cookies were the original recipe that inspired us!
When we were first developing these cookies, we started with classic ingredients, but the results weren’t quite right (think burnt bottoms and greasy texture). So, we took a different approach! We swapped the fats like we did for our Iced Lemon Loaf. The result? Soft, chewy cookies with a burst of lemon flavor!
But why are they called “crinkles”? Well, the secret lies in one simple step! Similar to ginger molasses cookies but unlike danish wedding cookies which are rolled in powdered sugar after baking. These cookies get rolled in both granulated and powdered sugars before baking, creating that signature crinkled texture all over the surface!
5 Reasons You’ll Love These Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- You don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe.
- There’s NO refrigeration time!
- Naturally dairy-free.
- There are no artificial colors (or flavors!).
- Ready in about 35 minutes!
One reader, Angela, commented: “Turned out excellent! My husband raved about how good they are and lemony! I added double the lemon juice and double the lemon zest. They look like they came from a bakery! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Liz, commented: “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. Thanks for sharing! It is now one of my favorite cookie recipes. ★★★★★”
Bake Along With Me! ↓
4 Tips For The Best-Ever Lemon Crinkle Cookies
While these cookies are super easy to make, there are still a few things you can do to make the best-ever cookies.
- Fresh juice is always better: Using store-bought juice may be convenient but the flavor of fresh squeezed lemons is unmatched in this recipe!
- Don’t chill the dough: While many recipes out there say that chilling dough is essential to cookie success, this recipe is the exact opposite! Instead, we want these cookies to spread. That’s what creates the “crinkle” effect on the surface of the cookies.
- Roll in granulated AND powdered sugar: Not only does the granulated sugar promote spread in the cookie, but it also acts as a moisture barrier, allowing the powdered sugar to stay on the surface of the cookie and not dissolve into it.
- Line your pan: Not only does lining your pan make for easier cleanup, it also promotes even browning on the bottom of your cookies AND helps control the spread of the cookies.
- Don’t overbake: This one is SO important! A cookie will continue to bake even after it leaves the oven. We found that 12 minutes in the oven creates a cookie that’s perfectly baked, oh-so moist, and incredibly tender.
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.
Happy Baking!
x, Caylie
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 large eggs, room temperature (about 70℉ or 21℃)
- ⅜ cup vegetable oil
- 5 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- 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 just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix!
- Use a 1 Tablespoon 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.
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These came out perfect other than I like a little more of a lemon taste so next time I will add more zest. The texture of the dough was perfect, I was surprised how easy they rolled with so many others mentioning the dough was too wet. I will be making these again for sure!
Flavor was wonderfully lemony 🙂 Just the taste I was looking for. However, the dough was too wet, so I just decided to make them into muffins. Was the dough very wet for anyone else? I did substitute with half self-rising flour and half white whole wheat and didn’t add baking powder. Thanks!
Hi Anne! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor and found a way to make them work! The reason the dough was wet is due to the substitution of the flour. Every flour has different absorption rates and this recipe was specifically developed to be made with all-purpose flour. Hope this helps! x, Caylie
My dough was wet too, and I followed the recipe exactly. I tried to add more flour bit by bit to try and see if it would help, but it only seemed to taste more floury but not change consistency. There was no way for my dough to be rolled into balls at all, it stuck to my fingers like crazy. I wasn’t sure what I did wrong, but maybe I should take one out of your book and try muffins.
Hi Grace! I’m sorry to hear that these cookies didn’t turn out for you. We have repeatedly tested this recipe and cannot replicate this problem. We would love to help you troubleshoot this, but to do that, could you please walk us through everything you did to help us understand what might’ve gone wrong? I hope we will be able to fix this! x, Caylie
Hi Caylie!
I’m honestly not sure what could’ve gone wrong. I tried to be very precise with the measurements, and premeasured everything before I began baking. Everything was going fine until I mixed the dry and wet ingredients together. I was trying to be very precise not to overwork the dough. The consistency was sticky and wet, unable to form into balls at all. I put it in the refrigerator to chill for about 45 minutes, but the problem persisted. I thought perhaps adding flour might help it come together, but it didn’t help the problem and just dulled the taste of the dough. It stuck to my fingers like a paste, and wouldn’t come together at all. I left it in the fridge overnight, but it still sticks to my fingers and is unable to form into a ball. Perhaps it is a skill error over a recipe error, though I’m not sure where I went wrong haha.
Is it ok to make the dough ahead of time and leave it the fridge until I’m ready to bake it?
Hi Maria! You can absolutely make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it. However, I wouldn’t refrigerate it for more than 48 hours. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Your photo shows 2 eggs however your recipe calls for 3 eggs?
Hi Ann! The image of ingredients is just to show you the ingredients, not to display amounts/measurements. That’s what the recipe card is for 😊. We always try to keep things consistent between the two but as recipes get tweaked/adjusted, information may change and the pictures may not get updated. Since the method to make these cookies doesn’t change if two or more eggs are used, the images are still accurate. Hope this helps! x, Caylie
For anyone wondering, 3/8 of a cup is 6 tablespoons (my measuring cup isn’t that precise). Recipe was easy to follow and the cookies turned out awesome with a fresh lemony flavour. Also found that washing my hands in between rolling the dough helped them form better, since the dough isn’t chilled.
I made these using a fresh lemon just picked off my tree.
They were fabulous, I can’t wait to make them again!
I think using a fresh lemon really makes a difference in the
flavor, I would highly just it if possible.
Also I’ve made a lot of recipes off of Pinterest but this is the first one I felt was comment worthy.
Hi Judy! Thank you so much for making our recipe!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies 🥰 We hope you find more to love on our blog!! x, Caylie
Turned out excellent! My husband raved about how good they are and lemony! I added double the lemon juice and double the lemon zest. (Because others in reviews commented they did for more flavour). They look like they came from a bakery!
Thank you ladies!
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for making our recipe! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed them 😊 If you like lemon cookies, you might also want to try our Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, Lemon Shortbread, or even our Lemon Thumbprints (these are made from the same cookie as our crinkle cookies, just filled with lemon curd)! Please let us know if you try any more of our recipes!! Happy holidays 🥰 x, Caylie
Delicious lemon flavor and lovely texture! I made them a bit smaller using a teaspoon scoop. Yield :6 dozen
Hi Denise! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies! I hope you find more to recipes to love on our blog 🙂 Happy holidays!! x, Caylie
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😊😊