These delicate and chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies are made with recent lemon zest and juice, rolled in sugar, and topped with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting. No chilling required – simply 10 minutes of prep! Excellent for Spring, Summer time, Easter, Mom’s Day, child showers, and summer season events.

Mushy Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting 

For those who’ve been round right here for some time, you already know I’ve a critical weak point for something lemon. I’ve made lemon thumbprint cookies stuffed with lemon curd, lemon brownies with cream cheese frosting, a lemon raspberry bundt cake, and a lemon blueberry bundt cake – and I am nonetheless not performed.

These frosted lemon sugar cookies would possibly simply be my favourite of the bunch, as a result of they ship most lemon taste with minimal effort: solely 10 minutes of prep, no chilling the dough, no rolling pin, and no cookie cutters. Let me present you the way straightforward that is!

Recipe Highlights

• Mushy and chewy, by no means cakey. The key is a tablespoon of cornstarch plus an additional egg yolk – I will clarify why under. These keep thick and tender for days.
• No chilling the dough! In contrast to most sugar cookie recipes, you possibly can scoop, roll, and bake these instantly. From “I would like cookies” to cookies in beneath an hour.
• Triple lemon taste. Recent lemon zest and lemon juice within the dough, plus extra zest and juice within the buttercream. Each chunk is vibrant and citrusy – I promise these are lemon cookies for true lemon lovers.
• That sparkly sugar coating. Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar earlier than baking provides the sides a fragile, crackly sweetness – similar to my sugar-rolled lemon thumbprint cookies.
• Excellent for any event. Easter, Mom’s Day, spring brunch, summer season potlucks, cookie exchanges – these disappear quick wherever they go.

The Secret to Mushy, Thick Lemon Cookies

Let me stroll you thru why this recipe works so effectively, as a result of a few small substances make an enormous distinction right here.

Cornstarch is the tenderness trick. Including simply 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the flour softens the dough’s construction – cornstarch has no gluten, so it interrupts gluten improvement the identical method cake flour does in my key lime bundt cake. The result’s a cookie with a delicate, virtually melt-in-your-mouth heart as an alternative of a troublesome, bready one. Do not skip it!

The additional egg yolk provides richness and chew. One complete egg plus one additional yolk provides you the moisture and fats for a dense, chewy texture with out making the cookies unfold skinny.

Elements You Want & Why

This recipe has 2 easy elements: lemon sugar cookies and lemon buttercream. Under, I will clarify the important thing substances and why they’re used. For the complete ingredient listing and detailed directions, scroll all the way down to the printable recipe card.

1) Lemon Sugar Cookie Elements:

• All-purpose flour: The bottom of the dough. I like to recommend spooning and leveling your flour (or higher but, weighing it) so you do not find yourself with an excessive amount of, which might make cookies dry and cakey as an alternative of sentimental.
• Cornstarch: That is my little trick for extra-tender cookies. It softens the gluten within the flour so the feel stays delicate within the heart.
• Baking powder: Provides these cookies their thick, barely puffed form.
• Kosher salt: Balances all that sweetness and makes the lemon taste pop.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature: Be certain it is really delicate so it lotions correctly with the sugar. To verify that, press a finger into it – it ought to go away an indent with out sinking by means of.
• Granulated sugar: Creamed with the butter for that basic gentle, fluffy sugar cookie base.
• Lemon zest and lemon juice: Use recent lemons right here, not the bottled stuff. Freshly grated zest is the place most of that vibrant lemon oil and taste comes from.
• Egg + egg yolk: The additional yolk provides richness and helps hold the cookies delicate and chewy as an alternative of cakey.
• Vanilla extract and lemon extract: Vanilla rounds out the flavour, and the lemon extract is elective however I actually do suggest it. It deepens the citrus taste with out including extra liquid to the dough.
• Granulated sugar, for rolling: That is what provides the cookies that fairly, sparkly, crackled prime as soon as they bake.

2) Lemon Buttercream Frosting Elements:

• Unsalted butter, room temperature: The creamy base of the frosting.
• Lemon zest: Overwhelmed proper into the butter first so the lemon oils actually infuse the frosting.
• Powdered sugar: Added regularly for a easy, lump-free frosting.
• Lemon juice: Additionally added regularly. That is what thins the frosting to the right spreadable consistency whereas including much more tangy lemon taste.

The way to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies (Step-by-Step)

That is only a fast overview – you will discover the complete printable recipe with precise measurements in the printable recipe card under.

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the dry substances. In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Put aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar. In a big mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar collectively till gentle and fluffy – about 2-3 minutes. Do not rush this step; it creates the little air pockets that hold the cookies delicate.

• Add the lemon and eggs. Combine within the lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract (if utilizing) till absolutely mixed, scraping down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted. The dough will scent unimaginable already!
• Add the dry substances. Regularly combine the dry substances into the moist substances till simply mixed. Don’t overmix – overmixing develops gluten and makes cookies powerful, and we labored exhausting for that tender crumb.

• Scoop and roll. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll into balls, then roll every ball in granulated sugar and place on the ready baking sheet.

• Flatten barely. Utilizing a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup, gently press down on every dough ball. You need them barely flattened however nonetheless thick – they will not unfold a lot within the oven, so this step shapes the ultimate cookie.

• Bake. Bake for 9-10 minutes, till the sides are set and the facilities nonetheless look barely underbaked. Belief me on this – the facilities end setting on the new baking sheet, and pulling them early is strictly what retains these cookies delicate and chewy. If they appear absolutely performed within the oven, they’re going to be dry as soon as cooled.
• Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes earlier than transferring them to a wire rack to chill fully.

The way to Make the Lemon Buttercream Frosting

• Beat the butter and lemon zest till easy. Regularly add the powdered sugar and lemon juice in levels, mixing till creamy and effectively mixed.
• Modify the consistency as wanted with a little bit additional lemon juice or powdered sugar. 

• Frost the cookies solely as soon as they’re fully cool. I do know it is tempting to hurry, however heat cookies will soften the buttercream and make it slide proper off. Swirl it on with the again of a spoon or an offset spatula, prime with a little bit additional lemon zest in case you’re feeling fancy, and revel in!

Variations

• Skip the frosting for a less complicated, much less candy lemon sugar cookie – they’re scrumptious on their very own with that crackly sugar coating. You possibly can additionally drizzle them with a skinny lemon glaze just like the one on my raspberry lemon loaf.
• Make them lime or orange. Swap the lemon zest and juice for lime or orange – identical methodology, complete new cookie. (For those who love lime desserts as a lot as I do, my key lime bundt cake ought to be subsequent in your listing!)
• Add white chocolate chips. Fold in ¾ cup – lemon and white chocolate are a dreamy pair (that mixture is strictly why my lemon brownies are so widespread).
• Beautify for the vacation. Pastel sprinkles on the frosting make these lovable Easter cookies; yellow sanding sugar is ideal for summer season.

My High 6 Suggestions

• Room temperature butter issues. Chilly butter will not cream correctly, and melted butter makes the cookies unfold. Take it out about an hour forward.
• Zest first, juice second. It is almost unimaginable to zest a juiced lemon half!
• Barely underbake. I will say it once more as a result of it is the one most vital tip: the facilities ought to look a contact underdone if you pull the pan from the oven. Watch the bake time intently. These cookies go from completely delicate to overbaked shortly, so begin checking on the 9-minute mark.
• Use the identical scoop dimension for each cookie so all of them bake evenly. A medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) is my go-to.
• Do not skip rolling the dough in sugar. This step creates that signature sparkly, barely crackled cookie prime that makes these look bakery-worthy.
• Let the cookies cool fully earlier than frosting. I do know it is tempting to frost them heat, however endurance right here pays off with a frosting that units up properly as an alternative of sliding off.

FAQ (You Ask, I Reply)

1. Do I would like to sit back the dough? No! That is considered one of my favourite issues about this recipe. The dough is sturdy sufficient to scoop and bake instantly.
2. Can I take advantage of bottled lemon juice? You may, however I extremely suggest recent. And, because you want the zest anyway, you will have already got the lemons available.
3. Can I take advantage of salted butter as an alternative of unsalted? Sure, simply cut back the added salt within the recipe to ½ teaspoon.
4. Why did my cookies prove dry? Virtually at all times considered one of two issues: an excessive amount of flour (measure by weight or spoon-and-level) or overbaking. Bear in mind, barely underbaked facilities are the purpose. You’ll want to take them out when the sides are set however the facilities nonetheless look delicate.  If they’re displaying any browning on them, they’ve baked method too lengthy.  Ensure you are utilizing a light-colored baking sheet too!
5. What number of cookies does this make? About 26-28 cookies utilizing a 1.5-tablespoon scoop.
6. Can I make these forward? Sure! Bake the cookies as much as 2 days forward and retailer them unfrosted, then make the buttercream and frost the day you serve them.

Extra Lemon Desserts You may Love

For those who’re as into lemon desserts as I’m, listed here are just a few extra recipes from my web site value attempting subsequent:

• Lemon Thumbprint Cookies – buttery shortbread-style cookies stuffed with lemon curd
• Lemon Brownies – chewy white chocolate brownies with a tangy lemon cream cheese topping
• Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake – a moist, citrusy bundt cake completed with lemon glaze
• Lemon Meringue Tartlets – mini tarts with a press-in crust and pillowy meringue
• Traditional Key Lime Pie – for if you need your citrus dessert additional tart and creamy
• Vanilla Sugar Cookies – my go-to base sugar cookie recipe if you wish to evaluate textures
• Crème Brûlée Cookies – one other frosted cookie favourite, with a caramelized sugar topping