This lemon crinkle cookie recipe makes soft, chewy cookies that are bursting with citrus flavor! They bake up with beautiful crinkles and look just as good as they taste.

How to Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Let’s walk through each step of this lemon crinkle cookie recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!

I’ve also shared a video tutorial below.

Step 1: Massage the Lemon Zest into the Sugar

Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest into a bowl. Use your fingertips to massage the zest into the sugar to help release the oil in the zest.

You should be able to smell the oils being incorporated into the sugar. This gives these cookies a bright, citrusy flavor that won’t bake off in the oven. Set aside.

Step 2: Cream Together the Butter and Lemon Sugar

Add the room-temperature butter to the sugar and mix on high with either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Cream together for about 3 minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color and looks fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

Step 3: Mix in the Remaining Wet Ingredients

Next, add the egg, lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.

If you want these cookies to have a yellow color, add in a small drop of yellow gel food coloring or 1/2 tsp of liquid yellow food coloring. Mix on a low speed until combined.

Step 4: Mix in the Remaining Dry Ingredients

Then it’s time to sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. If you don’t have a sifter, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients.

This helps prevent over-mixing the dough and helps give these cookies a fluffy texture.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on a low speed until just combined.

Step 5: Scoop and coat the Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop and roll it into 20 balls.

Place the cookie dough scoops on a parchment-lined baking sheet or flat plate and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While the cookie dough chills, preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C and line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats. I prefer using silicone baking mats.

Then add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and roll the dough into a round ball. Toss each cookie in powdered sugar.

Be sure to completely coat each cookie and aim to get a thick coating of sugar so that it will still be visible after baking.

Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake one tray at a time for about 12-13 minutes then place the tray of the cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Bake time will vary if you make smaller or larger cookies, so keep an eye on them! The edges should look set, and the center should look slightly underbaked.

The cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the pans.

Zest one more lemon over the top of the warm cookies to give them a nice, bright lemon flavor.

Let the cookies cool fully on the baking pan, then enjoy! These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Substitutions and Swaps – Lemon Crinkles

This cookie recipe uses quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand. Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered.

Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.

• Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture and spread of these cookies.
• Fresh Lemon Zest & Juice – In a pinch, you could use lime juice and zest.
• 1 Large Egg – If you have an egg allergy you can try using a flaxseed egg or a vegan egg replacer like this made by Bob’s Red Mill.
• Gel Food Coloring – I added a drop of yellow gel food coloring to make these cookies yellow. However, this is optional and can be omitted. Liquid food coloring or natural food coloring can be used if needed.
• AP Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.

How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies

If you need to make gluten-free lemon crinkle cookies, use gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.

I prefer King Arthur’s gluten-free flour blend. In addition to swapping the flour, there are two additional steps you need to take when making gluten-free cookies.

Be sure to over-mix your dough and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

Over-mixing gluten-free dough helps the cookies rise better as they bake and gives them a more tender texture.

Letting the dough sit helps it thicken and prevents the cookies from having a gritty texture.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies Troubleshooting & FAQs

While I’d love to think everyone’s cookies will turn out perfectly every time, I know that sometimes things don’t go to plan. Below are some tips and advice to help!

Why Are My Crinkle Cookies Flat or Why Did They Overspread?

Crinkle cookies can be overspread for a few different reasons. The most common is that the dough wasn’t chilled, they weren’t baked for long enough, or there was too much leavening agent in the dough.

Chilling the dough in this recipe is a must! It controls how much the cookies spread and gives them the perfect crinkle. If you don’t chill the dough, the cookies will overspread.

In my experience, the main cause of flat cookies is that they’re underbaked. The cookies need to have enough structure when they’re pulled out of the oven to keep their shape and not flatten completely as they cool. If your cookies flatten out like a pancake as they cool, they may have needed a minute or two longer in the oven.

Another reason that these cookies can overspread is that there’s too much leavening agent in the batter. Make sure you’re using the right amount of baking powder and baking soda, and that you’re leveling your measuring spoons flat.

Why Didn’t My Crinkle Cookies Spread and Crinkle as They Baked?

This can happen if the batter is over-mixed after adding the flour, the leavening agents are expired, or if your oven runs cool.

The over-mixed batter can also create dense, chewy (in a bad way) baked goods. Make sure that you mix the batter until it’s just combined once you’ve added in the flour.

Expired baking powder and/or baking soda is a sneaky one. Check the dates on your baking powder and baking soda. Both can start to lose their leavening power after they’ve been open for 6 months.

A quick and easy way to check your baking powder is to add a little bit of hot water. It should foam. If it doesn’t, it’s time to get some new baking powder.  

You can similarly check baking soda by adding it to an acidic liquid, like lemon juice or vinegar. It should bubble up once it comes in contact with the acid. If it doesn’t, it’s time to get a new box of baking soda.

Another factor could be that your oven isn’t properly calibrated. I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer to make sure it’s baking at the right temperature.

Can I Make These Lemon Crinkle Cookies in Advance?

You can make this cookie dough in advance! The cookie dough balls can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container or the freezer for up to a month.

If you refrigerate the dough overnight/ahead of time, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then roll out the dough and bake following the recipe card below.

If you freeze the cookie dough, transfer it to the fridge the night before you want to bake the cookies, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and bake them following the instructions in the recipe card below.

Leftover cookies can sit at room temperature for 5 days in an airtight container.

You can also freeze baked cookies for up to a month. I like to thaw them overnight in the fridge, then let them come to room temperature the next day.

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Crinkle Cookies

• Ingredients at room temp mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure the dry ingredients.
• Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until they’re *just* combined. Avoid over-mixing the dough once the flour has been added in.
• Use a cookie scoop to make sure the cookies are uniformly sized.
• Add a small squirt of yellow gel food coloring to give these cookies a beautiful color.
• Don’t over-bake your cookies! They don’t really brown, so you have to keep an eye on them. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this lemon crinkle cookie recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations on social media!

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