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Top-down view of freshly baked lemon sugar cookies cooling on a wire rack next to bright yellow lemons.

The Ultimate Lemon Sugar Cookies: Soft, Puffy, and Crinkled

Bake a batch of these cheerful lemon sugar cookies! They are incredibly soft, perfectly puffy, and feature a beautifully crinkled exterior generously coated in sparkling sugar. Bursting with fresh citrus flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Lemon Sugar Cookies
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (345g), spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt (3g)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest (12g)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (226g), softened to room temperature
  • 1 whole large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (30ml)
  • 1 tsp lemon extract (5ml)
  • 1/2 cup sparkling sugar (100g), or coarse granulated sugar for rolling

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer Essential for creaming the butter.
  • 1 Microplane Zester Best tool for finely grating zest.

Instructions
 

Making the Cookies
  1. In a stand mixer bowl, vigorously massage the fresh lemon zest into the 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar with your fingertips until fragrant.
  2. Add the softened butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale.
  3. Mix in the whole egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, and lemon extract on low speed until just combined.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Gradually mix into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
  5. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions. Roll each ball generously in the ½ cup of sparkling sugar.
  6. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes until puffy and the edges are just set.
  7. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (they will crinkle as they fall), then transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

Tip 1. Never skip massaging the lemon zest into the sugar; it releases vital essential oils.
Tip 2. For an extra sparkly finish, roll the dough balls in the coarse sugar twice before baking.
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