Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe

Light and crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside lemon sugar cookies. 

25 min prep, +30 min to refrigerate the dough

Cook time: 7-9 min

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients 

Cookies:

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

Rolling Sugar:

⅓ cup coarse sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon salt

Glaze (optional):

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Extra lemon zest for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, mash together sugar and lemon zest with a fork or the back of a spoon. 

2. Add butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and cream together until light and fluffy. 

3. Beat in the egg, honey, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 

4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. 

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined. The cookie dough will be crumbly, but should come together nicely if you roll it into a ball. 

6. Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls or use a small cookie scoop and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 30 minutes. 

7. In a shallow bowl or on a large plate make the rolling sugar. Combine sugar, lemon zest and salt with a fork or the back of a spoon. 

8. Remove dough balls from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. 

9. Place each dough ball into the rolling sugar. Use a wooden tamper or a flat bottomed glass to flatten the ball into the lemon-sugar to about ½” thickness. Place the cookies onto the baking sheet with about 2” spacing between them. 

10. Bake for 7-9 minutes. To keep the cookies soft, do not brown them. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

11. Optional Glazing: in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle or spoon the glaze on the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with extra lemon zest if desired. 

12. Allow the glaze to set, then store cookies in an airtight container. 

Note: Even with plenty of lemon zest and juice, these cookies aren’t especially tart on their own—just pleasantly lemony. The glaze adds a bright, punchy tartness. We think the recipe is delish as is, but if you’d like an extra lemon kick, mix up to 1 teaspoon of lemon extract into the wet ingredients.