Soft Chewy Lemon Cookies (Printable)
Zesty tender cookies with real lemon flavor and soft chewy texture
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 egg yolk
08 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
09 - 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ For Rolling
11 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional, for coating)
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until fully incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into even balls. If desired, roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat.
07 - Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers remain soft and slightly underbaked for a chewy texture.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The secret is the extra egg yolk, which makes these cookies impossibly tender and chewy rather than cakey or crisp.
- Real lemon juice and zest together create a brightness that lemon extract simply cannot replicate, no matter what the bottle claims.
02 -
- Underbaking by one minute is the single most important thing you can do for chewy cookies, once they look fully done in the oven they are already overbaked.
- Measuring flour by weight instead of volume changed everything for me, even a few extra tablespoons can turn a soft cookie into a dry one.
03 -
- Roll the zest into the sugar with your fingers before creaming, it releases the essential oils and distributes lemon flavor more evenly than dumping it in separately.
- Use a cookie scoop instead of a spoon for uniform portions so every cookie bakes at exactly the same rate.