These lemon sugar cookies are packed with big lemon flavor because I know how much you lemon lovers crave that bright, bold taste. They are extra special with a white chocolate drizzle.
How To Make Lemon Cookies From Scratch?
Making lemon cookies is a lot like other cookies. You use your usual flour, sugar, eggs and butter. The difference is, of course, the lemon flavor instead of your usual vanilla or sometimes almond.
For more intense bold lemon flavor, I’ve used fresh lemon juice and zest as well as lemon extract. I call this the lemon triple whammy!
How To Make Lemon Zest?
Once the lemon is clean and dry, use a microplane (grater/zester) to scrape off the yellow part of the lemon. Don’t go into the pith. You just want the outer lemon peel.
Start off by washing the lemon. Seriously. Wash the lemon. What are you thinking?
Pro Tip: Once you have fresh lemon zest, remove a little of the sugar or flour mixture to a bowl with the zest. Mix it well. This coats the little pieces of lemon peel so they will distribute better in the batter. If you don’t do this, the zest may stick together and you end up having a bunch in one mouthful.
What Is A Substitute For Lemon Zest?
If you’re unable to use lemon zest, you can use bottled lemon peel. There is about one tablespoon of lemon zest in a lemon so use the same amount of the dried lemon peel.
I really don’t like the taste of bottled lemon or orange peel very much. Fresh tastes so much better to me. But, I understand that if you want cookies, you want cookies, even when you don’t have all the ingredients. Am I right?!
How Much Lemon Juice Is In A Lemon?
The lemons I’ve used in this recipe weren’t small. They were kind of large. I find that the lemons you usually find bagged are small lemons and the lemons sold individually are larger, about medium to large size. We typically buy the individual lemons.
There was about three tablespoons of freshly squeezed juice in each medium-large sized lemon.
Remember to zest first because it’s difficult to zest once you’ve cut the lemon in half.
Want a lemon juice tip? Put the whole lemon in the microwave for about 20 or 25 seconds before you cut into it to juice it. This releases the juice better, making it easier to get as much juice as possible.
Squeeze the lemon into a separate little bowl instead of directly into the mixing bowl so you can retrieve the seeds before use in the cookies.
Can I Use Bottled Lemon Juice?
Yes! I prefer using fresh lemon juice but, if you want to use bottled lemon juice, you could use that instead. I won’t call the cookie police.
What Can I Substitute For Lemon Extract?
Did I mention that these lemon cookies have intense lemon taste? That’s because I’ve used lemon juice, lemon zest AND lemon extract as mentioned above.
My grandmother loves lemon anything so mom always has lemon extract in the pantry. It’s a staple for us and you should get some too! Even if you’re making a lemon cake from a box, you can add a little bit of this extract to bring out the flavor even more.
If you’re unable to use lemon extract, you can use artificial lemon flavoring, if you can find it. Or, use more dried lemon peel.
Do I Need To Chill Cookie Dough?
Let me tell you what happens with this lemon sugar cookie dough depending on whether you chill the dough.
No Chilling. The cookies are flat and crispy because they spread quickly in the oven.
Chill 30-60 minutes. The cookies are soft but don’t spread very much so I had to press them with a cup a little bit.
Chill Overnight. The cookies really don’t spread much at all and some of them ended up looking like little scoops of ice cream. They’re soft and baked through. Completely edible. I originally chilled the dough for about 8 hours. The next day, I let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before using. This produced more of the “chill 30-60 minutes” type.
Can I Freeze Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these cookies except I would probably skip the drizzle when freezing. I don’t think the white chocolate would freeze and thaw very well.
Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, without touching then cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Now, you can safely remove them from the cookie sheet and place in a container.
To defrost, place a couple of cookies at room temperature. It will only take 5 or 10 minutes.
Your cookies should last 3-4 months in the freezer but, unless you forget about them, they’ll never stay in there that long.
Behind The Scenes
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Recipe
Lemon Sugar Cookies White Chocolate Drizzle
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For more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Rack
- Plastic Wrap
- Metal Grater or Microplane
- Microwave Safe Bowl
Ingredients
- 540 grams All Purpose Flour, about 4 ½ cups spoon and fill
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, 2 sticks, softened
- 1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
- 2 large Lemons, juice and zest only
- Yellow Food Coloring, few drops, optional
- 1 cup White Chocolate Morsels, sometimes called Vanilla Morsels
- 3 tablespoons Whipping Cream, sometimes called Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Pro Tip: Once you have fresh lemon zest, remove a little of the sugar or flour mixture to a bowl with the zest. Mix it well. This coats the little pieces of lemon peel so they will distribute better in the batter.
- Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon extract, juice and zest of lemons and two or three drops yellow food coloring, if desired.
- Gradually add flour mixture, about one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Form dough into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-60 minutes.
- Don't put the dough in refrigerator for too long. It will get too hard and difficult to form into balls. If the dough is refrigerated too long, try setting it on the counter at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- With 1 ½" cookie scoop, measure out a piece of dough, roll into a ball and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet, about 1 ½ -2 inches apart. Once placed evenly, use a glass or bowl to flatten the dough ball a little. It helps to use a second piece of parchment paper when pressing down to avoid sticking.
- Place cookies in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Cookies shouldn't brown. They should be barely golden on the edges.
- Remove from oven. Once cool enough to remove from pan, place on wire rack. Wait for cookies to completely cool before adding drizzle.
- Drizzle: Place white chocolate morsels in microwave safe bowl or cup. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat once or twice more, as needed, to almost fully melt the white chocolate. The heat of it will continue melting. Stir until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of whipping cream at a time and stir until smooth after each addition. Repeat with more whipping cream until desired consistency.
- Once cooled slightly, place melted white chocolate in a zipper bag. Cut off the lower tip and "pipe" the chocolate over each cookie. Allow to completely cool and harden before storing.
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Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.
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