Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Mary | 20 Comments

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (1)

I'm learning French. Yes, you read that right. I am learning how to speak French! If all goes according to plan, Derek and I will be living in France one year from now, so we figure we should start learning the lingo!

Let me tell you: French is not the easiest language on Earth. The whole "put 10 vowels in a row and not pronounce any of them" thing is new to me. Spanish is easy and phonetic! French? Same structure as Spanish (which makes the learning easier), but NOT phonetic at all. At least not to me...

Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (2)

Really though, I'm enjoying learning French. Mostly, I'm enjoying how I'm learning French. If you haven't yet, you should check out the app Duolingo. It's free, structured like a game, and really quite addicting. Also, it is apparently proven to be more effective than a college language course. Say whaat?

Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (3)

I mostly like the encouraging dinging noises it makes when I answer correctly, and the hilarious sentences it comes up with. The awesome thing? Duolingo is helping translate the internet! Very cool! You work on real-life sentences on the internet, and translate them one by one (with various people crowd-sourcing the translation and checking each other, to ensure the most accurate translation). If you have ever wanted to learn another language (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and German are offered, I believe), give Duolingo a try! I'm offering this opinion as 100% mine, not coerced to promote them or anything... we just love the app and are having fun learning!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (4)

Once your brain is full of new words, take a break to make these cookies. Just like the iced lemon cookies, they're not too sweet. In fact, these are deliciously tart!

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (5)

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

  • Author: by Mary
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 20-24 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp lemon zest
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. With clean fingers, rub the zest into the granulated sugar until very fragrant.
  3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
  5. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and mix again until smooth.
  6. Add the flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.
  7. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before continuing.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  9. Roll dough into ⅛ cup balls, then roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Arrange 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy says

    These cookies look so pretty!! Very light and I guess refreshing with the lemons!
    I'm sure you will love France, the food there is amazing 😉
    xox Amy

    Reply

  2. Rhonda says

    Je ne parle pas français, mais je ne parle rien de citron. Okay so I parlez en peu français, thanks to one year in high school. These cookies have been on my to do list for sometime. I'll have to check out that app, maybe learn more than, "I can't speak French, I'll have a glass of wine, plus another and another and another, and where's the bathroom". We adore France, if I were rich and could have a second home it would be there or maybe Italy, or both.

    Reply

  3. marcelle du Québec says

    Félicitations et courage apprendre le francais n'est pas facile .Jai appris l'anglais enlisant des romans d'auteurs américains et le dictionnaire n'étaitpas loin ainsi que mon hubby,After l0 trips in France que bons souvenirs et on rencontre des gentils ......comme aux USA pays que j'adore.

    Reply

  4. Kimberly says

    I just made these in preparation for my Christmas treat boxes and they are amazing! I added a little bit of lemon oil to my batch, but I really loved them. They were like little lemon cake bites and were incredibly delicious.

    Reply

  5. Geneva says

    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing delicious recipe! This is now one of my favorite cookie recipes. It tastes just like a lemon bar,but better! I think i'll make these now instead of the the bars. They have been a HUGE hit with all my friends, family and my husbands co-workers. I've already made 3 batches of this recipe this week. Luckily, I have a Meyers lemon tree in my backyard=) Thanks again for sharing!

    Reply

  6. Lauren says

    Made these today. Followed recipe exactly and they turned out perfect! A great, light cookie!

    Reply

  7. Kristen says

    my son and I are making these as I type. The first batch, I just checked in the oven and they are as flat as pancakes?.... What the heck did I do wrong? I just went all back thru the recipe and I did everything right??

    Reply

    • Mary says

      Hmmm these are pretty flat cookies, so I'm not sure exactly what to tell you! Did they turn out??

      Reply

  8. Ghia Girl says

    I just tried your recipe yesterday. I had followed your instructions exactly and theit appearance looked okay but the cookie was too eggy & floury. I definitely tried the wrong recipe and threw out the whole batch.

    Reply

    • Mary says

      Sorry it didn't work out for your, Ghia Girl! xo

      Reply

  9. Julie says

    Bonjour,

    Thanks for the recipe! I mixed half white flour with half of buckwheat. The buckwheat gave a little "dirty" look and a tiny bit of nuttiness:)
    I also added some poppy seeds. Turned out great.

    Reply

    • Mary says

      Yum! Sounds like a fun variation! Thanks for sharing, Julie! xo

      Reply

  10. Karen says

    can the cookie dough be frozen for later use?

    Reply

    • Mary says

      Hi Karen! I haven't tried this myself, but I don't see why not. I've had success freezing cookie dough balls with many other recipes, just haven't tried this one!

      Reply

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? ›

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? If the dough is too wet, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. In order for a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. If your cookies are not crinkling then there is too much free water in the dough.

Why didn't my crinkle cookies crack? ›

Why didn't my chocolate crinkle cookies crack? The most common reason for cookies that don't crack is either that the oven was not hot enough or the baking powder was expired.

What makes a cookie crinkle? ›

The part that makes this a 'crinkle' cookie is the generous coating of powdered sugar that the cookie dough ball gets before going into the oven. As it bakes and spreads on the baking sheet, cracks develop and are exposed, giving the perfect crackle cookie.

Why are my crinkle cookies hard? ›

Most cookies are soft and flexible, so the dough evenly expands as the cookies bake. In crinkle cookies, however, the powdered sugar dries out in the oven, creating a hard outer shell that is not flexible.

How do you make cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Slightly underbaking cookies with brown sugar in them makes them softer as well. Just make sure to store brown sugar in an airtight environment so it doesn't dry out. Flour plays its part by contributing protein. The lower the protein, the softer your cookies will be.

How to get crackly cookies? ›

Instead of simply placing a smooth ball of cookie dough on your baking sheet, use your hands to split the ball in half, and then gently squeeze it together. You'll want the split side facing up when the cookies go into the oven.

Why are my crinkle cookies spreading too much? ›

One of the most common causes of cookie spread is that the fat is too warm. Make sure to chill your dough thoroughly if the recipe calls for it. If you're forming dough balls and the dough is too sticky to work with, this is a sign that your dough may be too warm.

How to know if crinkles are done? ›

How do you know when chocolate crinkle cookies are done? Look for the crackly top! You want to bake the cookies until they've cracked on top and the edges look set, but the center is still soft.

Why aren't my cookies crackly? ›

Issues with cracking usually derive from the sugar coating, not enough or expired baking powder or baking soda, or the oven temperature isn't hot enough. Solution: Granulated sugar is more effective at drying the surface than powdered sugar.

What makes a cookie crunchier? ›

A lower oven temperature will give your cookies more time to spread before they start to rise, resulting in a crispier cookie. I recommend baking your cookies for a bit longer at a lower temperature to achieve the texture you're looking for. You can also play around with the type of pan you're using.

What makes a cookie crackle? ›

Coating the cookies with either type of sugar draws out moisture from their surface, promoting cracks by drying out their tops before the interiors set.

Why is my crinkle cookie dough dry? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Why aren t my cookies crinkling? ›

The signature crinkle effect happens when the cookies spread and crack as they bake. If your cookies aren't crinkling, it might be because the dough is too warm (try chilling it for longer before baking), or the oven temperature might be too low (ensure your oven is correctly preheated).

Why do my crinkles not crack? ›

If your crinkles aren't cracking, check that your oven is at the correct temperature and that your leavening agent (baking powder) hasn't expired. Why is my crinkle cookie dough too wet? The cookie dough is expected to be moist, sticky, and formless.

Why are my cookies never crunchy? ›

To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough. Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie. But if you want a thoroughly crispy cookie – not those just charred on the outside – decrease the temperature to 140C and bake for 30min.

Why don't my cookies come out crispy? ›

To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough. Generally bake around 13-15min at 180C for a crispy cookie. But if you want a thoroughly crispy cookie – not those just charred on the outside – decrease the temperature to 140C and bake for 30min.

Why are my cookies not puffing up? ›

If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise. Moreover, butter that's warmer than room temperature melts in an instant in the oven, encouraging the dough to spread quickly with it.

Why didn't my cookies crackle? ›

Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)

Why are my cookies chewy and not crunchy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

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