I used to work at a coffeehouse that made the most perfect lemon sugar cookies: gigantic in size, with light lemon flavor and a dusting of sugar. However, when the baker left (along with a few important recipes), this cookie was pronounced lost forever.
On and off over the years, I have tried to re-create the magic of these cookies, and finally succeeded. These incredible lemon cookies are large in size, bakery-style: the sides are slightly crisp, and the center rich and chewy. They are a perfect way to ward off the lingering winter blues while we impatiently wait for spring.
It took awhile to get these cookies just right. The original recipe had a delicate lemon flavor, with crisp edges and a soft, chewy center that almost melted in your mouth. I spent weeks playing around with ratios, and finally settled on 2 tablespoons lemon zest for good flavor, an added egg yolk to help with both softness and richness in the center bite (plus it added a little more yellow color), and both baking powder and soda to help the centers rise while baking, and then gently drop as they cooled, creating a tender, yet chewy center.
Important Recipe Notes I Think You Should Know:
- All-Purpose Flour: Make sure your all-purpose flour is not too high or low in protein; I like to use Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose for cookie baking. At 10.5 percent protein it is a good, moderate choice to keep baked goods tender.
- Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can control the salt content. This recipe uses both salt in the dough and sprinkled on top before baking, so unsalted works well here in order to keep the cookies from getting too salty.
- Lemon zest gives these cookies bright flavor, but in a pinch I have replaced it with Lemon Paste with good results. The lemon flavor is subtle, but adding lemon zest to the rolling sugar can add more lemon punch if you so desire.
- Lemon extract helps boost the lemon flavor here, and I don’t recommend omitting it. I have also made these replacing the lemon extract with Fiori di Sicilia, which was also delicious.
- These cookies are a bit larger than normal, and I suggest keeping them that way. A smaller cookie won’t bake up quite the same, and will have less of a perfect center. If you decide to make them smaller, make sure to take a few minutes off the baking time.
Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons [1 1/2 sticks or 170 g] unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups [300 g] granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, from 2 to 3 lemons
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and salt and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, yolk, lemon extract, and vanilla extract, mixing on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Put about 1/2 cup [100 g] granulated sugar in a small bowl. Form the dough into 2 oz [57 g] balls (3 tablespoons), and roll each ball in the coating sugar. Place 6 cookies on each sheet pan. The cookies will spread quite a bit, so make sure to leave space between them.
- Bake the cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake for 10 minutes, then give the pan a slight tap in the oven, and continue baking until the sides of the cookies are pale golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cookies cool to room temperature on the pan. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
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