Ingredients (~18 small cookies)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large lemon, zested (or 2 small lemons)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 2 drops yellow food dye (optional)
- 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar (for rolling)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Mix the Dry Ingredients and Prep Your Lemon
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt; Set aside.
Zest your lemon into a small bowl – you want about 1 Tbsp of zest total.
Beat the Butter and Sugar Until Light and Fluffy
Using a mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar on high speed for ~2 minutes.
It should look soft and pale when done.
Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything gets incorporated.
Add the Wet Ingredients
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg to the butter mixture.
Mix on medium speed until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
If you’re using the yellow food dye, add 2 drops now – this just makes them more visually appealing.
Combine Everything and Let the Dough Rest
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined; Don’t overmix.
Fold in the white chocolate chips by hand or mix on the lowest speed for just a few seconds.
Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes – this prevents the cookies from spreading too much when they bake.
Preheat Oven and Set Up Your Rolling Stations
Preheat your oven to 350F and line one cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put the 2 Tbsp granulated sugar in one small bowl and the powdered sugar in another.
Scoop and Roll the Cookie Dough
Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp) to portion the dough into balls.
Roll each ball first in the granulated sugar, then in the powdered sugar.
Make sure each cookie gets a thick coat of powdered sugar – this is what creates the crinkle effect.
Place 9 cookies on your prepared sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake Until the Edges Are Just Set
Bake for ~8-10 minutes or until the edges look set but the centers still look slightly soft.
Don’t overbake these or they’ll be dry and the powdered sugar will start to melt off.
Let the cookies cool on the hot pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
The powdered sugar should have that classic crackled appearance with the yellow cookie showing through.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients (~18 small cookies)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons, zested
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 2 drops yellow food dye optional
- 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar for rolling
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Sift together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Zest lemon to get 1 Tbsp zest.
- Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until soft and pale.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, and food dye if using. Mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
- Fold in white chocolate chips.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 2 Tbsp granulated sugar in one small bowl and powdered sugar in another.
- Scoop dough into 1 Tbsp balls.
- Roll each ball first in granulated sugar, then coat thickly in powdered sugar.
- Place 9 cookies on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are set but centers look slightly soft.
- Cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
