I love the cookies at Paradise Bakery and Cafe, but we don't have one nearby. So, when I had a craving for their lemon cookies, I had to try to come up with my own version.
These Tart and Tangy Lemon Cookies weren't an exact copy, but they were really tasty and definitely satisfied my craving. Even though they were fairly tart with a good lemon flavor, my two-year old ate them up.
They were also really soft and tender, which I love in a cookie. I think that was due to chilling the dough overnight.
My first batch (pre-chilling) was more cakey, but after I chilled the dough, they were extremely soft and tender. Feel free to dust them with powdered sugar while they're still warm; we couldn't wait, and they were delicious.
Tart and Tangy Lemon Cookies
Lemon cookie recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Chilling: 8 hours
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings:24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon cookie
Ingredients
- ½ c. salted butter, softened (, or same amount unsalted butter + ¼ teaspoon salt)
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- ¾ c. powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ c. fresh lemon juice
- 1 T. lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar (, for dusting)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugars together until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, until blended.
- Add lemon juice and zest, mixing until blended.
- In one addition, add salt (if using), baking powder and flour. Mix until just blended.
- Cover and chill dough overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Drop by rounded scoopfuls (I used a small cookie scoop) onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm with no color, about 7-10 minutes.
- Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and let cool.
- Once cool, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 197kcal (10%)Carbohydrates: 36g (12%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 4g (6%)Saturated Fat: 2g (10%)Cholesterol: 24mg (8%)Sodium: 41mg (2%)Potassium: 44mg (1%)Sugar: 17g (19%)Vitamin A: 145IU (3%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 11mg (1%)Iron: 1.2mg (7%)
Terri
Very lemony and tart and easy to make.
Kate
Thank you!
SueAnn
Update: I love these cookies! I actually customized the recipe as follows: 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and then added more lemon juice to 1/3 cup and more lemon zest. Only let the dough rest for 30 minutes before baking as leaving it overnight made it too stiff to work with in the morning. EXCELLENT!
SueAnn
Excellent Lemon Cookies! I made this for a small neighborhood party yesterday and they were an instant hit. Very light and refreshing for a hot summer night. I think next time, I'll experiment by adding a little more lemon juice and a little less sugar.
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm glad the cookies were a hit! =) I might have to try that next time, too, as I love a tart cookie. Thanks for coming back to comment!
Caroline
So good!! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! =)