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Rolled in powdered sugar and flavored with sweet Meyer lemon zest and juice, you’ll love these soft and buttery Meyer lemon crinkle cookies! For best results, be sure to cover and chill the cookie dough for 3 to 4 hours before baking. Recipe makes 20 cookies.
These lemon crinkle cookies bake up with a pillowy soft and buttery texture. They’re a must bake for any lemon dessert lover, and one of my favorite Meyer lemon recipes!
Rolling the cookie dough in granulated sugar before coating in powdered sugar helps the cookies crackle as they bake, and helps keep the powdered sugar coating in place, for perfect crinkles with every batch!
Love lemon cookies? Try my lemon shortbread cookies next!
Best Lemons to Use
If you’re new to Meyer lemons, you’re in for a treat. Essentially a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange, Meyer lemons are smaller than regular lemons with smooth, thin skin.
Incredibly sweet and aromatic, I highly recommend using Meyer lemons in these crinkle cookies for the most delicious results.
If you can’t find Meyer lemons, you can also use regular lemons. Regular lemons will add a slightly more tangy, zesty flavor to the cookies.
Make Ahead and Freezing Tips
Make the dough in advance, roll into balls, and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar, coat in powered sugar, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake cookies as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
To freeze lemon crinkle cookies, allow the baked cookies to cool completely on a wire rack. Freeze cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months.
Favorite Meyer lemon recipes:
- Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
- Meyer Lemon Brown Butter Bars
- Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake
Did you try this Lemon Crinkle Cookie Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hr 35 minutes (includes chilling)
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Rolled in powdered sugar and flavored with sweet Meyer lemon zest and juice, you’ll love these soft and buttery Meyer lemon crinkle cookies! For best results, be sure to cover and chill the cookie dough for 3 to 4 hours before baking. Recipe makes 20 cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For Rolling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Place sugar and Meyer lemon zest in a food processor and pulse for one minute. Beat butter and Meyer lemon-sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy; beat in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (if cookie dough has chilled overnight, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate shallow bowls. Use a cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to scoop 1 1/2-inch balls of dough. Drop the balls of dough in granulated sugar and roll to coat, then coat generously in powdered sugar. Place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 14 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are set and tops are matte (not shiny). Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Lemons: Meyer lemons are a cross between regular lemons and mandarin oranges, and the zest and juice is sweet and aromatic. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, you can also use regular lemons. Regular lemons will add a slightly more tangy, zesty flavor to the cookies.
Make Ahead: Make the dough in advance, roll into balls, and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar, coat in powdered sugar, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake cookies as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
I didn’t have Meyer lemons so I used regular lemons and the cookies still came out delicious!
Hi Karen, so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
These cookies are so good! Soft, buttery, and perfectly tangy!
Thanks for your feedback, Amie! 🙂
These cookies are incredible! Simple and delicious with the best lemon flavor!
Thanks so much, Colleen! 🙂
Love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it! My sister-in-law in California ships a box of Meyer Lemons from her tree every year and they arrived a week ago. I made the dough yesterday and let it sit overnight. I baked 4 today and they are simply delicious! My sugar also baked in even though I rolled in granulated followed by a heavy coating of confectioners sugars. It’s ok; as one other baker recommended, I sifted more confectioners sugar on top as they cooled and they are luscious! I substituted King Arthur’s Measure for Measure gluten-free flour for the all purpose and you’d never know the difference, I’m going to try freezing a few as you’ve instructed and will bake more in a couple of days to bring to family. Thanks again! This recipe is a keeper- can’t wait to share it with my sister-in-law!
That’s so wonderful to hear, thank you Lynn! 🙂
My whole family loved these cookies, so chewy and delicious! Thank you Laura!
Thank you so much, Jayne! 🙂
Perfectly chewy and lemony crinkle cookies. Fantastic recipe!
Hi Mia, so glad you loved these! 🙂
Delicious! They turned out great. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Lynn! 🙂
Hi Laura, These cookies are calling my name! I’m a Canadian living in The Netherlands and we don’t have Meyer lemons here, and I’ve never tasted a Meyer lemon in my life, so, if I use regular lemons in your recipe, will they be as good, or too acidic? I love everything lemon, I am thus willing to try it!
Hoping to hear from you shortly,
Thanks!
Just baked them and they are lemony-licious! However when my cookies came out of the oven the powder sugar seemed to disappear into cookie so I sifted some on post baking. What do you do to keep that nice coating of PSugar on? Thanks! -L
Thanks Lisa! If the powdered sugar is disappearing, another trick I’ve learned is to roll crinkles first in granulated sugar, and then roll them in powdered sugar. The double roll promotes the “crinkle” and helps the powdered sugar coating remain intact.
Thank you for the great idea! I will try them with my next batch! 🍋
Made these a couple of days ago and they got rave reviews! Lemony, sweet, and lovely! Thank you for another great recipe!
Thanks so much, Nancy! That’s great to hear! 🙂