Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Updated: Dec 19, 2025 by christina.marsigliese · 41 Comments

Calling all lemon lovers! These Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies are so full of bold lemon flavor with slight tang from lemon juice and they have an incredibly chewy texture with almost fudgy centers. They bake with a crackled surface which makes them look so pretty with the contrasting yellow and white. I have this well-loved recipe for soft and tender lemon crinkle cookies which is based off of my family's traditional Italian lemon cookies, and I wanted to develop a chewy version. It's hard to decide which one I love more! If you enjoy chewy cookies, you will love these! If you love lemon desserts, check out my Lemon Curd Crumb Cake and my Sour Cream Lemon Curd Cookies too!

chewy lemon crinkle cookies on parchment on cooling rack

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Soft and chewy cookies - these cookies are so chewy with soft fudgy centers and they maintain their chewiness for several days.
Bold buttery lemon cookies - lots of lemon zest and lemon juice ensures that these cookies pack a punch with lots of buttery lemon flavor.
Easy to make - this is a simple recipe with basic ingredients that you likely have on hand.
Big crackle effect - these cookies spread out so they're not too thick and not too thin and they give an attractive crackle effect.
Not too sweet - there's just the right amount of sugar to keep them chewy without being overly sweet.

chewy lemon crinkle cookies on cooling rack

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for chewy cookies.
Unsalted butter - this recipe uses pure unsalted butter for the best flavor and tender texture. You can also use salted butter and then reduce the added salt.
Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these cookies soft and chewy without interfering with the bright lemon flavor.
Eggs - one large egg will give these cookies structure and a soft texture, while one extra egg yolk makes them chewy and rich. It also deepens the yellow color without having to add food dye.

Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is an excellent back note to lemon. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Lemon juice - the acidity will tenderize these cookies and add tart lemon flavor. Be sure to measure accurately though because too much moisture will make them spread far too much.
Lemon zest - use a full tablespoon from 1 large lemon or two small lemons for the most flavor and rub it into the sugar to extract the essential oils.

chewy lemon crinkle cookies with bite on cooling rack

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

STEP 1). Cream butter and sugar. Combine soft butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until a bit pale and slightly fluffy. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. TIP: you can rub the lemon zest and sugars together between your fingertips to help release the natural oils in the lemon and infuse even more lemon flavor into the cookies.
STEP 2). Mix in egg. Add egg and mix until well incorporated. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla, then mix in lemon juice.
STEP 3). Blend dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
STEP 4). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold them in gently until combined.
STEP 5). Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
STEP 6). Roll the cookie dough. Use a 1-oz cookie scoop to portion just over 1 oz balls of dough and roll into smooth balls. It should make exactly 20 cookies. Add about ¼ cup granulated sugar into one bowl and place powdered sugar in another bowl. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar, then roll in the powdered sugar so they are evenly coated.
STEP 7). Bake. Bake for 9-11 minutes until puffed and cracked on top, and still a bit soft in the middle. Do not over-bake. Transfer baking trays to a wire rack and let cookies cool for 3 minutes on the trays. They will deflate as they cool. Transfer individual cookies to the wire rack to finish cooling and enjoy!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

Use room temperature ingredients. Ensure that the butter and egg are at room temperature so that they blend evenly and maintain the air that you've built into the butter during the creaming step.
Rub the zest with sugar first. To extract the most flavor out of citrus zest when baking with lemon, orange or lime, zest the fruit over the sugar and rub it in with your fingertips or the back of a spoon. This technique is called "plating" in the food industry and it is used to make seasoning blends based on salt or sugar. What this does is extract and carry the citrus flavor all throughout the mixture. Sugar crystals are abrasive and pierce through the small cells in the zest so that the flavorful essential oils will coat the crystals. In this recipe, it results in a more intense lemon flavor that distributes evenly throughout the cookie dough.
Sift the dry ingredients. This is optional, but it will minimize the amount of mixing needed to combine the ingredients evenly so that you do not over-mix the sticky cookie dough.
Chill the cookie dough sufficiently. This dough is quite sticky so it needs time in the fridge for the flour to fully hydrate and for the butter to firm up. It will prevent them from spreading too much and also develop a more prominent lemon flavor. Crinkle cookies benefit from chilling since it helps trap the moisture in so that the surface of the dough isn't too sticky from free water that evaporates during baking and would dissolve the sugar to compromise the crinkle effect.
Roll the dough into smooth balls before rolling in sugar and baking so that the cookies bake evenly into nice round shapes and crack evenly on top.
Roll in granulated sugar first before powdered sugar. Granulated sugar will bind any surface moisture on the dough balls and prevent the powdered sugar from dissolving and then melting instantly when they hit the heat of the oven.
Leave room for spreading. Space the dough balls out well enough on the baking sheets to allow room for them to spread.

RECIPE FAQ

Why did my crinkle cookies spread too much?

These cookies are meant to spread out, however if they spread too much then it could be that the dough wasn't chilled long enough or that there is too much moisture in your dough. To prevent this, make sure you measure the lemon juice and flour precisely. Too much liquid will make them spread and too little flour will also cause them to over-spread.

Can I add lemon extract to lemon crinkle cookies?

Yes, you can add ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon lemon extract if you want to bump up the lemon flavor even more.

Can I use store-bought lemon juice?

I highly recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. You'll need the zest anyway so there's no reason to use bottled lemon juice.

chewy lemon crinkle cookies split in half showing fudgy center

STORAGE AND FREEZING

How to store lemon crinkle cookies?

These cookies will keep well in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature. After the third day, the will start to loose their moistness, but they are still great.

Can I freeze lemon crinkle cookies?

I recommend freezing the dough before rolling in sugar. Wrap the chilled dough well in plastic and then place in a resealable freezer bag for storage up to 3 months.

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