These lemon crinkle cookies are chewy and soft and are filled with lemon zest and lemon juice for a delicious citrus flavor. They are rolled in sugar and powdered sugar and have a crispy and delicious exterior.
These cookies are pillowy soft, and have a zingy and sweet flavor that you will absolutely love! What I love about these cookies is that they are made without butter!
Which is cheaper to make and easier to make (no need to melt the butter or wait for it to soften). Don't get me wrong, I love buttery cookies, but these cookies don't need butter! They are even better made with oil.
For more lemon desserts, check out our lemon shortbread cookies, lemon bars with graham cracker crust, lemon pound cake, lemon curd cookies, lemon poppy seed muffins, lemonade bundt cake, lemon cooler cookies, lemon tart, and lemon curd cake.
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Why this recipe works
- These cookies are zesty and have a delicious lemony flavor that is not too strong.
- They have a perfectly soft and chewy center and they are crispy on the edges!
- These cookies are naturally dairy free! They are made with oil instead of butter, just like our no butter chocolate chip cookies.
- These cookies are perfect for you lemon dessert lovers!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Oil- we used vegetable oil for this, but you can use canola oil as well!
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest- you will need ½ teaspoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Cornstarch- cornstarch helps to create a tender texture for these cookies, plus, it keeps the cookie thick and soft.
Baking soda and baking powder – baking soda and baking powder help the cookies rise and spread. Make sure that your levelers aren't expired.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the coating
Granulated sugar- use either granulated sugar or caster sugar for the first coating layer.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Into a large mixing bowl, add the vegetable oil, lemon juice, granulated sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined! Don't overmix to prevent the cookies from turning hard and dry!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour. We let the dough rest in the fridge overnight.
Use a large cookie scooper to scoop out the cookies or scoop the cookies with a regular tablespoon, 3 tablespoons at a time.
Roll into a ball using your clean hands, and then roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar.
Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes.
The cookies will be light in color, don't overbake these if you want chewy and soft cookies on the inside.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Do not overbake these cookies! These cookies are pale when they are baked, so don't wait for them to turn golden brown.
- Use fresh lemons! To get the best lemon flavor, first, grate the lemons (only the outer layer and not the white layer) and then cut them open and juice them.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the dough, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Faq's
If your crinkle cookies don't have crinkles, this may be because you didn't let the dough chill in the fridge for long enough. If the dough is not chilled properly, it will spread too quickly and you won't get the signature crinkles.
If your dough doesn't seem to chill quickly enough, place it in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to speed up the process.
These cookies will last for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature in the fridge or up to 4 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
We use all-purpose flour for this recipe, and cake flour will work great as well.
Storing
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing
There are two ways to freeze these cookies, follow the instructions as written and make the dough, then cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it into a freezer-friendly airtight ziplock bag, and freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
When ready to make these cookies, thaw them in the fridge overnight and follow the instructions as written.
The second way you can freeze these cookies is by baking them according to the instructions, letting the cookies cool completely, and freezing them in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months.
To thaw, place them at room temperature for 1-2 hours to defrost.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- It’s easy to make this cookie recipe dairy-free. Simply replace the butter with vegan butter.
Gluten-free- you can swap the flour with gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free. I never tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work.
Variations
White chocolate- add mini white chocolate chips to the cookie dough for a delicious white chocolate flavor.
Lemon zest- add even more lemon zest for a stronger lemon flavor and aroma.
Lemon flavor- for an even extra lemon flavor, add ½ teaspoon of lemon paste or lemon extract!
More cookie recipes
Chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar- If you ever wanted to make chocolate chip cookies but ran out of brown sugar, make these! They are super delish and use simple ingredients.
Brownie cookies- These brownie cookies are rich, fudgy, and full of chocolate flavor. These have a crackly top and a fudgy center that tastes just like a brownie!
Nutella cookies- These Nutella cookies are chocolate cookies that are made with Nutella inside the cookie dough and topped with dollops of melted Nutella.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoon Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Lemon zest
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- â…“ teaspoon Baking soda
For rolling
- â…“ cups Granulated sugar
- â…“ cups Powder sugar
Instructions
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the vegetable oil, lemon juice, granulated sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined! Don't overmix to prevent the cookies from turning hard and dry!
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour. We let the dough rest in the fridge overnight.
- Use a large cookie scooper to scoop out the cookies or scoop the cookies with a regular tablespoon, 3 tablespoons at a time.
- Roll into a ball using your clean hands, and then roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar.
- Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- The cookies will be light in color, don't overbake these if you want chewy and soft cookies on the inside.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not overbake these cookies! These cookies are pale when they are baked, so don't wait for them to turn golden brown.
- Use fresh lemons! To get the best lemon flavor, first, grate the lemons (only the outer layer and not the white layer) and then cut them open and juice them.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the dough, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Kathryn
Can you leave the cornstarch out of this recipe? Don't have any on hand but would like to make them today.
RichandDelish
Hi! You can swap the cornstarch with the same amount of flour. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Priscilla
Thank you so much. They are so delicious! I can't stop eating them.I'm making them for our teachers at school. Happy holidays!
RichandDelish
Right! They are so addictive that you can't stop at one! I'm so happy you enjoyed them, thank you for your review!