These Fancy Low-Effort Lemon Sugar Cookies are the perfect balance of chewy and soft, with bright lemon flavor in every sparkly bite.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure page.
Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies
I've posted a handful of cookie recipes on the internet and even written two cookbooks (which both contained cookie chapters), so you can trust me when I say I'm a bit of a cookie expert and that these low-effort, chewy lemon sugar cookies are about to change your life.
They're buttery and chewy, and the tart bite of lemon makes these cookies totally addictive. I could eat a dozen of them easily, which is exactly why I love that this is a small batch lemon sugar cookie recipe. I happily devour my self-allotted two cookies and my sweet tooth craving is fully satisfied (at least until the remaining cookies start calling my name lol).
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Flavor. Lemon recipes hold a special place in my heart; obviously, these cookies are jam-packed with lemon flavor (thanks to lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice)!
- Texture. These lemon sugar cookies are crisp around the edges and soft & chewy in the middle, like all good cookies should be.
- Easy to Make. It's a low-effort, one-bowl recipe that comes together super quickly!
- Yield. This small batch recipe yields exactly 8 cookies, which is perfect.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter in my baked goods, but salted is just fine too... you'll just want to omit the salt the recipe calls for.
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon: Make sure to zest your lemon before slicing and juicing it. One medium-sized lemon will be enough for this recipe.
- Applesauce: This helps bind our cookie dough together. Note: if you double the recipe, you can replace the applesauce with 1 large egg!
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour: Only 1 cup of all-purpose flour is needed!
- Baking soda: This provides a little leavening action and helps the cookies to brown nicely while baking.
- Salt: Cookies made without salt taste a little plain, so don’t skip it!
- Sparkling sugar: Rolling the dough balls in sparkling sugar gives these cookies an extra fancy appearance. Feel free to use demerara (sugar in the raw) or granulated sugar instead if that's all you have on hand!
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
These small batch lemon sugar cookies couldn't be easier to make! Here's what you'll do:
Note: Ingredient measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Fancy Low-Effort Lemon Sugar Cookies
These Fancy Low-Effort Lemon Sugar Cookies are the perfect balance of chewy and soft, with bright lemon flavor in every sparkly bite.
Servings: 8 cookies
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 5 g lemon zest approx. 1 medium lemon
- 57 g unsalted butter softened
- 30 ml lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 30 g applesauce (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Garnish: sparkling, demerara, or granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside the pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers until it’s well combined and fragrant.
- Add the butter and, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until they are combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, applesauce, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled!
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are well combined.
- Using a large (3-tablespoon) spring-loaded cookie scoop, portion out the dough into eight rounded dough balls and roll them in the sparkling sugar. Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and place the pan in the refrigerator to chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- While the cookie dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the dough balls for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges and the tops are just set. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Applesauce: This helps bind our cookie dough together. Note: if you double the recipe, you can replace the applesauce with 1 large egg!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?Tag @mikebakesnyc and use the hashtag #mikebakesnyc!
Jo
Excellent cookie! Easy to make and great flavor. I had some lemon vanilla from Vain Vanilla Co I used that it was great not too much lemon flavor. Highly recommend.