Name: Lemon Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); ¼ cup cornmeal; 2 tablespoons poppy seeds; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature); 1 cup granulated sugar (plus more for sprinkling); 1½ teaspoons lemon zest; 1½ teaspoons orange zest; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large egg; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

These yummy lemon cookies have delicious chewy middles, crisp edges, and a sweet citrus flavor. I love them with tea for an afternoon treat!

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These lemon cookies are my new favorite treat! They have that bakery-perfect chewy middle with a lightly crisp edge and a lovely balance of light and bright citrus flavor. I’ll be making them on repeat throughout the holiday season, but honestly, these lemon cookies are so delicious that I would happily take one any day of the year.

This lemon cookie recipe comes from my friend Melissa Coleman’s book The Minimalist Kitchen. You may know of her blog, The Faux Martha. If you don’t, go check it out – you’ll absolutely love her. She has wonderfully approachable mealtime recipes, highly do-able organizational tips (check out her pretty pantry), and, man, can that girl bake.

Lemon Cookies Ingredients

This lemon cookie recipe is an excellent example of Melissa’s baking prowess. It’s SO delicious! Here’s what you need to make it:

All-purpose flour makes up the base of the dough. Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup!
Cornmeal and poppyseeds give these cookies substance and contribute to their delectable crisp/chewy texture.
Baking soda helps them rise.
Sea salt highlights the lemon flavor.
Sugar sweetens them up.
Butter and olive oil combine to add richness and accent the citrus essence.
Fresh lemon juice and orange and lemon zest make them bright and citrusy. Skip the orange zest and use all lemon if you prefer!
And an egg puffs them up and perfects their moist, chewy middles.

That’s it! Let’s bake.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Lemon Cookies

This lemon cookie recipe is simple to make—you don’t even have to chill the cookie dough! Here’s how it goes:

First, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Next, mix the wet ingredients. Cream the butter, sugar, and citrus zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the oil, egg, and lemon juice and mix until pale and well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Then, combine the wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined.

Finally, scoop and bake the cookies! Use a 1/4-cup cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving an inch or so between each scoop. Sprinkle the tops with sugar, then bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

Let cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

These photos make these lemon cookies look kind of small, but made with a 1/4-cup cookie scoop, they’re a perfect 1-cookie afternoon indulgence with a cup of coffee or tea.

Recipe Tips

Underbaking is the secret to soft lemon cookies. The cookies might seem underdone when you check them at the 12 minute mark, but take them out of the oven anyway! As they cool, they’ll set up with perfect crisp edges and soft, chewy middles. If you bake them longer, the middles will have a cakier texture.
A lemon glaze makes the citrus flavor pop. For an extra-lemony treat, drizzle these cookies with my quick lemon glaze. It’s easy to make with just 2 ingredients: powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice!
These cookies freeze perfectly. Stash them in an airtight container in the freezer for an easy dessert down the road!

More Favorite Cookie Recipes

If you love these lemon cookies, try one of these favorite cookie recipes next:

Lemon Cookies

rate this recipe:

4.73 from 47 votes

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 32

Serves 12 large cookies

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This yummy lemon cookie recipe is from The Minimalist Kitchen Cookbook by Melissa Coleman.

Ingredients

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
¼ cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1½ teaspoons lemon zest
1½ teaspoons orange zest
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and zests on medium speed until well combined. Add the oil, egg, and lemon juice. Continue mixing until pale and evenly combined, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. The dough will be somewhat dense.
Using a 1/4-cup sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (note: these cookies will spread, so leave some room in between each one), and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will seem like they need a minute longer, but take them out anyways. Let cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.