Lemon Crinkle Cookies are a soft and delicious cookie with a citrusy lemon kick!
The other day, I posted about making chocolate crinkle cookies. After making those cookies I thought, are there other crinkle cookies I can make? Not everyone in my family enjoys chocolate so having multiple options felts like a good approach. And since so many people around me are lactose intolerant, I figured I would try out a dairy free recipe while I am at it.
Lemon is a highly preferred flavor in my house. If I’m not making something vanilla or chocolate based, I tend to lean towards lemon as a flavor. While it might be seen as common, it’s a classic for a reason. That citrus kick is hard to beat, and I also love the flavor.
Making these lemon crinkle cookies was interesting because there were quite a lot of parallels to the chocolate crinkle cookies. But the addition of the lemon juice added some liquid which was a little bit of a challenge to figure out the right flour ratio.
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Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are classic cookie ingredient. All you need extra is cornstarch and a lemon. The cornstarch also helps bind the lemon crinkle cookies and balance out that liquid to dry ratio.
Process
Making the Dough
To start the process of making the lemon crinkle cookies, I made two mixes: one dry and one wet. I used a smaller bowl for the dry mix as it had less ingredients and needed less effort to combine. The dry mix consisted of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Sifting the drying ingredients will ensure they are no clumps.
I used a mixer bowl for the wet mixture as using a stand mixer makes it easier to combine the ingredients. It’s not necessary but nice to have for sure. The mix is made up of vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. I wanted to whip the wet mix for a relatively long time because I was determined to get air into the cookies and make them light.
Then I added the dry mix into the wet mix. I mixed until they were just combined. Putting too much work into a cookie can make it chewy (in a bad way). Then it was time to let the dough rest. I like to chill mine overnight but if you don’t have that much time, an hour will do.
Adding Some Crinkle
After the dough has chilled enough, it is time to add the crinkle to these lemon crinkle cookies! I started with 2 small shallow bowls. Granulated sugar went into one and powdered sugar went into the other.
Then I bad the dough into balls and rolled them in the granulated sugar and followed that by rolling them in the powdered sugar. I took two trays to bake all the cookies, but they ended up with a beautiful shape, texture, and taste.
Reflections
I want more. Why are there not more? I really did fall in love with these lemon crinkle cookies. They are perfect for people who don’t have the biggest chocolate sweet tooth (blasphemy). They were soft with a great lemony flavor that had a perfect balance between citrus and sweetness. The only difficulty I found with this recipe is that cookies do not brown too much on the top so it can be hard to tell when they have finished cooking.
Lessons
Why Rest the Dough?
There quite a few benefits from resting the dough. One is intensifying flavor. This is my own opinion, but I feel like resting the dough allows for the flavor really distribute throughout the dough.
Chilling the cookies will also help the cookies hold their shape. Which, in turn, will lead to a more even distribution of the cookie and allow for more caramelization. This will also keep prevent the cookie from spreading out too thin.
recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 Lemon juice and zest
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 ¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
Crinkle
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Let whisk for about 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, & baking soda. Add flour mixture into the vegetable oil mixture and mix until just combined.
- Let dough rest for at least an hour, I recommend letting it rest overnight.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the granulated sugar and then the powdered sugar to create the crinkle. Place evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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