Crinkle cookies, also known as crackle cookies, have been around for a very long time. The pretty, crispy, cracked exterior and the soft, moist interior are what we love about them! There’s definitely no shortage of recipes for crinkles out there, everything from chocolate to red velvet. I even saw an audacious cookie company selling lemon crinkles for twelve dollars each, more money than it will cost for this entire batch! So many of the recipes I tried were disappointing, especially the ones made with cake mix. So I created my own version which happened to go viral! Here’s to making sure delicious lemon crinkle cookies are available for all to enjoy.
This recipe requires a bit of chilling, which I know many people don’t like because they’re impatient. I happen to be one of those people. Old fashioned crinkle cookies require about 3 hours of chilling. My recipe has the addition of cornstarch, which helps prevent spreading and allows for a shorter chilling time. As an added bonus, cornstarch makes the cookies more tender. Win win!
Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice in these cookies is crucial to the best lemon flavor. A bit of pure lemon extract is added to enhance that flavor. Don’t be tempted to use imitation extracts. The flavor will disappoint you. I added two drops of lemon yellow food color, which made them so pretty they look like pure sunshine!
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Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional) *I used Americolor lemon yellow
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda until well blended.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well incorporated. Mix in the lemon juice, extracts and food coloring until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. I used a #30 portion scoop*. Roll the dough balls generously in powdered sugar.
- Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until the cookies are set, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.