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Soft and Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Elizabeth Buuck
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 11 Large Cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Description

THE BEST lemon sugar cookies that are thick, soft, chewy, and topped with silky lemon cream cheese buttercream.


Ingredients

Scale

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • 3 1/2 C Flour (All Purpose)
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 C Salted Butter (Room Temp)
  • 1/2 C Sugar
  • 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
  • 1/3 C Canola Oil (Or vegetable oil)
  • 1 Lg Egg (+ 1 Egg Yolk)
  • 2 TBSP Sour Cream (Room Temp)
  • 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces(1/2 Block) Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 TBSP Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2 1/2 C Powdered Sugar

Instructions

For the Cookies

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars for 3 minutes.
  • With the mixer on low, stream in the oil until combined.
  • Add the vanilla, egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until combined.
  • Mix in the dry ingredients 1/2 at a time until just combined. 
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Use a large 3 TBSP cookie scoop to portion the dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. 
  • Bake 5-6 cookies per sheet at 350 for 10 minutes. 
  • While the cookies are still hot use a measuring cup or a flat bottomed glass to flatten the cookies to 1/2″ thick creating the crinkled edges. Allow cookies to cool completely on the hot cookie sheet.

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Use a hand mixer to cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar 1/2 at a time and mix until smooth.
  • Mix in the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  • Once cookies are cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
  • Then, use a 1 TBSP scoop to top the cookies with the frosting and use an offset spatula to spread almost to the edges of the cookies, leaving the crinkled edges exposed. 

Notes

*Cookies will be doughy coming out of the oven, but allow them to cool completely on the hot cookie sheet and they will set up.