Can I use fresh lemon juice instead of lemon extract?

Unfortunately, no. Fresh lemon juice loses its flavor in the oven, and isn't concentrated enough to achieve the effect we want here. Lemon extract gives this cookie dough a strong lemon flavor without losing potency as the cookies bake. That said, if you want LESS lemon in these cookies, you can certainly omit the lemon extract from the cookie dough (or follow our standard soft sugar cookie recipe instead). You'll still get a hint of lemon flavor from the lemon glaze, although it won't be as strong.

Can I freeze leftover cookies?

Yes! This lemon sugar cookies recipe freezes very well. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. Let frozen cookies defrost for a few hours on the counter when you're ready to eat them. We recommend freezing these cookies without frosting, and adding the icing once they're defrosted.

Chewy Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Description

These soft, chewy sugar cookies pack plenty of bright lemon flavor. Topped with a thin lemon glaze.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cookies:

53 grams (½ cup, or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, at room temperature
250 grams granulated sugar (1 ¼ cups)
4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
8 grams lemon extract (2 teaspoons)
Zest of 1 lemon (3 grams; about 1 Tablespoon)
300 grams all purpose flour (about 2 ½ cups)
4 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
6 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)

For the lemon glaze (optional):

2 Tablespoons butter, melted
100 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
2-3 Teaspoons hot water (you may not need it all)

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Instructions

Heat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
Whisk melted butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir until just combined.
Use a large cookie scoop to portion out cookie dough. Put each cookie dough scoop on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat, leaving an inch of space between each cookie.
Bake at 375° F for 9-12 minutes, until cookies have puffed up and just barely started to brown on the outer edges. The cookies may still have slight domes on top when you remove them from the oven; they will settle and flatten as they cool.
Remove cookies from oven and let cool right on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Cookies may look a bit puffy right out of the oven, but the centers will sink down as they cool to form a beautiful, chewy texture.
Make the glaze. Stir melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of kosher salt together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in hot water, about ½ teaspoon at a time, until you have a drizzle-able glaze (you likely won’t need all of the hot water). Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies, then let it set for 1-2 hours until firm before stacking cookies.

Notes

Use a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable; for perfect-every-time measurements, use a kitchen scale to measure by weight and follow the gram measurements in the recipe above. If you don't have a scale, be sure to measure your flour with the scoop and level method for best results.

Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. We recommend freezing cookies without the icing; defrost on the counter for a few hours and add icing when you're ready to serve.