Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies are going to be THE cookie of summer! These from-scratch Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies were inspired by my Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies. They are sweet and satisfying and super fun to make! Don’t miss my 50 Best Cookie Recipes if you want more great cookie options! If you love lemon desserts, try my easy Lemon Mousse!
Oh, and here is the super popular Orange Creamsicle version!
Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies
If you are looking for a delicious cookie that has the most wonderful hint of lemon, these are the cookies for you. I am a huge fan of my Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies and thought that if I made a few simple changes to the recipe it would convert well to a lemon cookie. Well, (oddly) I was right! These cookies are soft, sweet, a little tart from the lemon zest, and easy to make! Once you try them I can’t help but think you will agree! Along the same lines, I also went for an Orange Creamsicle Cookie following the same butter cookies recipe!
What Are Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies?
Basically one of the sweetest cookies known to man! When my husband tried one his response was, “Now that’s a good cookie.” The kids were just as pleased, asking if they could do chores to earn another sweet cookie! They are addicting, which is tough because they are so sweet you know you shouldn’t eat two!
Extract vs. Real Lemon Juice
I use lemon extract in these cookies. If you don’t have lemon extract, you can use fresh lemon juice. Here is a simple equivalency:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice = 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest = 1 teaspoon lemon extract
There is lemon zest and lemon extract in this dough, so swapping out for fresh lemon juice should be ok. (I have not tested it, we thought this cookie was amazing as-is.) For this recipe specifically, you would use 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice instead of lemon extract, which is about 1 medium lemon.
Should You Refrigerate Cookie Dough?
Now, you may have noticed that I did not refrigerate the dough. Most recipes call for this so I, of course, tested that. What exactly does refrigerating do for cookies? Well, when you chill cookie dough, it solidifies the fat. Then, when you are ready to bake the cookies, the chilled dough takes longer to melt and remains solid longer, meaning the cookies spread less. For this recipe specifically, that meant the cookies were much more puffed up and tall, which also meant I had to bake them a bit longer to make sure they were actually baked through. The edges browned and didn’t look as pretty as I would like.
Those cookies actually tasted less ooey gooey when the dough was chilled, so I opted to delete that instruction and use the dough immediately after preparing. The cookies are a bit flatter, but they are still just as ooey gooey and delicious!
How to Freeze Lemon Cookies
The very best way to freeze these cookies is to freeze the dough. I like to scoop out my individual cookies, place them on a baking sheet, and then place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Once they are chilled through, I place them in an airtight bag and then label it with the cookie name and date.
How to Store Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies
If you want to store baked cookies, grab a large flat plastic container and place a layer of parchment or wax paper on the bottom. Set cookies down, place another layer of wax or parchment, then another layer of cookies. Set a slice of bread (it will get very dry but the cookies will remain moist) in the container and close. Be eaten within 3 days.
Ooey Gooey Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Cookie Recipe
- ½ cup (113g) salted butter, softened
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 ¼ cups (282g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (63g) confectioners sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
Topping
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, for rolling cookie dough in
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, lemon zest, and granulated sugar until blended.
- Add in egg, vanilla, and lemon extract.
- Add in flour, baking powder, and ½ cup confectioners sugar. With the mixer on low, gradually beat into creamed mixture.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough and then roll in the remaining ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar. Place approximately 6 dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (Cookies will spread.)
- Bake until they no longer appear wet on top, 8-11 minutes. After about 5 minutes cooling on the pan (they will be soft!), place on cooling racks to cool completely.
Video
Notes
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Chocolate Chip Cookies (rated 500+ times!)
I just made these! Subbed in gluten free flour for the regular stuff (which is always iffy) and used fresh lemon juice instead of the extract. I also made them smaller. They turned out absolutely fab! I’ll probably bake for 9 minutes instead of 8 next time. I can just taste the gluten free flour, although my SO only tasted the lemon, so…they passed the taste test there! I’ll DEFINITELY make these again!
These were great! I had limes on hand, instead of lemons, so I substituted lime zest for lemon zest. My husband loved them as much the next day as fresh out of the oven. They’re comparable to Olive Garden’s lemon cream cake in a cookie.
Cookies were good, however there’s a discrepancy in your recipe & the video. Recipe calls for baking powder, video shows baking soda!
Which is correct?
The written recipe is correct.
g f subs?
This cookie was such a hit at work. I cant wait to make it again. My husband is requesting for a chocolate version of this cookie with the same ooey gooey texture and taste. Do you have a ooey gooey chocolate cookie recipe??
Hi, Jackie! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. I am so glad you loved the lemon cookies! For some chocolate, I would recommend my chocolate ooey gooey cake! I hope this helps. Have a great day!
When you freeze the dough, should you still roll the dough in confectioners sugar? And then to bake them should they go straight from the freezer to the oven or should the dough thaw first? Thank you 🙂
Hi, Krystle! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. You can definitely roll the cookie dough in the confectioners’ sugar before freezing them. If you are only freezing the dough for a few hours, you can put them directly in the oven to bake them. Have a great day!
When using lemon juice instead of the extract should I add a little extra flour? They were really sticky to work with; otherwise, they were absolutely delish !!!
Hi, Pat! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. For every 1 teaspoon of lemon extract in a recipe, use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I hope this helps, and have a great day!
Right on! I made these great lemony cookies. My wife loved them as well.
My timing was 11 minutes.
Next time I might add more lemon. I used fresh lemons.
These were so good! I ran out of lemon extract, so I added lemon juice and a bit more flour to compensate. Very light and yummy!
Can these be made gluten free? Oohey gooey lemon cookies
Hi, Sherry! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. You can substitute gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio for this recipe, but we have not tried it, so I can’t say how the cookies would turn out. Let us know, and have a great day!