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
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Looking for More Great Cookie Recipes?
Chocolate Chip Cookies (rated 500+ times!)
I made them with the addition of lemon juice powder in the dough. And to make them even more lemony, added lemon juice powder to the confectioners sugar that I rolled them in. So oozy gooey good. Love lemon!
Do you know what to use to substitute for your flour to make gluten free or a substitute for all the sugar?
These are excellent. They have an excellent lemon flavor and are light and melt in your mouth. Mine came out flatter than the pictures here but were excellent nonetheless. Will definitely make again.
Made these cookies. They were amazing. Is it possible to reduce the sugar?
I very much want to make these cookies, but the recipe says to use baking powder and the video calls for baking soda. Which one do I use?
Follow the written recipe.
Can you use lemon concentrate instead of the zest and extract? If so, how much to replace both?
I made them this evening and they are very good. I used real lemon juice rather than lemon flavoring. My son wants me to make some for him but I will add more lemon juice the next time I make them.
These are probably some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. They definitely didn’t spread the way that I expected them to. They almost didn’t spread at all, so I flattened subsequent batches with my fingers just a bit and it worked.
I have baked these cookies twice and every single person and my kids LOVED them. They are easy and quick. I just added a little lemon juice as well. Delicious!!!
Just clarifying, you use baking powder in the lemon cookies and baking soda in the butter cookies?