What are lemon cookies made of?

Beat together sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Whisk together eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl until combined. Beat into butter mixture slowly on low speed. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

What is the secret to gooey cookies?

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon extract?

Lemon juice: Lemon juice is the best substitute for lemon extract —similar in consistency and flavor, most recipes will adapt to the change, albeit with a more tart or bitter flavor. However, the flavor of lemon juice isn't as strong as lemon extract.

Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon zest?

Lemon juice carries the same flavor as lemon zest, but it's more acidic, so you might want to add a pinch of sugar to balance out the tartness . That said, the lemon flavor is not as concentrated as lemon zest, so you'll want to keep this formula handy: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies?

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies . Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

What is the best flour for cookies?

All-Purpose Flour : The Versatile Choice All-purpose flour is the most commonly used flour in cookie recipes due to its moderate protein content (usually around 10-12%).

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy?

Double Your Yolks Most cookie recipes call for at least one egg. You can try omitting the white of each egg, which tends to dry out when baked, and replacing it with an additional yolk. Plus, egg yolks have more fat than egg whites, which helps to keep your cookies moist and chewy.

What's the difference between lemonade and lemon up cookies?

Lemon-Ups Lemon-Ups taste fruitier than the Lemonades and smell like fresh-squeezed lemons . There's a lemon glaze on the cookie's bottom that really drives the flavor home, and also a sort of tanginess that you don't typically get with the average cookie.

What is the key ingredient in cookies?

Flour is the main ingredient that provides structure in a cookie – without it, there would be no cookie! The gluten in flour forms a web of sorts – the framework that catches the air bubbles/gasses given off during rising.

What kind of lemon cookies does Girl Scouts have?

They're both lemon-flavored, but otherwise different. The Lemonades are that typical Girl Scout shortbread cookie, with a lemon icing on the bottom. The Savannnah's are a little more like wedding cookies, but not quite as melt-in-your-mouth amazing.

What does lemon do in baking?

To balance flavors : Lemon juice can play a great balancing role in baked goods. We sometimes use it in our cookies to balance out a sweet flavor profile. For instance, our CAVA Apricot Cookies contain a small amount of lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the honey-flavored cookie dough.

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (2024)

By: ShellyPosted: May 21, 2018Updated: Dec 8, 2022 41 Comments

★★★★★5 from 12 reviews

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Lemonhead Cookies are my new favorite cookie! Even if you’re not a fan of Lemonhead candy, you will fall in love with the lemon flavor of these cookies. The glaze makes them extra special, and the bottoms get slightly caramelized from the crushed candies making them perfectly chewy, yet still soft. Seriously delicious!

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (1)

Oh hello boys and girls! I am pah-rity dang excited about today’s cookie situation. Like for real for real. NO, no one ACTUALLY likes Lemonheads. I get it. But don’t let their small interference in today’s recipe to distract you from the finished product.

The Lemonheads in this recipe are important. Let me explain.

OBVIOUSLY they are lemon flavored. So the lemony-ness of these cookies comes mostly from the candy….and a little lemon zest. Yes, I fully understand that there are artificial flavors involved that typically wouldn’t be my first choice, but we’re making cookies, not cauliflower, so let’s all just look beyond that.

The other thing the candies do, is create the most perfect chewy texture. THE.MOST.PERFECT. You HAVE to crush up the cookies properly, however. The inspiration for today’s recipe actually comes from my Online Bakery Cookie Challenge. I ordered a box of cookies from a bakery called Ruby Snap. They were good! Included in the box was a Lemonhead cookie that had so much potential (in my opinion) BUT the candies were barely crushed, so in every bite of this, otherwise fantastic, cookie you’d get a pretty large piece of Lemonhead candy, and I didn’t like it one bit. Like I said, the candies themselves are subpar (sorry), and the texture shift from the hard candy inside a soft cookie just didn’t work.

So, obviously, I had to take matters into my own hands, and I am SO glad I did because these are pretty fantastic. The crushed up candy adds lemon sweetness, but also creates this amazing caramelization on the bottom of the cookie that creates a fantastic texture.

And really isn’t anything with a glaze better? Yes.

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (2)

The dough is gloriously easy. The hardest part is crushing the candy. Which isn’t hard at all.

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (3)

And, like I said make sure to get a good crush. Some will be dust, some will be tiny pieces. I did it with a rolling pin and a zip-top bag. You could also use your food processor or blender.

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (4)

Also, you will need to chill the dough. I really love the thickness of these cookies….not too thick, but not thin. The chilling helps with the height. I also definitely recommend using parchment paper on your light colored baking sheet. You will want to use a lighter colored sheet, so the cookies don’t brown too much on the bottom. With the crushed candies inside the dough, they could easily get too brown.

Lemonhead Cookies | Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe (5)

You might notice the amount of flour in these is a little more than you would expect. That’s because of the sugar content in the cookie…the more sugar, the more spreading, so you need that extra flour to give the cookie structure.

And like I said, the glaze is really simple and not only makes them pretty, but adds to the texture.

I really do just love these so much!

Lemonhead Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 12 reviews

Description

Lemonhead Cookies are my new favorite cookie! Even if you’re not a fan of Lemonhead candy, you will fall in love with the lemon flavor of these cookies.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely crushed Lemonhead candies

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water or milk

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of you stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix for an additional minute, until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just incorporated. With mixer still on low, add in the crushed lemon candies, mixing until evenly combined.
Cover and chill dough for 2 hours or overnight.
Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and roll into balls. Place them on a baking sheet 2- inches apart, and bake for 9 -11 minutes, or until the cookies are very lightly golden at the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire racket cool completely.
For the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and water together until a thin glaze forms.
Dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze and allow excess to drip off before returning to the wire rack, allowing the glaze to set.

Notes

Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days

If you plan on freezing these cookies, do so before you glaze them. The glaze can get sticky if frozen and thawed.

TIP: If the cookies are misshapen when they come out of the oven, use your spatula immediately to form the cookies back into perfect circles. These cookies bake up very evenly, but if a Lemonhead bit melts at the edge of the cookie, no problem, just reshape it slightly with your spatula AS SOON as they come out of then oven, when they are most malleable.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Calories: 208
Sugar: 16.8 g
Sodium: 163.1 mg
Fat: 10.1 g
Carbohydrates: 24.4 g
Protein: 5.2 g
Cholesterol: 35.7 mg

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