Lemon Cooler Cookies
Fluffy, light Lemon Cooler Cookies are the perfect summertime treat. Made with a handful of ingredients and tossed in a simple powdered sugar topping, these surprisingly soft cookies burst with lemon flavors. Makes 32 cookies.
Love lemon desserts? Try Easy Lemon Bars and Lemon Tea Cakes!
Today’s the day—it’s Freaky Friday 2022 Summer Exchange Day, and I’m thrilled to be sharing a recipe from Tristin of Home Cooked Harvest!
As always, I had a hard time deciding what to make from Tristin’s site because she has SO many recipes—but in the end, I made these Lemon Cooler Cookies.
Why?
Because I love a good lemon dessert.
Also, these cookies are the perfect kind of summertime treat—whether you’d like to make a batch for yourself or share ‘em with someone special.
Why I love this recipe:
These Lemon Cooler Cookies are pillow soft and the perfect bite-sized treat. They’re light and fluffy, positively singing with lemon flavor.
The crumb on these cookies is just lovely—and if you’re a lemon lover, this should be added to your must-make list.
In addition to them being delicious, they’re incredibly simple to make, too.
Also, they are topped with a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar, which makes them look like they’re coated in snow.
Yes, you’ve got to let them chill in the fridge for at least an hour because the dough is super soft, but the process could not be easier.
Also, the end result is totally worth the wait.
Other summery desserts to try: Funfetti Ice Cream Sandwiches | No Bake Scotcheroo Cookies | Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles | Chocolate Ooey Gooey Bars | Sweet Strawberry Bruschetta with Almond Pudding and Lemon Curd
Need dessert inspiration? Check out my Dessert Recipe Index for some ideas!
Let me tell you about Tristin and Home Cooked Harvest
Tristin is the food lover behind Home Cooked Harvest. She’s originally from California and currently lives in North Alabama with her husband and their two chefs-in-training.
Like me, she’s an animal lover… but unlike me, she has four rescue animals. (!!!) She also volunteers with a local animal rescue and fosters kittens.
I am so excited to introduce you to Tristin if you don’t already know her.
Home Cooked Harvest is celebrates quick, easy recipes made with real food ingredients.
Tristin specializes in both air fryer recipes and Instant Pot recipes, which are obviously great for delicious, homemade weeknight meals. She also loves dessert, so there are plenty of those to choose from, too.
When I was assigned Tristin’s site, I had a field day deciding what I wanted to do for this exchange because she has so many spectacular recipes for the summertime.
Did I want to fire up the grill and make her Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Aioli? Or maybe make her Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken?
Did I want to make her Chipotle Mayonnaise recipe to use with my favorite summer burgers, hot dogs and fries?
Or maybe I wanted to go the dessert route and make her Triple Berry Crisp with some of my favorite summer fruits?
I ended up choosing these delightful Lemon Coolers because, well, I love a lemon dessert and because lemon reminds me of the summertime.
So… What Is Freaky Friday?
It’s a collaboration between bloggers where everyone involved posts on the same day and links to one another.
It’s a fun way to connect with other people who are doing this same work as me, as well as a fun way to introduce our readers to new bloggers.
Michaela from An Affair from the Heart, the lovely lady who founded this quarterly collaboration, secretly assigns everyone another blogger, who we will choose and make a recipe from.
We make their recipe, photograph it as if it were our own, write a post about it with our own personal anecdote and then share our posts on the same Friday.
We hope that this collaboration helps you discover some amazing new recipes, as well as find new bloggers to follow!
Some recipes I’ve made for previous collaborations include:
- Shortbread Brown Butter Cookies
- Boozy Bacon Pretzel Peanut Butter Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
Check out our 2022 Freaky Friday Summer Exchange Recipes:
- An Affair from the Heart – Moose Munch Popcorn
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Breakfast Egg Bites
- The Culinary Compass – Pull Apart Garlic Bread
- Devour Dinner – BBQ Nachos
- Family Around the Table – Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad
- Feast + West – Peach Whiskey Smash
- Home Cooked Harvest – Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- Hostess at Heart – Peanut Butter Cookie
- Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
- Life Currents – Jalapeño Poppers Puffs
- Off the Eaten Path – Cheerwine Bourbon Slush Cocktails
- Sue Bee Homemaker – Fruit Dip Without Marshmallow Cream
- The Wimpy Vegetarian – How to Make Enchilada Sauce
What you’ll need to make this recipe
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- Sheet pan
- Silpat nonstick baking mat or parchment paper
- Glass bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Zester / microplane
- 1 tablespoon cookie scoop
- Fine mesh strainer
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- All–purpose flour — we keep unbleached AP flour at our house, but you can use the regular kind, too.
- Cornstarch — this is going to make our cookies extra soft and fluffy
- Leaveners — we’re using a combination of baking powder and baking soda to give these cookies some lift. Be sure that yours are fresh.
- Kosher salt—I like to use a fine grain kosher salt here. You could also use a fine grain sea salt, too.
- Unsalted butter — we’re using a single stick. Set it out the butter 30-45 minutes before you plan to make the batter so it blends easily.
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this adds a nice sweetness to our cookie dough.
- Powdered sugar — also known as confectioners sugar. We’ll need this for the cookie dough, as well as the coating. You may sift yours if there are chunks in it.
- Eggs — not only do they give our cookies some structure, but they also help give the cookies a little rise, too.
- Fresh lemons — we need both the zest and juice. Purchase two because we’ll need zest for the coating, as well,
- Vanilla extract — if you can afford it, the real deal kind is where it’s at!
- Lemon extract — this gives our cookies even more lemon kick.
How to make Lemon Cooler Cookies
Combine the dry ingredients. This means you’ll measure in the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Whisk, and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars. In stand mixer (or with hand mixer) beat the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Measure in the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon extract. Mix until combined and fragrant.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I like to add half at a time. Stir, then scrape down the sides, before adding the rest and mixing until combined.
Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (It could also be kept in the fridge overnight.)
Preheat the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick mats.
Shape the cookies. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough. (You may also roll them into 1” balls.) Drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets and place them 2” apart.
Bake the cookies 12-14 minutes. We want them to be soft to touch.
While cookies bake, combine the powdered sugar and lemon zest in a bowl or a pie plate.
Immediately after removing hot cookies from the oven, toss the cookies in the powdered sugar mixture.
Place the coated cookies on a cooling rack, and cool completely.
Once cookies are cool, sprinkle additional powdered sugar on top with a fine mesh strainer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornstarch helps create a tender cookie. It adds to the light texture of this one.
We chill cookie dough to let the fat (butter) firm up in the fridge, to prevent less spreading of the dough. Also, chilling the dough gives the gluten in the flour time to rest and makes for softer, less tough cookies.
Baking powder helps the cookies puff up and rise a little bit. It also helps the texture of these extra super duper soft Cooler Cookies.
Quick tips and tricks for making Lemon Coolers
- Double the recipe! If your party is going to have lots of people who love cookies, consider doubling the recipe and making even more cookies!
- Make ahead tip: Make the cookie dough a day or two in advance, and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Scoop and bake them before guests arrive.
- How to store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Lemon Cooler Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Cooler Cookies:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 21g
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2g
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1g
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda ½g
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar 115g
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 34g
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon (5g)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 1 lemon (30g)
- 2 large eggs 100g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6g
- ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract 2g
Cookie Topping:
- ½ cup powdered sugar 68g
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon (5g)
Equipment
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Instructions
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside. (These are what we call the dry ingredients.)
- In stand mixer (or with hand mixer) beat together the butter, granulated sugar and ¼ cup of powdered sugar for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Measure in the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon extract. Mix until combined and fragrant.
- Sprinkle half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir, scraping down the sides, until incorporated, then add the rest and mix until combined.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (This could also be kept in the fridge overnight.)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick mats.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough. (You may also roll them into 1” balls.) Drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, and place them 2” apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. We want the cookies to be soft to touch.
- While cookies are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon zest in a bowl or a pie plate.
- Immediately after removing hot cookies from the oven, toss the cookies in the powdered sugar mixture.
- Place the coated cookies on a cooling rack, and let cool.
- Once cookies are cooled, sprinkle additional powdered sugar on top with a fine mesh strainer.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
These cookies are heaven-sent!! SO GOOD!
Erin — these are just perfection!! I love how they look “frosty” and cool for the summertime – but I think they would make a wonderful “snowy” addition to a holiday tray, too! Lemon anything gets my vote every single time!! YUM!!
Michaela—thank you! And that’s such a great idea about adding these as a snowy addition to a holiday cookie tray, too. I’m with you—lemon flavors are simply the BEST.
Lemon cookies always have my heart! Love having some extra dough in the freezer to eat throughout the summer.
Lemon cookies are just the best! So summery and refreshing.
I agree with you, Sam! Summery and refreshing is the way to go!
The perfect summer cookie! They are perfect for any lemon lovers out there!!
I totally agree! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe! We will be making this again and again for sure.
Lemon cookies are my kind of treat, and I could bake cookies year-round!
I love lemon desserts- especially in the summer and these cookies look perfect and so delicious! Love how they are coated in powdered sugar, yummy!
Same here, Kathryn. Lemon desserts are just *so* satisfying this time of year. And thank you… Tristin’s recipe is so so so delicious.
I love all things lemon! These look irresistible and refreshing for summer.
I do, too! Thanks so much, Ellen.
Yes, I love lemon flavored anything and everything! Can’t wait to try these.
Honestly, it’s hard to beat! I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we did!
These lemon cookies scream summer and I could NOT stop with one after trying them yesterday! Thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe, Erin!
Such a refreshing cookie, Lemon is the best flavor all summer long.
These little cookies were perfect for a get-together with the girls. They’re easy to make and so pretty to serve.
Oh I love how these look! Lemon is so perfect anytime of year, but especially in the summer IMO. And these are a perfect small size!!!
Lemon anything is my WEAKNESS! These cookies look DIVINE!!!
If you love lemon, you absolutely have to try these!
These cookies are so perfect
These cookies look so GOOD! I can’t wait to make them for an event I have coming up later this summer.