If you’re a fan of lemon cookies or crinkle cookies, these Meyer lemon crinkle cookies are fantastic. Made with freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice and zest, these cookies are perfectly sweet with a slightly crisp exterior and a moist but not cakey middle.
Crinkle cookies are fun to make for various holidays since they have so many options. Red velvet crinkle cookies can be great for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, while my chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies are awesome for Christmas as well. This recipe could make a good Christmas lemon cookie also, but I don’t tend to see Meyer lemons locally until early January where I live.
This easy Meyer lemon crinkle cookie recipe relies solely on the awesome flavor from the Meyer lemons themselves and contains no lemon extract to boost their flavor. If you’ve never tried Meyer lemons for baking before, I highly recommend them. Slightly less tart than a regular lemon with a bit of sweetness, they’re perfect in recipes like this and in Meyer lemon cupcakes or Meyer lemon bars.

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🍋 Meyer Lemons vs Regular Lemons
Meyer lemons originated in China and were introduced to the US in 1908 by Frank Nicholas Meyer, who worked for the United States Department of Agriculture. The species is called “Citrus × meyeri” and is hybrid of a citron and mandarin orange. While they can be grown year-round, they’re typically harvested during the winter until early spring.
Normal lemons have a thicker, yellow skin over a thick, white layer of pith. Meyer lemons have a color from dark yellow to orange skin and very little pith. They also have thinner skin than normal lemons, which makes it a bit harder to safely ship. This contributes to their higher prices than regular lemons as well.
Where a regular lemon is sour and acidic, Meyer lemons are less acidic and slightly sweet. This is what makes them particularly tasty in baked goods. They have a strong lemon flavor that tastes like it was mixed with just a bit of orange juice. You can almost always switch one lemon for the other in almost any recipe as well.
🥘 Ingredients for Meyer Lemon Cookies
Other than the Meyer lemons called for here, everything else needed are kitchen staples.
Flour – All-purpose flour here for the cookie’s structure.
Leavener – The lemons have enough acidity so that you only need some baking soda for a rising agent here.
Sugar – You’ll need white granulated sugar for the cookies, and some for rolling. Also use powdered sugar for rolling in before baking.
Butter – Use room temperature, unsalted butter for the cookies. If you use salted, omit the salt called for in the recipe card.
Extract – No need for lemon extract here. Use a bit of vanilla extract to help balance the flavors though.
Eggs – Use one whole egg and one egg yolk here, both at room temperature. The extra yolk helps keep the cookie moist and tender when baked.
Meyer Lemons – Use both the zest and juice from Meyer lemons. I had enough zest from one lemon and juice from two lemons. Depending on their size, your mileage may vary. If you’re just shy of the ¼ cup of juice called for, that’s fine.
🔪 How to Make Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
I tested this recipe several ways with different cooking temperatures and cookie sizes. I preferred them at 350°F and in 1 tablespoon sizes. It does end up making a lot more cookies at this size, but they do spread a lot so even 1 Tbsp is a good size cookie. If you want to make them at 1 ½ tablespoons, add about 2 minutes to their cook time.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, and Meyer lemon zest. Whisk together and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and Meyer lemon juice and mix until combined.
Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and no visible streaks of egg remain. The mixture will look curdled, this is normal because of the lemon juice.
Now add the dry mixture in 2-3 increments, mixing until just combined. The cookie dough will be very soft and a bit tacky. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Let the cookie dough sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Add granulated sugar to a bowl and powdered sugar to another bowl.
Scoop the dough out with a small cookie scoop (#60) or a tablespoon measuring spoon. Place 12 scoops on the cookie sheet. Working one at a time, roll the dough in your hands to form a smooth ball, then lightly coat it in the granulated sugar and then heavily coat it in the powdered sugar. Repeat until you have all 12 cookies rolled and placed about 2 inches apart.
Bake on the center rack for 9-11 minutes. The cookies should just barely start to show browning and look a bit underdone. Remove and let cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. This helps them finish baking and setting before trying to move them. Once cooled slightly, transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Keep the dough refrigerated between batches and allow the pan to cool completely before making the next batch. Alternatively, you can use two baking sheets, but bake them one at a time for better air flow around the cookies. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and enjoy the cookies!
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can omit the granulated sugar if you wish. The extra step helps to keep the powdered sugar from melting or dissolving too early in crinkle cookies. As the cookies bake, the granulated sugar helps to draw moisture out of the top of the cookies so that they set a little faster and don’t have as much time to melt the powdered sugar layer.
This is highly recommended, and I wouldn’t skip this step. The cookie dough is very soft and sticky, especially in crinkle cookies with added liquid. Without chilling the dough, it’s much more difficult to work with, and likely to spread a lot. This will cause you to have a lot of dough stuck to your hands and result in large, flat cookies.
This can be from several issues. If your oven is slightly off temperature, if you don’t chill the dough, or if your baking soda is expired. You can try rolling in granulated sugar first and roll heavily in the powdered sugar 2-3 times for a good coating.
Even if you do everything perfectly though, sometimes they just don’t come out looking as pretty as you’d hoped for. It can be anything from a difference in the brand of powdered sugar or even the moisture in the air in your kitchen while you baked them. If they taste good, that’s what matters the most.
Yes, you can swap in normal lemons for this recipe if Meyer lemons aren’t available. If you want a similar taste, substitute a ½ teaspoon of orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice in the recipe.
🍽 Equipment
You don’t need anything fancy to make lemon crinkle cookies, but I have two recommendations I’ll list below.
Silicone Baking Mat – I’m a huge proponent of these Silpat silicone baking mats. They’re washable and reusable, so if you do a lot of baking, you’ll save a lot on parchment paper. They also work great and let the heat through evenly on the bottom.
Cookie Scoop – A good quality cookie scoop makes baking cookies a breeze. While you can eyeball how much you need, using a small cookie scoop here keeps things consistent in size. Other than trying to be a perfectionist, consistency in size also means that cookies will bake up evenly.
❄️ Storing and Freezing Crinkles
These Meyer lemon crinkle cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
If you’re making these ahead of time, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days before baking. The dough will be stiff to work with straight out of the fridge, so let them sit at room temperature for a good 30 minutes or so before scooping.
You can also freeze unbaked cookie balls for up to 3 months. Be sure to freeze them before rolling in sugar. Let them sit out at room temperature for at least 30-45 minutes before rolling and baking.
📋 Recipe
Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookie:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Meyer lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
For Rolling:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, optional
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 2 tablespoons of Meyer lemon zest. Whisk together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add ¾ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a ¼ cup of freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice and mix until combined.
- Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and no visible streaks of egg remain. The mixture will look curdled, this is normal because of the lemon juice.
- Now add the dry mixture in 2-3 increments, mixing until just combined. The cookie dough will be very soft and a bit tacky. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Let the cookie dough sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Add a ¼ cup granulated sugar to a bowl and ¾ cup of powdered sugar to another bowl.
- Scoop the dough out with a small cookie scoop (#60) or a tablespoon measuring spoon. Place 12 scoops on the cookie sheet. Working one at a time, roll the dough in your hands to form a smooth ball, then lightly coat it in the granulated sugar and then heavily coat it in the powdered sugar. Repeat until you have all 12 cookies rolled and placed about 2 inches apart.
- Bake on the center rack for 9-11 minutes. The cookies should just barely start to show browning and look a bit underdone. Remove and let cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. This helps them finish baking and setting before trying to move them. Once cooled slightly, transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Keep the dough refrigerated between batches and allow the pan to cool completely before making the next batch. Alternatively, you can use two baking sheets, but bake them one at a time for better air flow around the cookies. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and enjoy the cookies!
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