Lemon Sparkler Cookies

Lemon Sparkler Cookies have tangy lemon flavor and craveable sugar crunch. They’re sure to add sparkle to your holiday cookie tray!

We’re just days away from Christmas! Are you ready? I’ve not wrapped a single present yet, but I have been making scores of cookies. These Lemon Sparkler Cookies have been a crowd favorite with their crunchy exterior and cake-like interior. The dough is rolled in coarse sugar and as they bake, they puff and crackle in the oven. They glitter like jewels and look extra-pretty stacked on a serving plate.

The dough whips up in a jiffy, but you’ll need to chill it for at least 30 minutes before rolling the dough into balls. It will be easier to handle, and you should be able to roll it between between your palms easily. Portion the dough with heaping tablespoons to create walnut-sized balls, or use a cookie scoop to make the cookies uniform.

The glittering ingredient.

Coarse sugar is the magic ingredient that makes these cookies sparkle. If you don’t have sanding sugar, you can roll the balls in confectioners’ sugar and end up with Lemon Crinkles.

See? These are quite pretty too!

You’ll need to take a little extra care when transferring the  rolled cookies to the oven because they’ll want to slide around on the baking sheet. The sugar coating makes the dough balls un-sticky and they will easily roll around on the pan.

These are packed with a triple dose of citrus flavor: lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract. You’d think these cookies would be lip-puckering with all that lemon, but they’re not! They are sweet, delicious and highly fragrant.

They make a wonderful sweet-tart ending to rich, savory holiday dinners. Or gift them piled in large blue mason jars with a pretty ribbon attached. Such a sweet holiday gift!

Want more lemon goodness? Check out my Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars!

Lemon Sparklers

Heather Baird

These cookies are packed with a triple dose of citrus flavor: lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

30 minutes chill time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 2 dozen

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup 113g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 250g cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon yellow food color optional
• 2 1/2 cups 352g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 100g coarse sanding sugar

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix again. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the lemon juice and extract. Add the food color, if using.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix on medium-low speed until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough in the mixing bowl for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the coarse sugar in a bowl.
• Portion the cookies by the heaping tablespoon (or cookie scoop) and roll each piece into a walnut-sized ball between your palms. Roll each ball in the coarse sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2-inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are puffed, crackled and light golden around the edges.
• Let the cookies stand on the cookie sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Swap the coarse sugar for powdered sugar, and bake as directed for lemon crinkle cookies.

Keyword lemon zest

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