These Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies are rich and buttery, sweet and tart, and soft and flaky. Made with monkfruit sweetener, lemon juice and lemon extract, vanilla, and gluten-free flour, these cookies come together in under 25 minutes for a mouthwatering treat your tastebuds will enjoy! {GF + DF + SF}
If you are a lemon person then these Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies are just for you! Inspired by Bless Her Heart Y’all’s Lemon Crinkle Cookies, these chewy, flaky baked treats taste like lemon bars, lemonade, or those decadent Girl Scout Lemonades cookies I hoard every season! They are literally the perfect blend of lemon flavoring and sugar cookie magic. Now with a super-simple gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free ingredient list, you can enjoy these same flavors in your own kitchen.
When you do make a batch of Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies, I want to know: did you eat just one or did you go back for more? Truthfully, I’m neither. I grab a bunch at the start and then realize maybe I should put a few back so K-Hubs and the girls can enjoy them, too. Sharing may be caring but sharing is hard. When you make a batch, you’ll see what I’m talking about!
These cookies are
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Buttery soft
- Flaky
- Chewy
- Sweet AND tart
- So absolutely satisfying
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Now let’s bake some lemony goodness ourselves!
Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies ingredients
I’ve played around with different ingredients, and I’ve listed below what works best for this sweet and tangy cookie!
- Gluten-free baking flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Powdered sugar
- Allergen-friendly butter (an FYI and not a paid mention – we use Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread in the tub version)
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon juice and lemon extract (yes, I highly suggest including both)
- Vanilla extract
Tips for a delicious Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookie
We’ve made these cookies several times and discovered a few ways to get the tastiest cookie!
- Gluten-free flourB Not all gluten-free flours are exactly the same. We’ve made these lemon cookies with Extra White Gold Gluten-free Flour that produced a condensed, moisture-packed cookie. And we’ve made these with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour, which produced flakier crinkle-like cookies (pictured here) with a deceptively soft, airy center. Both flours produced the same great lemony sugar taste. But each one produced a different texture. I suggest playing around with flours to get the consistency you like best.
- Chilling the dough: If the dough is too soft to handle, then let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so. Sometimes after chilling the dough, I find the top portion is firm and ready for baking while the portion underneath is still soft. When this happens, I prep the first batch of cookies for baking using the dough that’s firm. While those cookies bake, I place the remaining dough back in the refrigerator for additional chilling time.
- Sugar options: We’ve made these cookies using granulated sugar (pictured) and monkfruit sweetener. The granulated sugar produced a crinkle-like texture that was light and airy. The monkfruit sweetener produced a denser, thicker cookie. Same great taste but an entirely different texture. Play around with these options to see if you like one best.
- Baking times: Be careful not to over-bake these cookies. I make a point to check at 8 minutes, and if I feel they need to bake longer, then I check every 30-60 seconds thereafter. Cookies will appear soft straight out of the oven but will solidify as they cool.
If you like these Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar cookies, then you should also try these cookie recipes!
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Crinkle Cookies
- Buttery Almond Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies
Spiriteds, whatever cookie you bake and however you bake it, I hope you’re well. And always know I’m glad you’re here! ❤️
Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies
These Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies are rich and buttery, sweet and tart, and soft and flaky. Made with lemon juice and lemon extract, vanilla, and gluten-free flour, these cookies come together in under 25 minutes for a mouthwatering treat your tastebuds will enjoy! {GF + DF + SF}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour (for this recipe we used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup powdered sugar (more or less as desired)
- 1/2 cup allergen-friendly buttery spread (I use Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread)
- 1 cup granulated sugar or monkfruit sweetener
- 2 eggs
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled is fine)
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Set oven to 350 degrees. Combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in a bowl and set aside. Pour powdered sugar into a separate small bowl and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter until softened. Then add the granulated sugar and beat on a LOW to MEDIUM speed until blended. Next add the two eggs and blend until smooth. Pour the lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla extract into the wet mixture and blend until combined. Finally, pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and blend until smooth. You may need to add the flour mixture in batches so as not to overwhelm the mixer.
- Roll the dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls, roll them in the powdered sugar, and then place them at least an inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating once halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired, and let cool slightly before serving.
- Store in an airtight container for up to four days.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour: Not all gluten-free flours are exactly the same. We’ve made these lemon cookies with Extra White Gold Gluten-free Flour that produced a condensed, moisture-packed cookie. And we’ve made these with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour, which produced flakier crinkle-like cookies (pictured here) with a deceptively soft, airy center. Both flours produced the same great lemony sugar taste. But each one produced a different texture. I suggest playing around with flours to get the consistency you like best.
- Chilling the dough: If the dough is too soft to handle, then let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so. Sometimes after chilling the dough, I find the top portion is firm and ready for baking while the portion underneath is still soft. When this happens, I prep the first batch of cookies for baking using the dough that’s firm. While those cookies bake, I place the remaining dough back in the refrigerator for additional chilling time.
- Baking times: Be careful not to over-bake these cookies. They will appear soft straight out of the oven and will solidify as they cool. I make a point to check at 8 minutes, and if I feel they need to bake longer, then I check every 30-60 seconds thereafter.
- Monkfruit sweetener vs. granulated sugar: Monkfruit sweetener will produce a denser, mound-like cookie, whereas granulated sugar will produce a light, crinkle-style cookie (pictured)
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