Sourdough Lemon Cookies Recipe
Bright, chewy sourdough lemon cookies bursting with fresh citrus zest, crisp edges, and a sparkling crackled top, perfectly balanced and crowd-approved.
Equipment
- Zester
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- 1 ½ Tbsp Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- Zest from 2 large lemons
- 150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 113 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) lemon juice
- 50 grams sourdough starter discard 100% hydration, < ¼ cup
- 180 grams (1 ⅓ cup) all-purpose flour ~1 ⅓ cup
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- 2 grams (¼ teaspoon) kosher salt
Topping
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- Zest from 1 large lemon
Instructions
- Mix sugar with lemon zest - Add sugar and zest from 2 lemons to your stand mixer bowl and rub together to release the lemon oil.Zest from 2 large lemons, 150 grams granulated sugar
- Cream butter with sugar - Add softened butter and beat with the paddle attachment for at least 2 minutes until well incorporated and creamy.113 grams unsalted butter
- Incorporate sourdough starter - Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sourdough starter and continue beating for at least another 2 minutes until fluffy and creamy.1 large egg yolk, 3 grams pure vanilla extract, 5 grams lemon juice, 50 grams sourdough starter discard
- Add dry ingredients - Sift flour and baking soda directly into the wet ingredient mixture in the stand mixer bowl, sprinkle salt on top, stir until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before scooping and rolling if the dough seems too sticky to handle right away.180 grams all-purpose flour, 3 grams baking soda, 2 grams kosher salt
- Scoop and roll - Portion the cookie dough with a 1 ½-tablespoon cookie scoop and place them on a lined baking sheet. Roll into balls. Cover and refrigerate while the oven preheats. You don’t need a long chill for this dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the lemon sugar topping - Mix together granulated sugar and zest from 1 lemon in a shallow bowl.50 grams granulated sugar, Zest from 1 large lemon
- Bake - Roll the dough balls in lemon sugar, place 12 on a half sheet baking sheet, and bake for about 13 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to turn lightly golden.
- Cool - Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 10-15 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months, once portioned.
- If you are planning to keep the dough balls for long term storage, don’t roll them in sugar. Roll in sugar just before baking.
- You can bake frozen dough balls without thawing, simply increase baking time by 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- If you are only baking a few cookies and not a full dozen on the baking sheet, reduce baking time to 12 mins or 12 mins and 30 secs. They brown quicker when baked in a smaller batch.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days to keep them fresh. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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