These soft-and-chewy cookies are positively bursting with bright citrus flavor. We created this versatile recipe to highlight whatever citrus fruit you like the best—try tart lemon, zesty lime or sweet orange. A few drops of food coloring add a vibrant visual cue. These cookies are equally festive during the summer or winter months.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 24 cookies |
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons finely grated citrus zest (lemon, lime or orange) plus 3 tablespoons juice
- 4 to 6 drops yellow, green or orange gel food coloring
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, citrus zest, citrus juice and food coloring and beat until incorporated. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in another small bowl. Scoop tablespoons of the chilled dough and roll into balls. Toss each ball in the granulated sugar first, then in the confectioners’ sugar, coating them very generously and thoroughly. Arrange the balls about 1 inch apart on 2 baking sheets (you should have 24 balls). Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Bake until the cookies spread, the tops crack and the edges are firm, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 135 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 15 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 18 mg |
| Sodium | 40 mg |
Reviews
Just made all 3 versions. They all came out great. Recipe is very time-consuming, though. Any thoughts on whether these could be partially, at least, made ahead? Maybe make and freeze the dough? Perhaps even get to the point of making the dough balls, and then freezing them without rolling in the sugar. I did make a note on the recipe for the 1 cup of granulated sugar, divided. That should have been made more clear.
I think they are great, though.
I made the lime and orange cookies….but I didn’t catch that it was 1 cup of sugar cut in half with half reserved for rolling cookies later. I have to say…they are a bit sweet, but they are still yummy! I’m glad I made them…I think they’ll be a big hit in my family.
I made these cookies and my dad mentioned they were his favorite cookie he has ever eaten. So then I made them again for a Christmas cookie challenge and won.
Excellent! I made lime cookies and they were great
I absolutely LOVE these cookies! I use grapefruit juice instead of lime, lemon or orange — I’m a big grapefruit fan. So so yum and highly recommend! I made them last year, and just remade them now
I made these last year and they were a big hit. I made some orange ones for a dessert tomorrow and they made up beautifully.
This recipe did not work. Followed all the instructions exactly. And tried 3 times. The citrus curdled my butter every time. Regardless of type of citrus. I’m so disappointed.
If the recipe requires one half cup of granulated sugar it should not say one cup. Dusting ingredient amounts including powdered & granulated sugar should follow the recipe. Like to know how many people added one cup of granulated sugar to the mix only to find out in step four(Oops), half of that cup was really for dusting?
Made the lime ones. O so good. Making.more soon.
I made all three flavors and they came out great!
The lime ones were my favorite. Had the strongest citrus flavor of the 3. I used the zest of 2 limes
The lemon ones could have used a little more lemon flavor (I only had 2 lemons, it was a little under the recommended two tablespoons)
The orange flavor ending up tasting like fruit loops!!!! I used the zest of 2 oranges.
All had the perfect texture of a crinkle cookie. A little crust on the outside and a soft center. Making the 3 flavors definitely took a lot of time, but well worth it. I will make again.