Soft Lemon Cookies, Especially Style

These Truly Soft Lemon Cookies are simple, lemony and incredibly tender. The secret? Cream cheese! Once baked top with a dusting of powdered sugar and prepare to fall in love. This dish yields 27 cookies.

This one goes out to all my lemon dessert lovers.

How is it that I’m only now sharing this lemon cookie recipe? Well, it’s been twelve years that I’ve been blogging and only recently did I discover what would happen if you substituted cream cheese instead of butter in a cookie recipe. What started as a whim (because I only had 1 stick of unsalted butter on hand) turned into a now go-to tender, truly soft – I’m talking quite truly melt-in-your-mouth lemony cookie.

Basically, these citrusy gems are loosely adapted from my snickerdoodle cookie recipe, (swapping half the butter for cream cheese) but with lemon zest, juice and extract. Because can you ever have too much lemon?

No. No you can’t.

To Make These Truly Soft Lemon Cookies Set out:

• lemon zest
• sugar
• unbleached all-purpose flour
• cream of tartar
• baking powder
• fine sea salt
• unsalted butter (softened)
• cream cheese (softened)
• egg plus egg yolk
• pure vanilla extract
• lemon extract
• lemon juice
• powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, measure and add; 1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (sea salt or Himalayan).

Whisk to combine and set off to the side.

Next grate the zest from 1 medium sized lemon and add it to 1 cup granulated sugar. Use your impeccably clean fingers to massage the sugar and the zest together until the sugar resembles wet sand.

In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (4 ounces) softened cream cheese and the lemon sugar.

Blend until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.

Next, add in 1 egg plus an egg yolk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, the juice of 1/2 the lemon (about 2 tablespoons).

Blend until thoroughly combined.

Gradually add a little of the flour mixture and mix until simply incorporated.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat. Scoop and place 12 cookies roughly 2-inches apart.

Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes. Rotating halfway through to ensure even baking.

Allow the cookies to rest for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Repeat with remaining chilled cookie dough.

Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Enjoy! And if you give this dish a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!