Lemon White Chocolate Cookies

Stack of lemon cookies topped with white chocolate

These lemon cookies are super soft, packed with white chocolate chips, and bursting with the flavor of fresh lemon.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Chill time 1

Total Time 1 35

Servings

Calories 214kcal

Author Allison Mattina

Ingredients

1⅔ cups all purpose flour lightly spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest from about 3 lemons
½ cup unsalted butter softened slightly but still cool
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅔ cup white chocolate chips or chunks
⅓ cup granulated sugar for topping
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for topping

Instructions

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips. Add the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add vanilla, egg, egg yolk, and lemon juice, beating until combined and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture might look a little curdled, that's ok. Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips. Place the dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a wide shallow bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips.
Scoop the chilled dough into 2-tablespoon balls. Roll each dough ball in the lemon sugar. Place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Pat the dough balls down just a bit to encourage spreading.
Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges should just be beginning to set and the center should still look slightly underdone. If desired, place a few extra white chocolate pieces on top of each cookie (the heat from the cookie will make the chocolate melt and stick). See note section for tips on getting perfectly round cookies. Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely. The cookies will firm up as they cool.

Notes

Lemons: You'll need about 3 large for 4 medium-sized lemons for this recipe.

Color: The yellow color of these cookies comes from the lemon zest and the egg yolks. If you're egg yolks are pale yellow your cookies might appear less yellow than the cookies pictured.

How to get perfectly round cookies:

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.

Nutrition