Lemon Pixie Cookies (Printable)
Delicate tangy lemon cookies with soft chewy center and sweet powdered sugar dusting.
# What you need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Coating
10 - ½ cup powdered sugar, for rolling
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into smooth balls between your palms. Roll each ball in powdered sugar, coating thoroughly on all sides.
07 - Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers remain soft and slightly underbaked.
09 - Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The powdered sugar coating creates a delicate crackled exterior that gives way to a soft, almost pillowy center every single time.
- They come together in under 35 minutes from bowl to cookie jar, which makes them dangerously easy to whip up on a whim.
02 -
- Overbaking is the single biggest threat to these cookies, because the window between perfectly chewy and disappointingly dry is barely one minute wide.
- Rolling the dough in powdered sugar while your hands are warm causes the coating to melt into a patchy mess, so chill the dough for 15 minutes if your kitchen runs hot.
03 -
- Zest the lemon before juicing it, because a squeezed lemon collapses and becomes nearly impossible to grate cleanly.
- Use a cookie scoop rather than a spoon for uniform portions, which ensures every cookie bakes at the exact same rate and none end up overdone while others are still raw.