Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These Lemon Crinkle Cookies are made from scratch with either gluten-free or all-purpose flour, delivering a chewy, dense, and pillowy cookie with bright lemon flavor. Whether you’re baking for spring, Easter celebrations, or adding a twist to your Christmas cookie tray, these cookies are one of the best lemon desserts!
Before my son was born, I was on a crinkle cookie kick (say that 10 times fast!). Crinkle cookies are rolled in a thick layer of powdered sugar before baking. As the cookie bakes, the dough “cracks” along with the powdered sugar leaving the coolest look! The cookie has a crispy, sweet outside while the inside is moist and chewy.
I started making crinkle cookies during Christmas and Thanksgiving. My recipes for Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Gluten Free Matcha Crinkle Cookies are staples during the holidays!
But, when playing around with lemon dessert ideas, I decided to try my hand at making crinkle cookies with lemon flavor that is bright, refreshing, and still has the same delicious taste and texture. Its a great lemon dessert for spring but can easily be on a holiday cookie spread!
These are hands down the best lemon crinkle cookies you will find, and you can make them with gluten free flour or regular flour!
🍽️Grab These Before You Make Them
- Gluten Free Flour Blend (if making gf)
- Lemon Extract
- Yellow Food Coloring (optional)
🍋Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I use a gluten free flour blend that already contains xanthan gum. This gives baked goods a chewy texture that gluten would. I enjoy using King Arthur Gluten Free Flour which has a 1:1 ratio with wheat flour. You can also use regular all purpose flour!
- Fresh Lemon – the juice and zest of one entire lemon is needed for this recipe along with additional lemon flavor. Don’t have a zester? Try this one.
- Lemon Extract – while you’ll already be adding fresh lemon zest and juice in this recipe, a more concentrated lemon flavor is also needed.
- Yellow Food Coloring – this is OPTIONAL but I believe it makes a much better presentation.
🍪How To Make Lemon Crinkle Cookies
1️⃣ Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together room temperature butter and sugar. Add in vanilla, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract or oil and mix until fully combined. If you’re using food coloring liquid or powder, add it in this step.
2️⃣ In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3️⃣ Add in 3 batches to wet ingredients while mixing on medium low until the dough is formed. Place dough in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.
4️⃣ Once you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325. Add powdered sugar to a small bowl. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar to coat.
5️⃣ Place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
👩🏻🍳Chef’s Tips
- Roll in powdered sugar only! This will give them their classic “cracked” look. Granulated sugar does not have the same texture or visual effect.
- Don’t use boxed mix. While there are plenty of recipes out there that use boxed cake mix to make crinkle cookies, I don’t suggest it especially if making gluten free cookies. Cake mix does not have the proper ratio of leavening agents to make classic cookie texture.
- Don’t overwork the cookie dough. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined without any dry streaks.
- Using all purpose flour. If there’s no need to make these gluten free, use regular all purpose flour!
- Chill the dough. Even though nobody likes waiting for cookies, chilling the dough is important because it helps develop the flavor and keeps the cookies from spreading when baked.
🧊Storage & Freezing
- Storing: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies: Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible before sealing. Frozen cookies can be stored for up to 2 months.
- Freezing unbaked cookies: Portion into individual cookie-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until the dough balls are solid (about 2 hours). Transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
- Baking from Frozen: Preheat the oven. Bake the cookies directly from frozen, adding an additional 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Keep an eye on them to make sure they are golden brown and cooked through. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
❔FAQ
You can use lemon essential oil in baked goods but only if it is FOOD GRADE QUALITY. Please make sure of this first.
Yes, you can substitute the butter with a dairy-free alternative like coconut oil or vegan butter. Keep in mind that these will change the flavor and texture slightly.
If the dough is too sticky, refrigerate it for an additional 30 minutes or add a small amount of extra flour until it’s easier to work with.
Fresh lemon juice can be used, but the flavor will be milder. Consider adding more zest or using lemon extract for a more pronounced lemon flavor.
🍪More Gluten Free Desserts
- Gluten Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Cannoli Dip
- 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Nutella Brownies
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Bread
Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Gluten Free Flour Blend or all purpose flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
Wet Ingredients
- Juice and Zest from 1 lemon
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Lemon Extract OR 5 drops food grade Lemon Essential Oil
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together room temperature butter and sugar. Add in vanilla, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract or oil and mix until fully combined. If you’re using food coloring liquid or powder, add it in this step.
- In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add in 3 batches to wet ingredients while mixing on medium low until the dough is formed.
- Place dough in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.
- Once you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325.
- Add powdered sugar to a small bowl.
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar to coat.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
🧊Storage & Freezing
- Storing: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies: Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible before sealing. Frozen cookies can be stored for up to 2 months.
- Freezing unbaked cookies: Portion into individual cookie-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until the dough balls are solid (about 2 hours). Transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
- Baking from Frozen: Preheat the oven. Bake the cookies directly from frozen, adding an additional 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Keep an eye on them to make sure they are golden brown and cooked through. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
These were delicious and so easy to make. I skipped the food coloring because I didn’t have any. We took to a party and everyone loved them! The texture was perfect! Thank you!
I’m not a “baker” so this might be a silly question….but what do you mean by #3….where you say “3 batches”?
Not a silly question at all! After mixing the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, you’ll combine the two. Instead of dumping the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture all at once, add a third of the dry mixture at a time while mixing on medium-low. Hope that helps! -Krista (Team Thyme & JOY)
What is 1.5 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups
Hi there, thank you for these cookies. I love anything lemon and these cookies are so lemon-ee yummy soft and chewy. You would never know they were gluten free. They are on my “to make over and over again” list.
Thank you
Yay! We’re so glad you love them! -Krista (Team Thyme & JOY)
These cookies were delicious! They were so soft, and didn’t have an overwhelming lemon flavor. Which I love, and will definitely be making again!
The cookies turned out great, especially for my first attempt at a gluten free recipe. I do not feel the nutrition data makes sense, however. Can you please clarify? For example, serving size is “1g”? Did you mean 1 cookie maybe? Overall, great recipe.
What did I do wrong? I’ve tried many different GF flours for this recipe, and each time it is so liquidy that I can’t get it to form balls. I’ve also tried letting it firm over night. I’ve even tried adding an extra egg to help bind it more.