Easy Lemon Crackle Cookies, Free Printable

Let me warn you upfront. These lemon crinkle cookies are so yummy and so light that it is hard to eat just one of them. (Light and fluffy, not light in calories – I make no claims about calories.) If you decide to make these delicious bites of sweet lemony goodness, you might as well make two batches. They just don’t last. And they are so easy to make. 

I am telling you — make a double batch.

There is something so delightfully cheerful about citrus fruit, especially the lemon. When I was thinking about a sweet treat to make for Mother’s Day I wanted something happy, and I thought of lemons. These cookies are a perfect spring dessert. Give them as a gift or serve them at a party – they look fancy and taste divine, but you can whip them up in less than 20 minutes.

Lemon Crackle Cookies
I’ll tell you a secret, I made them with Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix. Yes! Cake mix.

Now, I am not a big cake person. I could eat cookies all day long, but I am happy to leave the cake. So even as I mixed my lemon crinkle cookies, I figured everyone would love them — except me. Boy was I wrong. Apparently, when cakes and cookies come together, I am all in.

Photographing these cookies was so hard. All I wanted to do was eat my props!

Ingredients

Tip – If you don’t have a silicone baking mat, I highly recommend getting one. It has become my secret weapon for making cookies, chocolates and more. I bought a Silpmat on a whim and it has become my most used baking tool.

Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking MatSilpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat

&

Directions

Mix eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and cake mix in a large bowl.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. (Creates fluffier cookies.)

Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough in powdered sugar.

Lemon Cookie Dough
Lemon Cookie Powdered Sugar
Coat well and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Lemon Crackle Cookie Powdered Sugar
Bake for 9 minutes at 375 degrees. (Makes 24 cookies.)

Enjoy!

If you can manage to part with some of these cookies, these cookies could really brighten someone’s day. Especially when paired with the cute printable tag I created for these cookies.

Lemon Crackle Cookies Printable Tag
I’ll tell you another cheat. I never seem to have cute plastic baggies when I need them, so I just cut the top off a sandwich baggie, added a little baker’s twine and ta-da. Perfect presentation.

You can cut the tags out by hand, or for a perfect circle, I use Fiskar’s Extra Large Circle Punch.

I want another cookie now. Just one more cookie…

Lemon Cookie
4.67 from 21 votes
Print

Easy Lemon Crackle Cookies

Servings 24

Ingredients

  • Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake Mix
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 Cup Oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions

  1. Mix eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and cake mix in a large bowl.
  2. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. (Creates fluffier cookies.)
  3. Roll tablespoon size balls of dough in powdered sugar.
  4. Coat well and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake for 9 minutes at 375 degrees. (Makes 24 cookies.)

More Crinkle Cookies

Red, white and blue crinkle cookies.

Red White and Blue Crackle Cookies

81 thoughts on “Easy Lemon Crackle Cookies, Free Printable”

    • If you want lemon cookies, the lemon cake mix is really the best way to go. But I have made these cookies with white cake mix (http://www.thesuburbanmom.com/2015/06/26/red-white-and-blue-crackle-cookies), so I suppose you could add lemon juice and lemon extract to the white cake mix to get a lemon flavor. But it won’t be the same. There is a link in the post to buy the lemon cake mix on Amazon. It is a bit more than in the store, but these are so good, it is worth it! 🙂

      Reply
      • Online at Amazon (in Canada), the moist lemon cake mixes are $15-$25!! No way am paying that when I know how to dress up a regular lemon cake mix to make it extra moist & lemony.
        Can’t wait to try your recipe though
        PS: Use coconut milk in any of your cake mix recipes instead of water or milk. The moist-ness will double and it will be light as a feather.

        Reply
        • Goodness! I wouldn’t pay that much either, it is only a couple of dollars here locally. I think dressing up a regular lemon cake sounds perfect. I’ll have to try your coconut milk trick next time!

          Reply
    • That’s a good question. Honestly, they never last long enough in my house to test it! LOL. But considering that they are cake batter, I would imagine they would freeze nicely. The only downside, the powdered sugar might not look as pretty when it defrosts. The more I think about it, I am picturing the powdered sugar being too absorbed into the cookie from freezing. I am really just not sure. But they are a quick cookie to whip up 🙂 Sorry I am not more help.

      Reply
    • Did you refrigerate the dough for at least 30 mins? It is a very sticky dough, if you look at the picture you can see how sticky the dough is. When I “ball” it, it is more like dropping blobs into the sugar. Coating it with sugar helps it to not be sticky, and then I can form nicer balls. I hope this helps and your cookies turn out yummy!

      Reply
      • I ended up doing what you suggested, but after refrigerating the dough, I put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. After that, I was able to handle the “blobs” using two spoons in the sugar. The cookies are fantastic!!! I am making them again tonight to bring to a party tomorrow night. I thank you and my friends thank you!

        Reply
    • The dough is very sticky even after refrigeration. I used my small cookie scoop and dropped into the powdered sugar and then was able to form the balls.

      Reply
  1. Had the same concern about the soft sticky dough but after looking at the picture decided to try it. Once in the powdered sugar, it worked just fine.

    This recipe makes WAY more than 24 cookies though. I doubled the batch as you suggested and used tablespoon sized drops. My first batch of 24 is in the over now and I’ve got at least 2/3 of the dough left! Better too many than too little…

    Reply
    • Hi Nancy – I am sorry, it looks like my printable plugin wasn’t working on that recipe for some reason. It has been fixed now. I appreciate the heads up so I could fix it for future bakers 🙂

      Reply
  2. It was nice to get your reply to my email. I made the Lemon Crinkle cookies today…love them. You are right, so cute. I’m giving them as a gift tonight. I’m hoping I’m surbscribed to you. Thanks, Nancy

    Reply
  3. By the way, I forgot to mention a while ago that my sister froze these lemon cookies and said they were great, no problem.

    Reply
  4. I forgot to mention a while ago someone asked if these could be frozen..My sister froze hers and said they were great, no
    Problem.

    Reply
    • They need to sit on the cookie sheet for a bit first, if you try to move them right away they will crumble. But yes, I typically move all of my cookies to a cooling rack eventually so I can back another batch. LOL. But def let them cool for a good 5-10 mins first.

      Reply
    • Sorry to hear that. We’ve never had a batch last long enough to freeze 😉 You’ll have to make a fresh batch again sometime… yum!

      Reply
  5. Just made these tonight with a variety of cookies for my boys . This is such an easy recipe it’s hard to go wrong!! They taste so good and you are right…they are addictive as heck!! Thanks fora great lil recipe!!

    Reply
  6. My cookies stayed in a ball. What did I do wrong? They cooked but never spread out. I had just fixed a different recipe and they did they same thing. Hope you can help!

    Reply
  7. 2 stars
    Disappointing! I usually make homemade chocolate crinkles but I have two small babies and wanted to try something faster and lemony for a change. These came out basically like cake bites, fluffy and dry. Crinkles should have the consistency of a brownie, not a cake. They should be dense and gooey. Maybe one less egg would have been better?

    Reply
  8. these cookies are delicious , I them for Christmas together with other cookies ,. gave them as gifts and everybody loved them , they are also my favorite lemon cookies

    Reply
  9. 5 stars
    Jen, do you know of a brand of cake mix av ailable in the land dowunder – Australai that could be used in your recipe?

    Thank you for taking the time to reply to corresopndents by answering their queires. Much appreciated as many web pages
    a) do not have the ability to comments much less take the time to reply.

    Agan thank you and hope you can assist me in my query. Mazza

    Reply
    • Hi Mazza – Unfortunately, I have never been lucky enough to visit Australia. (Someday, I hope!) So I am not much help in finding a specific cake mix there. I would think you could substitute whatever brand of lemon cake you have available. I like this brand because it is super moist, so I would look for something similar. Sorry I am not more help! Good luck, and let me know if you are able to find something that works!

      Reply
  10. 5 stars
    I made several batches of these cookies as part of my Christmas Cookie & Candy presents. My family and our First Responders really look forward to these boxes. They contain the old recipes of favorites and always a couple of new things. These Lemon Crackle Cookies were a huge hit! I have made about a dozen special request batches since Christmas, folks really love them, lol so do I. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  11. 4 stars
    I made these last night. They where delish but like Jennifer said they were not gooey. What do you suggest? Maybe one less egg like Jennifer ? Wish I could put a pic of w y came out.

    Reply
  12. 4 stars
    I made these last night. They where delish but like Jennifer said they were not gooey. What do you suggest? Maybe one less egg like Jennifer ? Wish I could put a pic of how they came out.

    Reply
  13. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh! I just made these, and they are wonderful! My grandson likes lemon, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to love these cookies. They are sauper easy to make, very moist and lemony. I’m going to have to double the recipe next time because I use a larger scoop.

    Reply
  14. 4 stars
    Made these for a function; they were a huge hit. Dough was very sticky. I used 2 spoons to scoop, drop and roll into powered sugar then used the spoon to also transfer to the baking sheet. I needed to bake for 12 minutes; anything less was undercooked.

    Reply
  15. My new favorite cookie. Sooo easy and delicious. My 12 year old called them heaven in a cookie. Thank you kindly for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
  16. I made these cookies and they were fabulous!! I make an orange cookie like this but put a confectioners sugar orange icing on it…wondering how that would be with those lemon crinkles….with lemon icing 😲

    Reply
    • I have not used sunflower oil, so I don’t really know how it compares. I use standard vegetable oil. If you try sunflower oil, I would love to know how it turns out!

      Reply
  17. Hi i’m getting ready to make your cookies and i’m wondering do I mix the cake mix up from the box and then add your ingredients or follow your recipe exact? Thank you,

    Earlene

    Reply
  18. 4 stars
    What is the best way to store these so that the stay fresh. I’m going to use them in a few days and don’t want them to dry out or get soggy.
    I used lemon flavored olive oil instead of vegetable oil and they’re so good.

    Reply
  19. 5 stars
    I followed your recipe exactly and the cookies came out perfectly delicious, thank you for sharing such an easy to follow recipe! Im planning on bringing a tray of these over to our family easter gathering!

    Reply
  20. Hello! I have made these once and absolutely loved them but recently have moved to area with high altitude and have experienced the interesting change in cooking and baking in high altitude. What would you suggest with making these?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  21. 5 stars
    I made gear and my goodness! Yummy! They taste like fresh lemonade!! Such a great lemony treat!!
    For the people who asked about freezing them and having problems with them being dry, try putting them in an air tight container with a piece or two of white bread for a couple of hours or so. The moisture transfers to the cookies. I’ve had great luck with this trick.

    Reply
  22. 5 stars
    The recipe was delightful and easy to make. The cookies came out just like the photo. I used a small scoop to get even amount of dough for each cookie. Thanks for a great and easy recipe !!

    Reply
  23. 5 stars
    Made these cookies last night for a baking sale at my daughter’s school. Recipe was super easy to follow and it makes 24 cookies as described. I had to adjust the cooking time to 15 min but other that, really delicious cookies. Thanks for sharing and I love your printable. Makes such nice packages!!

    Reply
  24. 5 stars
    I made these last year and they were a hit! I was wondering if I made a big batch this year if I could scoop the dough balls and freeze the uncooked dough balls, would that affect anything?

    Reply
  25. 5 stars
    I made these for My New Years Eve party, omg they were a HIT! So much so I didn’t have a chance to take a picture! I will say while making I had an unexpected visitor, so I threw the dough (as recommended in the fridge, thinking the visitor would be gone in 10 minutes! They stayed for over 30 minutes. Lol I had no problem with the dough! ) Also, I used a small bowl, plopped the dough in and shook it, made a perfect little ball and not so much mess! My Guest loved the cookies, So much so they are all getting a batch for their birthdays! Thank you for sharing! Huge hit and ohhh so easy!

    Reply
  26. 5 stars
    These are one of my most requested cookies! And I make a lot of cookies! I’m embarrassed to say how easy they are to make! But, you were right……one batch is never enuf!!

    Reply
  27. 5 stars
    These are my new favorite cookies. So easy to make and you are right, one batch is never enough. I added a little icing, made with powdered sugar & lemon juice, drizzled on top. It made them more addictive.

    Reply
  28. Oh, my goodness! I just have to thank you for sharing this cookie recipe. Making these for the Christmas cookie boxes I am making, and they are amazing! Taking your advice on making a double batch, which the second batch is in the fridge as we speak. These are that good! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

    Reply
  29. I just wanted to say thank you for such a delicious and beautiful cookie recipe. I made these last Christmas as an addition for my cookie and fudge gift boxes and bags, and everyone loved them, and I found myself eating more than my share of cookies while making them! They are a keeper, and I will be adding these once again to the gift boxes! Merry Christmas!!!!

    Reply
  30. 5 stars
    Just made these & used a Meyer lemon from my tree! They are so dang delicious, & easy! Mine did not look like the picture, as the dough was quite moist, but the taste is what counts! 👍🏻♥️ I had some lemon zest sugar left from lemon drop martinis, so rolled some of the dough in that! Yum!

    Reply
  31. 5 stars
    I’m not a huge baker and cursed the sticky dough my first go round. Then I figured out a great method the second batch. I put the powdered sugar in a small ball about 4”-5” in diameter. I used a small 1”-2” scooper and dropped the dough in the bowl (took a couple squeezes of the release mechanism for it to drop). Then I used a fork to powder the top of the dough. Voila! So much easier to handle!

    Reply

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