Lemon Cooler Cookies are bite-sized cookies that pack a big lemon flavor. The soft, pillowy cookies bring a burst of lemon flavor with each bite. Don’t miss the zesty lemon-sugar coating on these babies.
We’re bringing the lemon flavor to both the cookie dough and the powdered sugar coating.
You’ll love these soft and tangy lemon cookies if you love the lemon flavor.
Disclosure – I may get a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.
Key to Success #1 – Start with Softened Butter
I know I say this a lot, but it’s so important to start with softened butter when you’re making cookies like this.
Softened butter really does make all the difference in how your cookies turn out.
It’s essential to start with your butter at room temperature so that it can be combined with the sugar to make your cookies light and fluffy.
If your butter isn’t soft, start by beating just the butter in your electric mixer until the butter is soft.
Using a stand mixer will really help this process, but it can be done with a hand mixer as well.
Just take your time and let the butter soften up before adding the powdered sugar and the granulated sugar.
Key to Success #2 – Use a Cookie Scoop for Consistent Sizing
After you mix up the cookie dough, use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough into 1-tablespoon portions.
The easiest way to portion out the dough is to use a cookie scoop.
Be sure to check your size to make sure the scoop holds 1 tablespoon of dough.
If you don’t have one, you can search Amazon for a cookie scoop that holds 1 tablespoon of dough.
The size of the cookie scoop may say it’s a #60 cookie scoop.
Scoop the dough and then roll it into a ball and place it on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Finally, use a small glass to slightly press the cookie dough into a disk shape.
Tip! Place a piece of parchment paper over the cookie dough before pressing it down with a glass so that the dough won’t stick.
You can reuse the parchment paper multiple times so that it’s not wasted.
Key to Success #3 – Use a Thick Coating of Lemony Powdered Sugar
The lemony powdered sugar is made by mixing a package of Kool-aid lemonade mix with powdered sugar.
The Kool-aid lemonade drink mix is unsweetened so you’ll need the powdered sugar to balance out the tart with some sweetness.
Mix the lemonade mix and the powdered sugar together in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic baggie.
Shake the bag to combine the powder into a cohesive mix.
When the cookies come out of the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes then transfer them 1-2 at a time into the plastic bag.
Shake the bag gently to coat the cookies with lemony sugar.
Coating the cookies while they are still warm will help the sugar stick and not fall off when you transfer the cookies to a sheet of wax paper to cool.
If you have trouble with the coating falling off, you can dip the cool cookies a second time for maximum coverage.
Save this Lemon Cooler Cookie recipe to your favorite Lemon Desserts board or your Summer Cookies board.
Lemon Cooler Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Topping
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 pkt Lemonade Kool-aid mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and both kinds of sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well. Add lemon juice, both extracts, and lemon zest and beat to combine. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just blended.
- Spoon the dough by tablespoons and roll into balls. Place on lined baking sheets. Slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are puffy.
- While cookies are baking, combine 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and the packet of Kool-aid mix in a gallon-sized zip-top baggie.
- When the cookies are finished baking, allow them to cool for 2 minutes then toss the cookies into the powdered sugar mix, a few at a time, until well-coated. Cool completely.