Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Make the cookie dough
- Cream the softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, vanilla extract and vinegar. Mix until smooth. The mixture may look slightly curdled at first but it will come together.
- Swap over to the dough hook. Add the bread flour, baking soda and salt. Mix on low until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remains, about 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight to help the dough hydrate and hold its shape in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the dough into 8 balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the chilled dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place on a lined baking sheet with plenty of space between them.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should look just set and the centres should appear soft and pale. They will continue to firm up on the tray.
Shape the cookies after baking!
- Immediately after removing the tray from the oven, place the open end of a large, wide Stanley Cup type drinking tumbler over each cookie and gently swirl to round the edges. Then use the flat bottom of the tumbler to press the centre lightly to create that signature cracked bakery finish.
- Cool on the tray for at least 1 hour.
Glaze the cookies
- Warm the powdered sugar, lemon juice and cream cheese in a saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the cream cheese is loosened. Whisk, then add the lemon zest and bring to a gentle bubble. The glaze should be smooth, glossy and thick but still pourable.
- Spoon the warm glaze generously over the cooled cookies. It will drip slightly over the edges. Let the glaze set at room temperature until firm to the touch but still soft underneath.
Optional lemon slice garnish
- Add a thin lemon slice to each cookie right before serving if desired.
Notes
- Bread flour gives these cookies a thicker, chewier bakery style texture that feels closer to Crumbl than standard all purpose flour.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest make a huge difference. Bottled juice will work in a pinch, but real lemons give a brighter flavour.
- Chilling the dough for several hours lets the flour hydrate fully, helps control spreading and gives the cookies time to develop a deeper lemon taste.
- The small amount of white vinegar is not noticeable as vinegar. It simply sharpens the flavour and gives the dough a slightly lighter texture.
Storage
- Store glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days and bring to room temperature before serving.
- You can freeze the baked, unglazed cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze before serving.
Related Recipes
- Check out all our other Cookie Recipes HERE!
- See all our Crumbl Copycat Recipes HERE!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.