These Cream Cheese Lemon Crinkle Cookies make the perfect spring dessert. These incredibly soft lemon crinkle cookies have a cream cheese base, giving them the perfect soft yet chewy lemon cookie texture.
How pretty are these cream cheese lemon crinkle cookies?! They’re cheery, lemony and all things spring and summer.
Not to be 100% obnoxious about my own recipe, but this just might be the best lemon cookie recipe I’ve tried!
Have you ever looked back on old pictures and thought, “What in the world was I thinking?”
When you’re 6, the lime green vest and jellies aren’t so silly. I mean, first of all, it was the 90s. Secondly, I was 6. You got to give me a little bit of grace—I was just testing out the fashion waters.
But when you’re 16, the weird outfit choices are a whole other story. I could probably blame it on the mid-2000s having a bit of an identity crisis in everything…but, it also might have just been me.
We’ll just call me a bit of a free spirit.
But if its my free spirit that has led us all to this point of Cream Cheese Lemon Crinkle Cookies…well, then you’re welcome.
Lemon. I know.
I’ve been a little bit obsessed with it as of late.
I just posted this No Bake Lemon Cream Pie (that was kind of amazing, if I do say so myself).
And this Lemon Bundt Cake recipe that’s the lovechild of a lemon sheet cake and a lemon pound cake.
And this Strawberry Lemon Coffee Cake.
And I’ve got yet another lemon recipe coming your way in a couple of weeks…
Love me or hate me for it? Fingers crossed we’re all leaning more towards the love side of things.
The thing is, I just can’t think of anything more spring like than lemons. Also, I’ve got about a 1000 of them so I’m using them in everything (I really need to start writing down my shopping lists because I keep coming back home with everything I already have and forgetting to buy all the essentials. The struggle, guys).
I also went a little overboard on my cream cheese purchase, thus here we are.
Ultra soft Lemon Crinkle Cookies with cream cheese.
I think my favorite part about lemon crinkle cookies is how pretty they are with all that powdered sugar around them.
Luckily, these little babies are more than a pretty face. The cream cheese yields a perfectly chewy yet soft texture and the lemon flavor comes from fresh lemon juice and zest.
Also, these lemon crinkle cookies are made without cake mix. While I do love a good cake mix cookie, I really wanted a subtle, fresh lemon flavor in these cookies.
Tips & Tricks for these Soft and Chewy Cream Cheese Lemon Crinkle Cookies from scratch:
- These Cream Cheese Lemon Crinkle Cookies are made entirely with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. I am not a huge fan of lemon extract, as I don’t like the artificial flavor it adds to baked goods.
- Due to making these lemon cookies without lemon extract, there is a lot of lemon zest in the batter. You need that much zest to really bring out the bright lemon flavor.
- The batter is half butter and half cream cheese. The combination keeps the cookies soft, chewy and very thick.
- You do not have to roll these in powdered sugar. You can roll them in regular sugar or leave them plain, if you choose.
- Lastly, this is a no chill lemon cookie dough! Yaaass.
Lemon lovers, rejoice! 🍋
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.
- Add in granulated sugar and beat the mixture until light, fluffy and well combined.
- Add in the egg and beat until combined.
- Add in lemon zest and lemon juice, mixing until combined.
- Next, add in salt, flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Scoop dough into 1” or 2” balls, and roll in powdered sugar.
- Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12-13 minutes.
- Allow to cool.
- Enjoy!
Here are some other lemon recipes you might love:
Melissa says
these taste really good! thanks for the recipe.