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Honey Lemon Crinkles Cookies taste like spring!
The lemon in these Honey Lemon Crinkles cookies makes all the difference. Lemon is so bright and refreshing in just about anything. It is a happy flavor any time of year, and here in Upstate NY, spring often takes its time getting here. We need flavors that give us a bright outlook. 
An easy to make cookie
Honey Lemon Crinkles Cookies are a pretty standard cookie recipe in terms of how you get the ingredients mixed together. A lot of cookie recipes use the “creaming method” to make the dough, and this one is no exception. [If you’re interested in other mixing methods, you can check out the muffin method here, and the biscuit method here. A little Home Ec lesson for you. 😉] Beat the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Beat the egg in, and then the honey and lemon. You want the mixture to stay light and fluffy.
The dry ingredients are combined separately
Combining the dry ingredients separately ensures that every ingredient is thoroughly combined, and you won’t have any little lumps of separate ingredients. That is not a great thing to bite into when you’re eating a cookie. After combining the dry mixture, beat it into the creamed mixture. At this point, you want to chill the dough for a minimum of an hour, but longer is better. You can even go up to a couple of days, but 24 hours is kind of the sweet spot because in that amount of time, the flavors really come to life, and the dough itself becomes completely hydrated. If you’re in a hurry, an hour will ensure the dough firms up enough to be workable.
You can shape Honey Lemon Crinkles Cookies in two different ways
Shaping in each way gives you a distinct end result. If you just roll the dough in balls and leave them, you will end up with a softer, more cake-like texture. If, on the other hand, you flatten the dough balls with the bottom of a glass, the resulting cookies will be crisper and chewier. It’s up to you which you like better. You can shape some of them one way, and some the other, and enjoy the different textures in one batch of cookies.
Here is how to make Honey Lemon Crinkles
Here is how to make Honey Lemon CrinklesHoney Lemon Crinkles Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup honey
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Raw or other coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer until fluffy and light.
- Beat in the egg
- Beat in the honey and lemon zest
- Leaving the raw sugar for topping, whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating well after each, and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Cover the dough by pressing plastic wrap on the surface, to prevent drying out, and refrigerate for at least an hour. This is the kind of cookie that improves in flavor when you refrigerate it longer, up to 24 hours. An hour will work though.
- When ready to bake, preheat the over to 350° and line heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the raw sugar [you can use granulated if that is what you have, but a coarser sugar is crunchier] in a small bowl and set aside
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion cookies [about 2 teaspoons each] and roll into balls. Work quickly so the dough doesn't soften.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the raw sugar and place the cookies on the baking sheet. Drip several drops of water on top of each cookie.
- At this point, you can go two ways. If you leave the dough in balls, you will end up with a softer, more cake-like cookie, and if you flatten with the bottom of a glass, you will end up with a crisper, chewier cookie.
- Either way, bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes until nicely browned across the top. Leave on the baking sheet for a minute or two, and then remove to a cooling rack to cool off.
- These cookies should be stored in a tightly covered container, at room temperature for up to a week. The cookies will taste even better a couple days after baking, so this is a good choice for making ahead of time for a holiday or get-together. They can be frozen.
Do you like cookies as much as I do? Then, I think you will enjoy these recipes as well:
Molasses Crinkles ~ Brown Butter Pecan Cookies ~ Coconut Macaroons
Cinnamon Pecan Blondies
Chipotle Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
Molasses Apple Cobbler
Banana Oat Bread
Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Beer Bread
Orange Coconut Slices
Almond Shortbread
Butternut Squash Quick Bread
Coconut Macaroons
I came to leave a comment on another post this morning and found this new recipe. I needed some cookies to take to a friend, and she loves lemon, so I whipped up a batch of these. They are delicious. I made some each way that you suggested and now I can’t decide which I like better!
I know what you mean – I have the same problem!
This dough is mixed up and in the fridge to be baked in the morning. Just the dough smells SO good!
Wow- so glad you found it! Thanks!
I made a batch of these cookies last night and they’re already almost gone! My family loved them!
I guess you need to make more! 😍
I made these for my granddaughters yesterday, because they were visiting for the weekend. We had so much fun, dipping them in sugar and then deciding which way to make them. Did some of each kind and they were both so good. One of them liked the softer version, and the other two liked the crisper ones. And the flavor was really satisfying. Thank you for a lovely memory with my granddaughters!
These are fabulous! Thank you again for the recipe
You’re welcome Chahinez – glad that you liked them!
I tried out this recipe and I am absolutely in love! The combination of honey and lemon is so refreshing, and the crinkly texture is just perfect. These cookies are a must-try!
Thanks Gianne – I’m happy that you enjoyed them!
Whipped up a batch of these for an afternoon treat, and they do not disappoint! Turned out easy, moist and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Thanks Sara!
Omg I am in love with the flavors of these cookies and also the crunch that sparkling sugar gives them. Can’t wait to try!
I hope that you enjoy them, Neha. ♥
What a great flavor idea for a cookie! 🙂 I can’t wait to bake up a batch of these soon.
Carrie – I hope that you love them ♥
Count me in as a fan of these cookies – the texture and flavor are both on the money!
Thanks for letting me know, Merri!
can’t wait to try these lovely cookies!
I hope that you love them, Angie!
delish – I’ll make these again
Thanks Kammie!