Gordon Ramsay Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe

Lemon crinkle cookies Recipe are soft, chewy lemon cookies rolled in powdered sugar before baking. As they spread in the oven the sugar coating cracks into snowy white fissures over the yellow cookie underneath. They’re crisp at the edges, chewy in the middle and full of fresh lemon. About 40 minutes of active time.

These are my own cookies rather than a Gordon Ramsay recipe, but they use a trick of his for getting the most out of citrus: beat the zest into the butter and sugar, which releases the lemon oils into the whole dough.

Three things that make the crinkle

• A thick sugar coat. Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar. A thin dusting just melts into the dough and you get no contrast.
• A 30-minute chill. Cold dough spreads slowly, so the cookies stay thick and the cracks open wide.
• Pulling them early. Take them out when the centers still look slightly underdone. They finish setting on the tray. Overbaked crinkles turn dry and cakey.

Method

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon

Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the lemon zest and juice. Zest the lemon before you juice it; it’s much easier, and use only the yellow part, as the white pith is bitter.

Mix a soft dough

Beat in the egg and vanilla, then fold in the flour, baking powder and salt just until combined. The dough will be soft, sticky and bright yellow. Don’t add extra flour, and don’t overmix, or the cookies turn tough.

Roll in powdered sugar

Roll tablespoon-sized balls, then roll each one through powdered sugar until thickly coated.

Chill, then bake

Space the balls 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes, until the tops have cracked and the edges are set but the centers still look soft.

Cool on the tray

Leave them on the hot sheet for 5 minutes so the centers finish setting, then move them to a rack. The tops crisp slightly while the middles stay chewy.

Finish with a light sifting of powdered sugar before serving.

Lemon juice and storage

Fresh lemons make all the difference. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but most of the flavor comes from the zest, so use as much fresh zest as you can.

The cookies keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container; a slice of bread in the tin keeps them extra soft. To freeze, roll the dough into balls without the sugar coating and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them for 15 minutes, roll them in fresh powdered sugar and bake as usual.

Cookie Recipes

Gordon Ramsay Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe

Soft, chewy lemon crinkle cookies with crackled powdered-sugar tops and a bright double-lemon flavor from fresh zest and juice. These sunshine-yellow cookies are crisp at the edges, tender in the middle, and ready in about 40 minutes — a simple, freezer-friendly cookie recipe.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Prep
20 minutes

Cook
12 minutes

Total
1 hour 2 minutes

Serves
24 cookies

🖨 Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 large egg, room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, for rolling

Instructions

01

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat 30 seconds more — the zest releases its oils into the butter, which is where most of the lemon flavor lives.

02

Mix the dough

Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold into the wet mixture until just combined. The dough will be soft, sticky and bright yellow — do not overmix or the cookies will turn tough.

03

Roll in powdered sugar

Scoop tablespoon-sized portions (about 1 inch) and roll between your palms into smooth balls. Roll each ball generously through the powdered sugar until thickly coated — the white coating is what creates the signature crackle contrast in the oven.

04

Chill, then bake

Arrange the coated balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes (this firms the dough so the cookies bake up thick instead of spreading flat). Bake in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 10–12 minutes, until the tops have cracked and the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly soft.

05

Cool on the tray

Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes — they finish setting from residual heat — then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The crackled tops will crisp slightly while the centers stay chewy.

06

Stack and serve

Pile the cookies onto a plate and give them one final light dusting of powdered sugar. Serve with tea or coffee; store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Chef Tips

• Do not skip the chill: warm dough spreads into thin, pale cookies, while chilled dough bakes up thick with deep, high-contrast cracks.
• Zest the lemons before juicing them, and zest only the yellow part — the white pith underneath is bitter.
• Pull the cookies when the centers look a touch underdone. They set on the tray and stay soft; overbaked crinkles turn dry.
• Freeze the dough balls (uncoated) up to 3 months. Thaw 15 minutes, roll in fresh powdered sugar, and bake as directed.

For a no-bake lemon dessert, try my Gordon Ramsay Lemon Icebox Cake, or the Easy Lemon Cake. More cookies: the Coconut Cherry Cookies and the Biscoff Cookie Butter Stuffed Cookies.