Lemon Cookies Using Cake Mix
Irresistibly soft, perfectly chewy, and bursting with plenty of bold lemony sunshine, these Lemon Cookies are what happen when a box of cake mix meets a citrusy glow-up. Bright, buttery, and rolled in a snowy coat of powdered sugar, these crinkle cookies are a bakery treat made shockingly easy. Just one bowl and 8 simple ingredients are all that stand between you and this zippy, pillowy, crave-able cookie recipe!
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer
- 1 Cookie Sheet - or baking sheet
- 2 Shallow Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) Box Lemon Cake Mix - (SEE NOTES)
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter – softened to room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 (8 ounce) brick Cream Cheese – softened to room temperature
- 1 large Egg – at room temperature
- 2 TBS Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Freshly Grated Lemon Zest
- ½ tsp EACH: Vanilla Extract & Lemon Extract
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar - DIVIDED
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- Make Lemon Cookie Dough: In a large bowl or a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it's soft and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the softened cream cheese and continue to beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the egg, lemon juice, fresh lemon zest, and both extracts. Beat well until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Sift the cake mix into the bowl. Beat on low or stir until just combined. (Note: Don’t beat too much or your cookie dough will become tough. The dough should be sticky.)
- Chill: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 1 ½ hours or up to overnight, or in the freezer for 45 minutes. (Note: You want the dough to be completely chilled and cold to the touch - this is imperative for the "crinkle effect".)
- Preheat Oven: Arrange the oven rack to the center position. Then close the oven door and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside. Pour ¾ cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl and pour the granulated sugar onto a plate.
- Portion Cookie Dough and Roll Dough into Balls: Use your hands, or a cookie scoop, to portion and roll the dough into 1-inch balls (roughly 1 ½ tablespoon each).
- Coat Cookie Dough Balls in Sugars: Place each ball into the granulated sugar and roll to very lightly coat. Next, transfer the sugared cookie ball to the powdered sugar and roll it around so that it’s HEAVILY coated in the confectioners sugar; this is what gives the cookies their cracked appearance. Then, arrange the cookie balls 2-inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. (SEE NOTES)
- Bake Lemon Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, or until just barely browned on the bottom only (they should be overall pale in color and they will look soft in the middle). Remove from oven, place onto a wire rack, and let the cookies cool on the pan for 8 minutes. Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Serve Lemon Cake Mix Cookies: Dust the tops of cookies with remaining powdered sugar or dip the tops of the cookies gently in powdered sugar for a snow-capped cookie effect. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cake mix: Use a moist-style cake mix for best results. Make sure you SIFT the cake mix into the bowl. Sifting the cake mix will result in cookies that taste more homemade.
- Chilling dough: Chilling the dough makes it much easier to work with! Plus, it prevents the cookies from flattening out too much! And, if you want the classic crinkle appearance, the dough must be cold before baking! If you are in a hurry, split the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chilling the dough in smaller portions will help the process go faster!
- Rolling dough: Cookie dough will be sticky. To prevent it from sticking, coat your hands lightly with powdered sugar.
- Portioning dough: You should be able to fit 12 cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet. I do not recommend baking more than one sheet at a time. The dough needs to be cold when it goes into the oven in order to crack. I recommend portioning half the dough, rolling it in sugar and then baking. You can portion out the remaining dough while the first batch bakes, but do NOT roll it in powdered sugar until ready to bake. Store the portioned dough in the refrigerator.
- Baking: Do NOT overbake the cookies. The edges and tops should not be browned at all.
- Storage: Even though these cookies contain cream cheese, you do not need to refrigerate them! Store lemon cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will stay soft and fresh for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Allow baked cookies to cool completely on wire rack. Place cookies on a cool cookie sheet. Transfer them to the freezer and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, stack the cookies in a freezer-safe resealable bag or container. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, remove cookies from freezer at least 2 hours before enjoying.
- Glaze: Instead of rolling the cookies in powdered sugar before baking, you can finish them with a lemon glaze! In a medium bowl whisk ¾ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Either drizzle over baked and cooled cookies or dip cookie tops into the glaze. Allow glazed cookies to sit for an hour so glaze can harden.
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Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
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Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 24 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.
Nutrition
Calories: 147kcal Carbohydrates: 26g Protein: 1g Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 18mg Sodium: 161mg Potassium: 13mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 17g Vitamin A: 129IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 48mg Iron: 1mg