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These vanilla bean lemon sugar cookies are perfect for your cookie routine. They are packed full of vanilla bean paste and lots of lemon zest and rolled in sugar for a delicious sweet treat.
Are you a lover of all things vanilla bean and all things lemon?
Well, if you answered yes, you’re in luck! These vanilla bean lemon sugar cookies are the best thing you’ll ever make!
Packed full of lemon zest, lemon juice, and a tablespoon of rich and flavorful vanilla bean paste.
They pair perfectly with a mug of tea or a cup of coffee.
And they not only store well and stay moist for days, but they also freeze beautifully as well!
If you’re not a fan of lemon, you could easily substitute in some orange zest to create a great creamsicle-flavored cookie!
Craving more lemon desserts? Try my Lemon Curd Tarts, Lemon Curd Cupcakes, Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, or my Lemon Shortbread Cookies.
Ingredients for vanilla bean lemon sugar cookies
These cookies are the perfect balance of cozy vanilla and zingy lemon. These cookies are the perfect use for all that winter citrus!
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- lemon zest
- vanilla bean paste
- large egg
- lemon juice
Tips for making lemon vanilla bean sugar cookies
- I always like to use an electric stand mixer when I’m making cookies, but these can easily be done in a hand held mixer as well. I’m lazy and love how easy it is to turn it on and walk away.
- As always, I used my favorite ingredient – vanilla bean paste. Do you have to use it? No. Vanilla extract will work just as well, but vanilla bean paste gives you a big-time vanilla flavor.
- I also love to use my OXO cookie scoop when making these cookies because it ensures that each cookie will be the same size and cook at the same speed. Some people think cookies scoops are necessary, but I love them.
- Part of the baking process involves taking the cookies out of the oven, pressing them down, and baking some more. This helps the cookies get that crinkly-looking top and helps them bake evenly and perfectly. I like to use the bottom of a glass drinking glass for this step, but you could also use a measuring cup or small spatula.
Substituting citrus
Of course! Orange and vanilla bean is a great combination. It’s almost like a creamsicle in cookie form. Meyer lemon is also an awesome choice.
I would likely skip pairing vanilla bean and lime. I don’t find the combination super delicious.
Freezing lemon sugar cookies
Yes! In fact, I made a full batch and froze half to see how they would turn out.
I left them in the freezer for two months and let them defrost on the counter before I ate them. They were just as soft and delicious as the day I made them.
Just ensure you store your cookies well before you freeze them so they don’t get freezer-burnt. I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and put them inside a freezer-safe zip-top bag.
More cookie recipes
- Cinnamon Nut Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Lime Glazed Sugar Cookies
- Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Bean Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and kosher salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer add 1-1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste.
- Mix until creamed and the mixture looks light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times while mixing.
- Add in the egg and lemon juice, mix just until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator.
- Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare baking sheets with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough, roll in remaining 1/2 cup sugar and place on your prepared baking sheets. Leave 2 inches between cookies.
- Place into the oven for 6 minutes, remove, flatten cookies to 1/4 inch thick with the bottom of a glass and add back to the oven to bake for another 6 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am totally crushing on these cookies! So yummy!
These cookies are absolutely DELICIOUS!
a great cookie, and my downfall, u can see myself eating the whole batch, lemon vanilla are one of my favorite combos, thank you
I’ve never made cookies from scratch but you make it look easy! I love Lemon cookies and the vanilla Bean added is a plus!
These cookies are pretty and sound delicious!
Such a delicious recipe. I was looking up ways to use my vanilla bean pods and your recipe showed up. I was far along into making the cookies when I realized this recipe used vanilla bean paste. So I used 1 bean pod instead and it they came out delicious. Also had to put them in for one minute longer. Will be making this again. Thank you so much !