With three layers of lemon flavor, this lemon cooler cookie copycat recipe is even better than the original! The tangy essence of lemon provides a delightful contrast to the sweetness of the buttery shortbread style cookie. Coated in powdered lemonade and sugar, they are seriously addictive!
Sweet, Zesty and Buttery Lemon Cooler Cookies
Do you remember Lemon Cooler Cookies? They used to sell them in the cookie aisle at the grocery store, but somewhere along the way they stopped making them.
Lemon has always been a huge favorite of mine when it comes to desserts. I have yet to meet a lemon bar that I didn’t want to devour.
These cookies start with a soft shortbread type cookie that is flavored with lemon zest and juice. Then after baking, they are tossed in a powdered sugar and powdered lemonade (think Kool-Aid) mix. Sounds insane, but I swear it tastes exactly like those cookies you used to buy in the store!
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Ingredients Needed
Aside from the powdered lemonade, the rest of the ingredients are bakery stables you likely already have on hand! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Butter: Unsalted, softened to room temperature. If you use salted butter instead, skip adding the 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Sugar: You will need bowl powdered sugar and granulated sugar.
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon: You will use the zest and juice from a lemon.
- Powdered Lemonade: Like country time lemonade or koolaid lemonade.
How To Store
These cookies stay great for days! Here are your storage options:
- Store: Once the cookies are fully cooled, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.
- Freeze Cookies: I recommend wrapping each individual cookie with plastic wrap to ensure they do not get freezer burn. Then place the cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to six months. Be sure to defrost them fully at room temperature before biting into it!
- Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan until solid to the touch. Transfer dough to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Or bake from frozen, just add an extra 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
Lemon Cooler Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Coating
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon powdered lemonade
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Fold in flour mixture until well combined.
- Using 1 heaping tablespoon of dough, roll dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass (or your hand) into a disk.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Cookies will not be brown, however the centers will be puffy and will no longer look raw.
- While cookies are baking, combine powdered sugar and powdered lemonade in a gallon size ziplock bag. Set aside.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch. Transfer a few at a time and shake to coat in powdered sugar mixture. Serve immediately or store in airtight container for up to three days.
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Are these like the Charles Chips lemon cookies?
YES! Except Charles Chips lemon cookies had plain powdered sugar…that is how I make mine. 🙂
I have never tried a Charles Chips lemon cookie – so I sadly can’t tell you.
Ha ah. . . i love that comment about “crack cookies” i may have to steal it. but have you considered companies like Kudos Delivered to find somehting new and interssting? we used them for my wedding and found they do all sorts of little things like this at retial level. Can’t calim to have had any crakc like addictions to their output but their claim to be the “best caters” is not a million miles off base. good luck in your search.
Sunshine Bakery went out of business. Saddest day of my life! 🙁 I was a Lemon Cooler addict!! There is NO substitute, no other lemon cooler knockoff measures up! Girl Scouts were close but they stopped making those too grrr! There was also a Cherry Cooler which I liked but only found those once in a store. I make a killer Wedding cookie. My neighbor calls them “crack”cookies” because they are totally addictive. I’m going to do some lemon cookies and hopefully mine will at least compare to the original Lemon Coolers. Wish me luck!
Recipe please share ☺
These look like the perfect cookies for a picnic! Not that it’s picnic weather here in Denver, but–oh wait, yes it is! Denver weather is crazy like that!
Oh! I remember these cookies! My grandmother used to always have them at her house. Trying these this weekend. Will report back.
I am confused about the use of the lemon kool-aid. Why not just use powdered sugar?
You can definitely use just powdered sugar if you would prefer, however the original cookies had a delicious tart lemon-y flavor to them. It really sets these cookies apart from other cookies and is so easy and cheap to do with Kool-Aid!
I’m a chef and this is pretty much exactly how we used to make these. I used to work for a company called Jobs2go and they had a training base that was designed to get these kinds of snakes deserts taught as a specialty. Try them with Lime instead of lemon ! its got more of a kick.
That is so cool to hear that I am so close to how these used to be made! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Shortbread + Lemon? LOVE!
I love all the recipes you always do with Dixie Crystals. They are some of my favorites! Making the Bourbon Chicken from last month for dinner tonight!
These totally look like melt-in-your-mouth cookies!! So yummy!