As I am writing this lemon blueberry cookie recipe I am also eating a lemon blueberry cookie and I am already down to 3! Someone should stop me. I am afraid I will eat the whole batch till I finish the post! Yep, that is how addictive those lemon blueberry cookies are!
It is the end of summer, indeed. But there are still some lovely blueberries at the farmer’s market so I decided to bake some lemon blueberry cookies. We are also lucky to live in a time where you can find fresh blueberries and lemons all year round so we can enjoy blueberry lemon cookies anytime we want.
Every time I bake cookies I am surprised how something so easy and simple to make turns out so delicious. And it just makes me want to bake more. I hope you feel the same after you try this lemon blueberry cookie recipe.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Lemon zest and lemon extract: We use both lemon zest and lemon extract without the lemon juice to avoid adding additional moisture to the cookies. Using the zest and extract provides a delightful lemon taste and smell.
- Chill or Not to Chill? That is the Question!: Your choice! These lemon blueberry cookies turn out perfectly delicious, with a chewy center and crispy edges even if you do not chill the dough at all. But if you would like an ever crispier, chewer, caramelized cookie feel free to chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Chilling is done so that the flour gets fully hydrated and helps to make the cookie dough firmer which prevents the cookies from spreading too much when cooking. However, I didn’t have a big issue with these cookies. They spread quite well!
- Use fresh blueberries! I believe using fresh blueberries is optimal. You just need to coat the blueberries with cornstarch so that they do not leak liquid into the batter. You also need to be extra careful when you mix them into the dough so that they do not get smashed. Lastly, don’t “over- blueberrize” ( that’s a word right? 😛 ) the cookies. Using 200 g of fresh blueberries is enough! Using more will make it much harder to mix them in and the risk of ending with soggy cookies increases. We do not want soggy cookies!
- Cream the sugar and butter! This will give you a superb cookie! Creaming butter and sugar together adds pockets of air that aerate the batter. This air puffs up the cookies as they bake, giving them a lighter and more appealing texture. The air is added by beating room-temperature butter with sugar at high speed. You will need a stand mixer for that ( using a hand mixer will take slightly longer). If you do not have any type of mixer just melt the butter in the microwave, then let it cool in the fridge for about 10 min. Then add the sugar and the rest of the wet ingredients, and mix well. Then add the dry ingredients and mix carefully and not too long. You just want to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ones. As soon as you stop seeing flour pieces stop mixing. Overmixing will give you cakey cookies because gluten will start to develop.
Ingredient Notes
For the full list of ingredients for this lemon blubbery recipe check the recipe card below.
- Sugar: I use equal amounts of brown and white sugar. Brown sugar works well for adding moisture to the cookies, whereas granulated sugar will create a more aerated crumb and crispier texture.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour which is great for cookies. It does not have a very high gluten content which is what we want since we do not want gluten development.
- Butter: I use 2 sticks of unsalted butter. I prefer the European kind. It has high fat content and it is delicious. The butter should be at room temperature for the creaming.
- Eggs: I use two whole eggs which also need to be at room temperature. If we add cold eggs to the creamed butter and sugar it will cause the butter to harden and we will have a hard time mixing the dry ingredients which will affect the structure of the cookies in the end.
- Aromas: Lemon extract, lemon zest, and vanilla extract! All that you need for a lemony vanilla taste! I use the zest from 2 lemons.
- Blueberries: Using fresh blueberries is perfect! They are coated in cornstarch and folded very gently into the dough so that they do not leak any juices but keep all of that deliciousness within. So that when you get a bite into the cookie with a blueberry inside you get a burst of blueberry freshness and deliciousness.
- Leaveners: I use 1 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda. If you end up with a chemical taste that means you have added too much baking soda.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how you can make this easy lemon blueberry cookie recipe.
Step 1
Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge for about an hour or two before you start making the cookies. We want them to be at room temperature for optimal results. If you are going to bake the cookies right away preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Place the room-temperature butter in a stand mixer bowl. Add the brown and white sugar. Using the paddle attachment turn the mixer on medium speed and mix for about 6-8 minutes while stopping the mixer a few times to scrape down the mixture from the walls. The mixture should look fluffy and airy.
Step 3
Add the eggs to the mixture and keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until the eggs are well incorporated. The mixture should still look fluffy and airy.
Step 4
In a bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix them for a few seconds with a whisk.
Step 5
Add the dry ingredients, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the butter-sugar mixture. Pulse the mixer a few times. Do not mix continuously because you can overmix the batter and we do not want that.
Step 6
Wash and dry the blueberries. Add the cornstarch to the blueberries and coat them with it. Be careful not to smash them.
Step 7
Add the blueberries to the batter and slowly and gently fold them in by hand with a spatula. Be careful not to smash them. Do not use the mixer.
Step 8
If you are going to chill the dough place it in an airtight container for 3 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. If you are going to bake the cookies right away take a baking tray with lined parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie dough. Place about 6 cookies per tray. Make sure to leave space between the cookies because they will expand. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes on the middle rack.
Step 9
Take the cookies out. Let them rest on the tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- For crispy edges and chew center lemon blueberry cookies let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- When adding the dry ingredients stir just so that they get incorporated. Do not overmix. Overmixing will develop gluten and you will end up with a cakey cookie.
- To get the best blueberry lemon cookies it is optimal to chill the dough. Chilling is done so that the flour gets fully hydrated. That helps to make the cookie dough firmer which prevents the cookies from spreading too much when cooking. Chilling also improves texture and flavor. However, these cookies are delicious without chilling too! Still, let me show you how different the cookies look when the dough is chilled and when it is not. You can see that the ones with the chilled dough are thicker:
- If you want to get a light cookie cream your butter and sugar for about 6-8 minutes.
- If the cookies do not end up having the same circular shape, you can use a biscuit cutter to “scoot” the cookies into a circular shape.
- Use a scale to weigh your ingredients. Using cups as a measurement tool will result in a lot of variation in the amount of ingredients you use. And you will not be able to get the optimal result. You can end up with dry or greasy cookies.
- On average it will take about 15 min to bake the cookies. However, every oven is different. Use your judgment. The cookies should be golden brown at their edges and slightly soft in the center.
FAQ
Too much flour was added. Make sure to use a scale to measure the ingredients.
Too much baking soda/powder was added. Make sure you use unsalted butter.
The ingredients were not mixed consecutively but rather dumped at once.
Not enough flour. Make sure you use a scale to weigh your ingredients.
You didn’t add enough flour or the cookies are underbaked.
You did not add enough sugar. Make sure you use a scale to weigh your ingredients.
They are probably underbaked.
Probably you overbaked the cookies.
Creaming butter and sugar together adds pockets of air that aerate the batter. This air puffs up the cookies as they bake, giving them a lighter and more appealing texture. The air is added by beating room-temperature butter with sugar at high speed.
Brown sugar works well for adding moisture to the cookies, whereas granulated sugar will create a more aerated crumb and crispier texture.
You just need to coat the blueberries with cornstarch so that they do not leak liquid into the batter. Furthermore, you also need to be extra careful when you mix them into the dough so that they do not get smashed.
You could. I prefer the texture and taste of the fresh blueberries. But if you do not have any around sub with frozen. Add them frozen to the dough and expect them to bleed into the dough. So you will end up with a bluish cookie.
Yes! You can freeze the dough for up to a month. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Storing
The lemon blueberry cookies have optimal texture and flavor on the first day you have baked them. You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Would You Like To Try Other Sweet Treats?
Here are some other sweet treats you can try:
- Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe: Indulge Your Sweet Tooth
- The Best And Easy Homemade Beignets Recipe
- Cinnamon Rolls with Salted Caramel Frosting
Have You Tried This Lemon Blueberry Cookie Recipe?
If you make this lemon blueberry cookies recipe be sure to rate it or/and leave a comment. I would love to hear from you! And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! I would love to see how your cookies turned out! Thank you so much!
Best Lemon Blueberry Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 food scale
- 1 2-oz ice cream scoop
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour 300 g
- 3/4 cup white sugar 150 g
- 3/4 cup brown sugar 150 g
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz fresh blueberries 200 g
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp corn starch for coating the blueberries
- 8 oz unsalted butter 225 g / 2 sticks
Instructions
- Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge for about an hour or two before you start making the cookies. We want them to be at room temperature for optimal results. If you are going to bake the cookies right away preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the room-temperature butter in a stand mixer bowl. Add the brown and white sugar. Using the paddle attachment turn the mixer on medium speed and mix for about 6-8 minutes while stopping the mixer a few times to scrape down the mixture from the walls. The mixture should look fluffy and airy.
- Add the eggs to the mixture and keep mixing for another 3-4 minutes until the eggs are well incorporated. The mixture should still look fluffy and airy.
- In a bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix them for a few seconds with a whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the butter-sugar mixture. Pulse the mixer a few times. Do not mix continuously because you can overmix the batter and we do not want that.
- Wash and dry the blueberries. Add the cornstarch to the blueberries and coat them with it. Be careful not to smash them.
- Add the blueberries to the batter and slowly and gently fold them in by hand with a spatula. Be careful not to smash them. Do not use the mixer.
- If you are going to chill the dough place it in an airtight container for 3 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. If you are going to bake the cookies right away take a baking tray with lined parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie dough. Place about 6 cookies per tray. Make sure to leave space between the cookies because they will expand. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes on the middle rack.
- Take the cookies out. Let them rest on the tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lemon zest and lemon extract: We use both lemon zest and lemon extract without the lemon juice to avoid adding additional moisture to the cookies. Using the zest and extract provides a delightful lemon taste and smell.
- Chill or Not to Chill? That is the Question!: Your choice! These lemon blueberry cookies turn out perfectly delicious, with a chewy center and crispy edges even if you do not chill the dough at all. But if you would like an ever crispier, chewer, caramelized cookie feel free to chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Chilling is done so that the flour gets fully hydrated and helps to make the cookie dough firmer which prevents the cookies from spreading too much when cooking. However, I didn’t have a big issue with these cookies. They spread quite well!
- Use fresh blueberries! I believe using fresh blueberries is optimal. You just need to coat the blueberries with cornstarch so that they do not leak liquid into the batter. You also need to be extra careful when you mix them into the dough so that they do not get smashed. Lastly, don’t “over- blueberrize” ( that’s a word right? 😛 ) the cookies. Using 200 g of fresh blueberries is enough! Using more will make it much harder to mix them in and the risk of ending with soggy cookies increases. We do not want soggy cookies!
- Cream the sugar and butter! This will give you a superb cookie! Creaming butter and sugar together adds pockets of air that aerate the batter. This air puffs up the cookies as they bake, giving them a lighter and more appealing texture. The air is added by beating room-temperature butter with sugar at high speed. You will need a stand mixer for that ( using a hand mixer will take slightly longer). If you do not have any type of mixer just melt the butter in the microwave, then let it cool in the fridge for about 10 min. Then add the sugar and the rest of the wet ingredients, and mix well. Then add the dry ingredients and mix carefully and not too long. You just want to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ones. As soon as you stop seeing flour pieces stop mixing. Overmixing will give you cakey cookies because gluten will start to develop.
