Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Christmas Cookie baking season is upon us, and I am starting out with my newest cookie creation, Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies. They are lemony, sweet and chewy. A perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray or exchange this year.
Crinkle cookies are popular cookie during the holidays, most often seen in chocolate form. I have made chocolate crinkle cookies before, this time I decided to switch it up with using Meyer lemons. Partly because my Meyer lemon tree is bursting this year, partly because I love lemon desserts.
I also love adding in ginger and cardamom with lemon desserts, and it is an especially amazing combination with these lemon crinkle cookies. The flavors really complement each other well.
Our Meyer lemon tree easily has 150 lemons on it, and they are huge too, way bigger than the ones I normally get in grocery stores. Two of my lemons yield 1 cup of juice. That is an insane amount of juice for two lemons.
Gardening in Las Vegas is interesting to say the least. We have had our little backyard garden growing for a few years now and it has been a lot of trial and error. The extreme temps here make it very tricky to plant certain fruits and vegetables so they grow in the correct season. One can end up with a lot of produce going straight to compost because they end up rotting faster than one can harvest.
My meyer lemon tree grows just outside my kitchen window and is supposed to be a dwarf tree. I wasn't sure if that meant the tree didn't grow tall or if they were smaller than normal lemons.
I am thinking neither since the tree is almost 6 feet tall and the lemons are huge. (edited in fall 2021 - the tree is now almost 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide).
What ingredients are in meyer lemon crinkle cookies?
- Flour - all purpose flour is used for these
- Sugar - the cookie batter has granulated white sugar, the cookies are rolled in both granulated and powdered sugar before baking
- Butter - unsalted and at room temperature. Standard for most cookie recipes.
- Meyer lemon zest - I have a trick of rubbing the zest with the sugar to bring out even more lemon flavor
- Meyer lemon juice - just a little bit. If you can't find Meyer lemons, regular lemons are fine
- Eggs - large and room temperature. I consider room temperature to be around 65 Deg F.
- Spices - ginger and cardamom
- Salt - I always use Diamond Kosher salt
How do you make lemon crinkle cookies?
- First make the lemon crinkle cookie dough. I make mine in a stand mixer, you could use a large bowl and a hand mixer
- Make sure the ingredients are all weighed out, specific items at room temperature such as eggs and butter.
- Chill the dough after it is made.
- Set out your sugars to roll the cookies in before baking.
- Use a cookie scoop to make sure they are uniform in size.
- Bake for the stated time in the recipe, as well as follow the cooling instructions.
- eat!
Tips for making amazing Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies:
- Use as fresh lemons that you can find. Firmer lemons are easier to zest.
- Roll the cookies in both granulated and powdered sugar. This gives them a little crunch as well as help the powdered sugar stick better during baking.
- You can omit the spices if you want but they really complement the lemons so well and make these stand out from all other lemon crinkle cookies.
- These cookies freeze well kept in an airtight container or bag.
One of my secrets to extra lemony flavor in baked goods is to rub the sugar with the zest with my fingers really well before adding into the dough or batter.
It releases more of the lemon oil into the sugar and makes the lemon scent even stronger. Sugary zest with the lemon juice makes for a delicious and brighter version of these crinkle cookies.
You can use regular lemons if you can't find Meyers. I just prefer Meyer lemons because I can walk outside my house to pick them from my yard.
Other Meyer lemon recipes you might enjoy:
Jumbo Bakery Style Meyer Lemon Crumb Muffins
One Bowl Ricotta Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake
Here is the recipe for my ginger cardamom Meyer lemon crinkle cookies. Like I said above if you don't have or can't find Meyer lemons use regular lemons in place. They will still be just as yummy!
Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Sweet and tangy lemon crinkle cookies with hints of ginger and cardamom. Makes 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (278 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (140 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- Natural yellow food coloring - OPTIONAL
For rolling pre-baking:
- 1 cup granulated Sugar( 200 grams ) ( could also use yellow sanding sugar for half the granulated if you like)
- 1 cup powdered ( confectioners sugar) (120 grams)
Instructions
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, cardamom, baking powder and salt
In a separate bowl combine the granulated sugar with the lemon zest and rub between fingers until the zest is fully mixed with the sugar. This releases more lemon oil into the sugar for a stronger lemon flavor and color
Cream butter and sugar mixed with lemon zest in a stand mixer on medium speed, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, until soft and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each, scrape down sides of bowl after mixing in each egg. Add in the vanilla extract and lemon juice and mix again. Add in the optional yellow food coloring now if you want a much more yellow cookie. Depending on the lemons you use the color of the cookies will range from pale yellow to a brighter yellow.
Add in the flour mixture and mix slowly until combined. Do not over mix
Chill dough 3-4 hours
Preheat oven to 350º F and line baking sheets with parchment paper
Place granulated sugar in one bowl, powdered ( confectioners sugar in a separate bowl)
Take chilled dough and roll into 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls. Roll in granulated sugar, then in the powdered sugar making sure they are completely covered.
Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until starting to turn slightly golden. Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
Notes
Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, frozen for a few months.
MC says
I have a bunch of lemons this year too, so I might try this! We have a dwarf lemon tree and it's definitely small since it's been growing 20+ years. Last year we barely got any lemons but this year we have at least 20. Woo hoo! LOL, I WISH I had more like you! 🙂
Shanna says
Let me know if you try the recipe. Our first year growing the meyer lemon tree we only got one lemon. Then about 50 the next year and this year we have so so many. I have been giving them away to friends and neighbors.
MC says
I made these right before Christmas. They are really delicious and my husband keeps wanting me to make more! In my oven, they took about 15 minutes to bake though. When I checked them after 9 minutes, they were still raw in the middle. I hadn't made rolled cookies in quite a while and realized that you really have to coat them in powdered sugar if you want them to look like your photo. They still taste great with minimal powdered sugar anyway.
Shanna says
Yes you really have to cover them in the powdered sugar.I made 4 batches and they all came out looking differently. And bake times do vary a little depending on ovens. My ovens run hot so they don't take as long to bake. So glad you like them!
Andrea says
Three of my favorite ingredients in one cookie. Ginger Cardamom and Lemon. Genius.
What do you think about eliminating the powdered sugar and just rolled them in plain white sugar. Do I need the powdered sugar? Thanks, looks like an incredibly delicious cookie
Shanna says
The powdered sugar gives it the crinkle look and adds to the flavor. Rolling in plain sugar would just make them more like a sugar cookie. Try it and let me know!
Kauthar says
Hello Shanna! I was searching for a crinkle cookies and came across your page and love the idea of your version. However, I noticed that the recipe isn't on the page anymore. Is there any way you can help out with that, pls? Thank you.
Shanna says
Hi. I added the recipe back in. I don't know why it disappeared! I have been having issues with my recipe plug-in and have been slowly going through every post and updating them all and making sure all the recipes are formatted properly. SO sorry about that but it is back up. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!
Kit says
I just made these. They look so pretty, smell so good and taste amazing. So, so lemony. A perfect tart/sweet.
Shanna says
THANKS MOM ha ha
Emily says
I visited family in California and brough home Meyer lemons as my souvenir. Was thrilled to find this recipe that also incorporates ginger and cardamom. I made these for clients this holiday season, and they were eaten with much delight. So glad a search for Meyer lemon recipes led me to discover your blog.
Shanna says
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I love hearing from readers that they loved these cookies. I love my meyer lemon tree and have plans for many more recipes with them.
ALICE says
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Shanna says
4 dozen. It's in the upper left corner of the recipe card but in really light colored font. I am going to talk to my recipe card designer to see if I can move the recipe yield to a different spot with darker font. I hate that this is so hard to see.
SB says
This is hands down the best cookie I’ve baked this year! I usually stay away from lemon just because it’s usually so in your face strong, but these are so soft and just delightful. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Shanna says
Thank you so much!
Lori Jackson says
Holy cow, girl! These cookies are delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Shanna says
Awesome!! So glad you love these!
Angie says
Can I leave these in the fridge overnight
Shanna says
They would be better in the freezer
Vicki Hodgman says
Dwarf trees produce the same size fruit on a smaller root stalk. A full size (domestic) lemon tree can reach 20 feet and your dwarf would be a bit smaller if grown in a container.
My neighbor here in Northern California has two prolific Meyers, and I trade her for my more sour and common Lisbon lemons, Valencia oranges, and Bears lime.
I have been looking for "Meyer Lemon" recipes and yours really hit the spot. Thank you!
Shanna says
I have a neighbor that has a much bigger Meyer lemon tree and they grow smaller lemons. Mine has gotten pretty big but still only half the size of my neighbors and some of my lemons are almost grapefruit size. They are huge!
Alifiya Jagmag says
Any suggestions on how to make this eggless? I would love to try these.
Shanna says
I personally haven't made these without egg. Here is a list of egg subs. Please let me know what you use and if it works - https://www.thekitchn.com/best-egg-substitutes-baking-23003895
A few of the vegan crinkle cookie recipes I looked up either use oil or a flax mixture for an egg replacement. I hope they work for you!
Bijou says
I think that to make 4 doz the measure per cookie should be 1.5 tsp, not 1.5 tbsp?
I weighed all ingredients and followed recipe exactly. Though I added some time to get them to be more "done".
They look nice and just like photo, but didn't spread quite as far as those appear to have in photo. And they are soft...a mention of what texture is after cooling would be appreciated. Thank you.
Shanna says
They are a softer cookie like you said
Bijou says
Oh and, 1 c each of the sugars for rolling is way more than needed at 1.5 tbsp size. Half cup each left over. Perhaps it is more used up at 1.5 tsp?
Shanna says
I use more since it tends to get a little clumpy with the cookie dough - but you can start with less and always make more if needed.