Lemon Cooler Cookies
Lemon Cooler Cookies are sweet, buttery treats that are bursting with bright lemon flavor and the perfect way to add sunshine to any day!
Why We Love Lemon Cooler Cookies
- Sunshine Lemon Cooler Cookies are sweet with an irresistible lemon tartness, and each bite tastes like summer!
- This recipe for lemon cooler cookies is simple, and you probably have most of the ingredients already, so pick up a lemon and lemonade mix and you’re on your way to enjoying these cookies!
- Lemon cooler cookies have a crunchy shortbread texture, and each bite has a lemon punch, all while melting in your mouth. They’re seriously so hard to stop eating!
- This lemon cooler cookie recipe is great for snacks or pool parties, and they can even be frozen so that you can bite into sunshine in the middle of winter!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Lemon Cooler Cookies
WET INGREDIENTS: To make these cookies, you will need room temperature salted butter and an egg yolk. If you have unsalted butter on hand, you can also use that plus 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Set out all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and Kool-Aid lemonade mix for these cookies. You don’t want to substitute presweetened lemonade mix for the Kool-Aid (like Country Time lemonade) since you’re already using powdered sugar for the coating.
PRODUCE: Pick up a lemon to juice and zest so you can pack as much lemon brightness into these cookies as possible!
How to Make Lemon Cooler Cookies
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Using a stand mixer or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant, for about 1 minute. Add the butter and beat again for 1-2 minutes until it becomes pale and fluffy. Then add the egg yolk and mix it into the butter.
STEP 2 Stir the flour and cornstarch together in a medium mixing bowl. Then add the flour to the butter mixture and mix until a crumbly dough comes together. Add the lemon juice to the bowl and beat on low until a firm dough forms.
STEP 3 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough. Divide each scoop in half and roll the halves into balls. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
STEP 4 Use the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten the cookie dough balls slightly. Then cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes to chill the dough.
STEP 5 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Take the cookies out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden. While the cookies are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar and Kool-Aid lemonade mix.
STEP 6 Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Then dip the cookies into the lemonade sugar mixture until completely coated. Place the cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cookies are at room temperature, coat them in the lemonade sugar one more time before eating.
Tips & Tricks
- If you need to, you can replace the fresh lemon juice with bottled lemon juice. You can also skip the lemon zest if you don’t have a lemon, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract.
- Other citrus flavors are wonderful in these cookies as well! Pick up an orange or lime to zest and juice, and use the same amount to flavor the cookies.
- If you prefer not to use any citrus, you can substitute the juice with the same amount of water or milk, and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavor.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3-4 days or up to 1 week in the fridge. You can also freeze these cookies for up to 3 months. The cookies may lose their sugar coating, so be sure to re-coat them after thawing.
Lemon Cooler Cookie Recipe FAQ
Are Sunshine Lemon Coolers discontinued?
A long time ago, a company called Sunshine Biscuits created beloved Sunshine Lemon Coolers, but sadly, teens in the 1990s were the last generation to enjoy them. Keebler bought the company and stopped making the cookies after 1996. Thankfully, there are delicious copycat recipes like this one to keep these amazing cookies alive and available for everyone to enjoy!
What cookies did sunshine make?
The Sunshine company made many popular cookies and snacks, such as Vienna Fingers, Chip-a-Roos, and Chocolate Nugget Cookies. Along with those cookies and Lemon Coolers, they manufactured Chocolate Fudge Cookies, Golden Raisin Biscuits, and Golden Fruit Biscuits as well. Sunshine was also the original home of everybody’s favorite Cheez-Its!
What were the lemon Girl Scout cookies?
The lemon cookies sold by Girl Scouts are the Lemonades. These lemony cookies are thin shortbread cookies that feature a lemon slice design stamped into the top of the cookies and lemon icing coating the bottom. There is also a crispy lemon cookie called the Lemon-Ups, which is not a shortbread cookie but does come stamped with inspirational messages.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Copycat Thin Mint Cookies
- Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cupcake Cookies
- Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Fritters
- Lemonade Pie
- Lemon Bundt Cake with Strawberry Frosting
Lemon Cooler Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)
- ½ cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Kool-Aid lemonade mix (about 1/2 packet)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in the egg yolk.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until it becomes a crumbly dough. Pour in the lemon juice and mix until a firm dough forms.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough and then divide each scoop in half. Roll each half into a dough ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Use the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten the cookie dough balls slightly. Then loosely cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes until firm.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the cookies from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden.
- While the cookies bake, whisk together the powdered sugar and Kool-Aid lemonade mix until evenly combined.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes. Then dip each cookie into the lemonade sugar until it's fully coated. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, coat them again in the lemonade sugar before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.