Lemondoodles – Brown butter lemon snickerdoodles are a lemony version of the classic snickerdoodle cookie.

Lemondoodles
Lemondoodles are soft and tender on the inside, and crisp and chewy on the outside. The flavors are warm and rich, with a fresh pop of lemon. Brown butter snickerdoodle cookie dough rolled in lemon sugar and baked until soft and chewy.

How to Make Lemondoodles
- Start by browning 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a light colored skillet. This allows you to see the color of the butter as it is browning and ensure the milk solids don’t start to burn. Once butter is a light golden brown color, add remaining butter to pan. This will help it cool more quickly.
- Let browned butter cool while assembling other ingredients.
- Make lemon sugar by mashing together lemon zest from two lemons and granulated sugar. Set lemon sugar aside for rolling before baking.
- To make the cookie dough, start by combining sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment to release the oils in the lemon zest. This is separate from the lemon sugar listed above.
- Add remaining dry ingredients followed by wet ingredients.
- Roll cookie dough into ball, then roll in lemon sugar. Flatten cookies slightly before baking.
- Bake until edges are a light golden brown.



This recipe was originally published December 2012 and updated May 2020. I was inspired to make these cookies by the comments on this Snickerdoodle recipe from The Kitchn. I just loved the reader’s suggestion for Lemondoodles!
More Cookie Recipes
- Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

- 2 sticks butter (16 tablespoons)
- 1 cup white sugar
- Zest of two lemons
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Additional for coating cookie dough:
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- Zest of two lemons
- Mash zest and sugar together with a fork to create lemon sugar.
-
Start by browning butter. Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a skillet over medium heat, stir continually until butter starts to foam and is light golden brown. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 stick of butter to pan and set aside to cool.
-
Line baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and lemon zest and mix on low speed until well combined.
-
Add brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix dry ingredients together on lowest speed just until combined.
-
Add cooled butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix again just until combined.
-
Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and form into a ball.
-
Roll balls in lemon sugar mixture to coat and place on cookie sheet. Flatten the cookie dough balls slightly by using the back of a measuring cup.
-
Bake for about 9 minutes and let cool.
-
They are best slightly underdone.
-
When they come out of the oven, the middle should fall in just a little and the cookie should crackle as it settles.
I used salted butter in this recipe.Â
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
Hi
your cookies look yummy.
For those who do not live in America, can you please tell us how much a stick of butter is?
Thank you and regards.
Niki
It’s 16 tablespoons, I updated it in the recipe too! Thank you! :0)
Thanks for sharing this- they sound delicious. And what a refreshing treat they would be instead of more chocolate.
Hmmm mmm – you make those look soooo good!
They look so good!
One cup is equivalent to 16 tablespoons. We don’t get our butter in sticks but it is my belief that one stick is 1/2 cup.
I am SO excited to try the lemon doodles! I LOVE lemon. I’m going to make them for Christmas dinner and add it to my cookie list for annual cookie making. Though I think they will be made much more often then just Christmas! YAY!!!
I LOVE making these delicious lemondoodles! They are so light and sweet and the whole family loves them!
I could eat lemon treats all day long and these cookies were no exception. They were perfectly soft and delicious!
These look great! I’d like some with a tall glass of iced tea!
Yum! So good! This flavor combo is amazing! Love the lemon!
Can’t wait to try these! They look amazing.
These are seriously the best little treat! LOVE the lemon flavor!
These are quite possibly my favourite cookies after chocolate chip cookies! Such intense flavours and a perfect texture. Thank you!
My favorite cookies ever!!! Make them all the time!