These soft, chewy lemon blueberry cookies are made in one bowl and don’t require chilling. They bake up like muffin tops—thick, tender centers with slightly crisp edges—bursting with fresh lemon and juicy blueberries.
Bright lemon flavor comes from lemon zest, lemon juice and a touch of lemon extract. Fresh blueberries are folded into the dough, then each cookie ball is rolled in granulated sugar before baking for a crunchy, slightly sparkling exterior and a soft, chewy interior.
If you prefer a similar twist, you can swap the blueberries for raspberries to make lemon raspberry cookies.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Made in one bowl using a stand mixer or handheld mixer—minimal cleanup.
- No chilling required, so you can enjoy cookies in under 40 minutes.
- Pronounced lemon flavor from zest, juice and optional lemon extract.
- Each cookie is rolled in sugar before baking for a crisp outside and a soft center.
- Extra thick, large cookies—this batch yields eight generous cookies.
Ingredients Needed for Lemon Blueberry Cookies
Flour: all-purpose flour (tested).
Unsalted butter: room temperature; European-style butter is recommended for richer flavor.
Blueberries: fresh are preferred; frozen can be used but may color the dough slightly.
Lemon extract: optional for extra lemon aroma; the cookies are still lovely without it.
Lemon: use an unwaxed lemon for zest and fresh juice. Avoid the white pith when zesting to prevent bitterness.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub lemon zest into the sugar with a whisk or your fingertips until the sugar lightens in color to release the lemon oils. A food processor can speed this up.
Step 2: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat room-temperature butter with the lemon-scented sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract (if using) and beat until combined.
Step 4: On low speed, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Fold in about half of the blueberries with a rubber spatula.
Step 5: Scoop roughly 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie (a large cookie scoop works well). Press a few extra blueberries on top of each dough ball, then roll each ball in granulated sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between cookies.
Step 6: Bake 14–16 minutes, until the edges are set and pale golden while the centers remain slightly soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet; they will finish setting as they cool. For extra brightness, grate a bit of lemon zest over the cookies while they cool.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Weigh ingredients: A kitchen scale gives the most consistent results—especially for flour.
- Stir gently: Fold blueberries in carefully to avoid crushing them and staining the dough.
- Room temperature: Bring eggs and butter to room temperature so the butter creams properly with sugar.
- Lemon-scented sugar: Rubbing zest into the sugar releases oils and concentrates lemon flavor.
- Shape while warm: For bakery-style rounds, use a biscuit cutter or glass to gently nudge warm cookies into a neat circle right after they come from the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Fresh blueberries give the best texture and appearance, but frozen blueberries can be used. Stir them in gently; they may release some color into the dough.
Fresh lemon juice is recommended because lemon is the primary flavor. Bottled juice won’t give the same bright freshness.
Yes—use a medium scoop or 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and reduce baking time by a few minutes, watching for set edges.
Try these blueberry recipes next!
-
Strawberry Blueberry Pie
-
Blueberry Almond Lemon Cake
-
Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
-
Blueberry Filled Cake with Lemon Buttercream
Made This Recipe?
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Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Cookies
Ella Gilbert
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup (111 g) fresh blueberries
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rub lemon zest into the sugar until the sugar lightens in color to extract the oils.
- Beat the room-temperature butter and lemon-scented sugar until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, lemon extract (if using) and lemon juice; beat until combined.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt on low speed until just combined.
- Fold in ½ cup of the blueberries gently with a rubber spatula.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, press a few extra blueberries on top, then roll each ball in the remaining granulated sugar. Place on the prepared sheet with space between cookies.
- Bake 14–16 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before serving.
Notes
These recipes are developed and tested using metric weights. Using a kitchen scale will give the most reliable results. Cup conversions are provided but may yield different results.
Butter: European-style butter (higher fat) gives a richer, creamier texture.
Salt: If using fine salt instead of kosher, halve the amount. Measurements assume Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Blueberries: Wild or smaller fresh blueberries are ideal. Frozen berries may bleed into the dough.
Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze unbaked dough balls for up to two months; bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Nutritional Information (per cookie)
Carbohydrates: 57 g • Protein: 4 g • Fat: 13 g
Nutritional values are estimates and not guaranteed.