Lemonade Cookies – Crumbl Copycat
Love lemonade? Bring on summer with these bakery-style Lemonade Cookies! Inspired by Crumbl’s Lemonade cookies, these soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies are topped with a smooth homemade lemonade buttercream that’s sweet and tart–just like your favorite refreshing lemonade!
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If you are digging this recipe, try my Banana Split Cookies and Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies next!
I love fresh lemon and citrus desserts in the summer and these cookies are no exception! Fresh lemon juice and zest give these cookies their vibrant flavor, and a bit of lemonade mix in the frosting adds some extra punch.
If you love lemon desserts, these are a must-bake!
Great Things About This Recipe
There’s a lot to love about these sunshiney cookies:
- They’re huge! Each cookie is a full 1/3 cup of dough—just like your favorite bakery-size cookies.
- Fresh and zesty. You’ll use both lemon juice and zest in the cookie dough and the frosting.
- Soft and chewy. Thanks to melted butter and a touch of cornstarch, the texture is soft and tender.
- That frosting! The buttercream is lemony, sweet, and swirled on thick.
- Freezer-friendly. You can make these ahead and frost when ready to serve. You can even freeze them frosted and ready-to-go if you want!
My Favorite Scoop for Crumbl-Size Cookies
To get the perfect-size cookie I use a 1/3 cup scoop from Vollrath (their scoops are color-coded for easy grabbing in a drawer!). It’s ideal for Crumbl copycat recipes, but you can also use a 1/3 cup measuring cup!
My Cookie Versus Crumbl’s Cookie
I think my cookie is a really close match for Crumbl’s! You get a ton of punchy lemon flavor and the cookies are soft and chewy–and gigantic of course!
I realized after taking these photos, I cut the lemons the wrong way! Oops. Cut your lemon into slices across the short way, not the long way, to get the Crumbl look!
It had been so long since I tasted this cookie, I couldn’t remember exactly the technique they used to frost it. You can tell the frosting is very light with a more yellow layered on top. I tried frosting mine this way too, but it’s a bit of a hassle for a minimal effect so I just went all yellow! You can play around with it if you want to try the two color gradient.
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Recipes by a Real Person in a Real Kitchen
In the age of AI-generated content, I like to share that I’ve created and tested my own recipes. My recipes have been hypothesized, baked, taste-tested, and refined by a real human (me!). I only publish recipes that I’ve baked, tasted, and think are awesome.
Ingredients in Lemonade Cookies
A few notes on some of the ingredients used in the cookies:
Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted American butter in my recipes. I shop at Costco the most frequently so I often go with their store-brand of butter for baking.
All-Purpose Flour – I use all-purpose flour in my baking. It’s very very important to measure your flour correctly. Never pack flour into a measuring cup. Use a scale for best results.
Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest – You’ll need 2 lemons to get the fresh juice and zest for this recipe. Add a third lemon if you want to garnish the cookies with lemon slices. Zest the lemons before juicing them–I always use my trusty Microplane for this task.
Lemonade Mix – In the frosting, I’ve used a little lemonade mix (Country Time Lemonade mix). If you don’t have it on hand, you can skip it. It adds a little extra punch, but the cookies will still be delicious without it. Don’t add extra lemon juice in place of it though or your frosting may curdle!
Yellow Food Coloring – completely optional, but use a drop of yellow food coloring for a brighter yellow if desired.
Substitutions – Can I Use Lemon Extract?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested the recipe with lemon extract, so I’m not sure exactly how much would be needed and I can’t advise on the final flavor.
So long as you can get ahold of a few fresh lemons, I promise the recipe is easy! Pick up a Microplane (it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools!) and you will love it for easily zesting citrus (limes, oranges, lemons).
How to Make Lemonade Frosted Cookies
Here’s a few tips on making this recipe. Find the complete ingredients list and full instructions within the printable recipe card below!
The recipe includes plenty of detail to successfully bake these cookies, so I’ll just include a quick note on how I frost these here.
To frost the cookies, I just use a 3-tablespoon scoop to portion out the frosting and then I smooth it with a spatula. Easy!
How to Store or Make Ahead
Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Allow cookies to sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before serving for best texture!
How to Freeze
Flash freeze the decorated cookies by freezing in a single layer (such as on cookie sheets). Once frozen solid, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap, package in freezer bags or containers and store in the freezer for 1-2 months.
How to Store Leftover Frosting
Freeze frosting leftovers for up to 1-2 months. Thaw in the fridge, then allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or until softened) and then whip to re-aerate it before using it.
More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love
Don’t miss trying my Brownie Sundae Cookies, Banana Split Cookies, Buckeye Brownie Cookies, and more!
If you loved this recipe, leave a quick comment and a 5-star rating!
Thanks so much for trying one of my recipes!
Crumbl Lemonade Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 5.25 ounces
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons 8.1 ounces
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemonade Buttercream
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar 10 ounces
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 2 teaspoons Country Time Lemonade mix (optional, see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Optional: yellow food coloring
- optional lemon slices for decorating
Instructions
Lemon Cookies
- Add melted-and-cooled butter to a large bowl. Add sugar and whisk until totally combined. It should be thick and shiny. Whisk in egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until combined and smooth, about 60 seconds.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt into the bowl with the other ingredients and use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Dough will be soft.
- Chill dough for 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Divide dough into 6 large 1/3 cup cookies (use a scoop or a measuring cup). Shape each cookie into a disk about 2.5” in diameter and 7/8” tall.
- Space cookies 3” apart and bake at 350℉ for 15-16 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden on edges. Don't overbake.
- Allow to cool completely before decorating.
Lemonade Frosting
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer with the beater attachments to beat the softened butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth.
- Turn mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter. Beat in each addition until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk (or cream), lemonade mix, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest until the lemonade mix is totally dissolved. Don't add these in without dissolving the lemonade mix, otherwise it will be grainy in the finished frosting.
- Add this mixture to the buttercream and beat to combine. Optional: add a tiny bit of yellow food coloring for a brighter color.
- Use 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk (adding just a little at a time) to adjust the consistency of the buttercream.
- Once the frosting is smooth, bring the mixer up to medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
- Frost each cooled cookie with a very thick (think Crumbl!) layer of frosting. I use a 3-tablespoon scoop to portion out the frosting and then I smooth it with a spatula. Top with a fresh lemon slice and enjoy!
