Lemon Blueberry Cookies are so soft and chewy! This recipe is sweet, tart and tangy and bursting with blueberries. They are the perfect cookie for warm weather or for when you are dreaming of warm weather. They are fun and unique and great for entertaining!
These are most popular during the summer, but are the perfect way to add sunshine in the depths of winter. Better than Starbucks, they are lemon and blueberry together in cookie form are just little bites of summertime.
This was inspired by my Lemon Cookies and Strawberry Lemon Cookies. It would go great at a summer gathering paired with our Creamy Lemonade and Blackberry Tart.
For another blueberry treat, try our chocolate covered blueberries.
Jump to:
What I Love About This Recipe
I love how lemon-y these cookies are. Tart desserts are so yummy and they are a little tart and tangy and full of yummy blueberries. I actually really love making these in the wintertime on dark and dreary days to add a little sunshine and warmth to my life. This recipe is really easy to make and so straightforward. I love how my kids can make it by themselves or with me.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy - these cookies are a simple cookie and come together so quickly and easily.
- Kid Friendly - these are kid friendly in all the best ways- kids love to eat them and either make them with some supervision or help make them. They are a great recipe for kids to learn to make cookies on.
- Great For Entertaining or Gifting - Need a treat for a work party? A gift for a neighbor? Are you hosting a get together? Look no further, these cookies are always a hit!
Ingredients
- butter - I used regular salted butter
- sugar - granulated white sugar only for this recipe to highlight the lemon and blueberry flavors
- lemon zest - from fresh lemons. I use a microplane to get the most zest quickly
- lemon juice - fresh is best, but you can use bottled if you need a little more or are in a pinch
- vanilla - we always recommend pure vanilla, but this is a recipe where the vanilla flavor isn't highlighted and imitation vanilla would work fine
- flour - regular all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached
- baking soda - helps the cookies rise and spread
- baking powder - helps the cookies rise and not spread too much since they have a more wet dough
- salt - regular table salt
- blueberries - we used fresh but you could absolutely use freeze dried for this recipe
- white chocolate chips - these were delicious without the white chips, but 5 out of 6 taste testers preferred the cookies with white chips
*You'll notice this recipe doesn't call for lemon extract, as I don't prefer the slightly fake taste it gives. I tested and tested and tried again to get the perfect lemon cookie full of that tart lemon flavor without having to use lemon extract. You'll find this cookie is full of lemon flavor!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Zest and juice the lemons. I highly recommend using a microplane to zest the lemon fo the best results. Chop white chocolate, if applicable.
2. Use your fingers to mix together the lemon zest and sugar together. This helps the lemon flavor really pop!
3. Beat the butter and lemon sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, eggs and vanilla and beat an additional minute until well combined.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low only until just combined. It's okay if there is still a small amount of flour not mixed in. Add the blueberries and the white chips and stir in by hand with a spatula until combined. You can use an electric mixer, but many of the blueberries will burst.
5. Place cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dough balls should be about 1.5 Tablespoons. Bake for 10 minutes, only until the tops are matte and the edges are set. Don't wait for the lemon blueberry cookies to turn golden or they will be dry and crumbly. You can make bigger or smaller, but adjust the baking times!
Hint: After adding the blueberries, don't use a hand mixer or the blueberries will burst!
Substitutions
- Frozen blueberries - you can use frozen blueberries 1:1 instead of fresh, but it will turn your cookies purple.
- Dried blueberries - you can use dried blueberries 1:1 instead of fresh, but the flavor isn't the same, so they will be different.
- Freeze dried blueberries - you can use freeze dried blueberries 1:1 and achieve a similar result to the fresh blueberries. Texture isn't guaranteed 😉
- Blueberry tidbits - blueberry tidbits are what they use in store bough muffin mixes and will be sweeter and perhaps without any real blueberries in them, but can be used at 1:1.
- Plant based butter - this recipe will work with a plant based butter butter substitute
- Imitation vanilla - we love and prefer pure vanilla, but in this recipe the vanilla not a highlighted flavor and is only used as a flavor enhancer of the other ingredients, so imitation will work fine in this recipe
Variations
- Key Lime - if you prefer a blueberry lime, we do not recommend using regular limes, the flavor is just not very good in these cookies. However, key lime juice is okay (but we prefer lemon).
- Raspberry - if you like lemon raspberry, you can absolutely use raspberries in this cookie. We highly recommend using freeze dried at a 1:1 substitution. We do not recommend using fresh or frozen raspberries in this recipe
- Blackberry - feel free to make these Lemon Blackberry for a fun twist! Use fresh, frozen or freeze dried blackberries at a 1:1 substitution. Yum!
Try our yummy Strawberry Lemon Cookies!
Tips and Tricks
- Carefully measure your ingredients for the best results. When measuring the flour, fluff it up before scooping, then carefully level off the top.
- Use fresh lemons! For that punch of lemon flavor and that fresh lemony taste, use lemons and not bottled lemon juice. If you find that you need a little extra lemon juice to make the ½ cup, it's okay to add a little lemon juice concentrate in.
- Don't over mix the dough! Follow the directions for mixing carefully and be careful not to over mix once the dry ingredients are added in. Over mixing will make the cookies tough and crumbly instead of soft and chewy.
- Don't over bake - if your cookies are dry and/ or crumbly or crisp, they are likely over baked. These cookies are done as soon as the tops are set and the edges are matte. Don't wait for the edges to turn golden.
Equipment
- microplane - I highly recommend using a microplane for zest the lemons. It goes much faster and does a much better job.
- lemon juicer - after juicing lemons by hand with a spoon for years, I didn't think I needed a juicer. Then I got one at a favorite things party and my life changed! I highly recommend this one.
- hand mixer or stand mixer - to do a good job creaming the butter and sugar, it really is so much easier with some sort of electric mixer.
Storage
Store at room temperature for 3 days. If you live in a dry climate, store them in a container that isn't quite air tight. The blueberries can make them mushy. If you live in a humid climate, cover them with a tea or other towel. These lemon blueberry cookies are super soft and don't dry out easily.
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. These freeze great and are super soft when thawed.
Top tip
Mixing the lemon zest in with the sugar really helps bring out that delicious lemon flavor. The easiest way to do this is to massage the lemon zest into the sugar, but you can also use a food processor.
FAQ
Make a delicious lemon cookie dough that makes soft, chewy and flavorful cookies. Then stir in blueberries and white chips and bake to absolute perfection.
You can, but I promise you the flavor is so much better when you use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice concentrate will work in a pinch though.
We have found that frozen blueberries work fine, but will turn your dough purple. Freeze dried work great, dried work but have a different flavor and blueberry tidbits work great but might not have any real blueberries in them and are just flavored.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve them with:
Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- zest from 2 lemons
- ⅔ cup butter softened, I used salted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, about 3 lemons worth
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups blueberries
- ¾ cup white chocolate chunks chopped (regular white chips also work)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Zest and juice lemons.
- In the bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, place the sugar and lemon zest and massage together with your fingers. Add the softened butter and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and beat one more minute, until well mixed.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix only until just barely combined. Add the blueberries and chopped white chocolate and mix by hand with a spatula until combined. If you use an electric mixer, the blueberries will burst.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until the edges are set and the tops have turned matte. Allow to cool on the pan and finish baking for 5-10 minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store at room temperature for 2-3 days. These cookies are very soft and the blueberries can make them mushy, so storing in an airtight container is not recommended. If you live in a dry climate, store in a closed but not air tight container. If you live in humidity, simply cover with a towel on the counter (I like to place mine on a tea towel, then drape another tea towel over the top.
- These freeze great! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Eat partially frozen (yum!) or allow to come to room temperature in the open air so they don't get mushy.
- You can use frozen blueberries, but they will likely turn your cookies purple.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Nicole
These Lemon Blueberry Cookies are so yummy. We loved how tart and tangy and chewy they were and the burst of blueberries. So good. We shared some with friends and they said they tasted like lemon blueberry muffin tops and I agree!