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Lemon Pudding Cookies are soft and chewy with tons of lemon flavor thanks to using lemon pudding mix. The pudding mix also keeps the cookies soft for days – these are the perfect cookie with a citrus burst in every bite.
Soft Lemon Cookies Recipe
These cookies are super fun because they are pudding cookies, meaning they use instant pudding mix. The secret to these cookies is using instant lemon pudding mix for tons of lemon flavor and lemon zest to add a fresh, from scratch flavor.
I’ve been making cookies using pudding mix in cookies for years. It’s one of my favorite methods because it keeps the cookies soft for a while and gives the cookies an unbeatable texture and adds so much flavor!
Ingredient in Lemon Pudding Cookies
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s been softened.
- Granulated sugar: My normal pudding cookie recipe has brown sugar, but this one uses granulated to keep it lighter to embrace all the lemon flavor.
- Instant lemon pudding mix: The key ingredient for the lemon flavor and softness of the cookie.
- Lemon zest: From 1 lemon – a bit of lemon zest adds a freshness to the lemon flavor. Be sure to only zest the outer yellow part of the lemon (the white pith will make your cookies bitter).
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Dorothy’s Pudding Cookie Tips
- Make sure that when scooping the dough onto the pan that they are 2-3 inches apart. This is important so the cookies don’t run together in the oven.
- Once baked and cooled, you can freeze cookies for up to three months in an airtight container. You can also freeze cookie dough balls in a single layer, then stack once frozen. To bake cookies from frozen, add 2-3 min bake time.
Lemon Pudding Cookies
Video
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 (3.4 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, (from 1 lemon)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (155g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Add the pudding mix and beat until well blended.
- Add egg, lemon zest, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the flour and mix until just combined.
- Scoop 1 or 2 tablespoon size balls onto cookie sheets (2-3 inches apart depending on size). Chill dough 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 10-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden around the edges and have lost their glossy sheen. If you notice the cookies aren't spreading during baking, press them lightly with the palm of your hand to get them going.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze cookies for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make lemon pudding cookies
- Once creamed, the butter and sugar will be light and fluffy.
- Once the eggs, vanilla, and zest are added, the mixture will be loose and yellow.
- The pudding mix and flour will create a dark yellow cookie dough that’s perfect for scooping and baking immediately (no chilling needed).
- Using a silicone baking mat will help the cookies not spread too much.
Variations
- If you want to add another touch to these cookies, you can add a glaze or lemon frosting on top!
- Want from scratch cookies without pudding mix? Try my best lemon cookie recipe.
- My lemon cake mix cookies are another favorite!
Other Lemon Recipes
I made these two times already and making
them tomorrow morning. They are so soft and
delicous. I would highly recommend you making
these. Yummy
Our favorite cookies! Baking a batch now to surprise my hubby! These are our faves. We used to order lemon cookies from the internet……not anymore! Thank you for an awesome recipe!!
I’m so glad you like them Lisa!! Thank you!
Just came across this recipe and it looks fantastic. I’m about to make them for a bake sale and have one question- in the recipe, step 3 says to cream together the butter and sugars (as in more than one kind of sugar in dough). I’ve come across pudding cookie recipes using brown sugar and just wanted to confirm that there is only white sugar in the cookie dough. Anybody who has made these and can answer, thank you!!!
Thank you Rosey! Yes, just the one sugar in this one, that “s” is a typo. I must have edited another one of my pudding cookie recipes! Thanks for altering me!
These look AMAZING! I can’t wait to try them. My friend and I were just wondering a few days ago how Giada stays so slim-lol! I’m thinking she must never take more than two bites of anything she cooks:-))
It’s a little ridiculous, isn’t it??? Thanks Nancy!
Im just learning about pudding cookies and i must say! I love them! So easy! So fool proof and chewy! 🙂 i was looking for a good lemon pudding cookie recipe. These look good but would they work just as well if i made them smaller and rolled them in powdered sugar instead of making them into frosting cookie sandwiches?
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