I have to confess…
As much as I love making homemade cookies entirely from scratch (which is what I do about 95% of the time), on occasion I still seriously enjoy a good cake-mix cookie. I know…judge away… :) But hey – they’re simple, wonderfully fluffy, and can be mixed up in just three minutes. Definitely a nice back-up dessert, especially when you’re short on time!
One of my favorites, that is also most requested from friends, are these simple lemon cookies. They’re made with a basic cake mix recipe, but kicked up a notch with some fresh lemon juice and peel – yum. Feel free to roll them in sugar, glaze them (as explained in the tip below), or just cook and eat them plain. I guarantee they won’t last long. :)
Easy Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 oz) package lemon cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- juice of half a lemon (about 1 Tbsp.)
- zest of half a lemon (about 1 tsp.)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar for decor (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, lemon juice and zest until well blended. Form dough into small balls (about 1 Tbsp.), and drop into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar. Roll them around until they’re lightly covered. Once sugared, place on a lightly-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.
- **To get a rounder, fluffier cookie, let the dough refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (You can also prepare the sugared balls of dough on the cookie sheet, and just refrigerate the sheet for about ten minutes for a similar effect.)
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Ali’s Tip:
For a fun variation, I’ve also drizzled these with a lemon glaze (instead of rolling in the powdered sugar). Just whisk together about 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (or water) with 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and then drizzle it over the cookies after they have come out of the oven. Let sit for an hour or so for the glaze to firm up.
These cookies are great! Thanks for pinning! I crushed Lemonheads candy and mixed it with the powdered sugar. Gave it extra zing! Next time I will just use the powder to roll them in, then sprinkle crushed candy on top! Happy Holidays!
Thanks Stephanie, we’re happy you liked them! The crushed Lemonheads sound like a yummy addition! :)
Never mind I had asked about how to adjust the recipe because it calls for a 18.25 cake mix and the stores sell 16.25. I figured it out myself. I just added 2oz from another cake mix and that worked quite well.
No worries Beverly, we’re glad it worked out! :)
Made these numerous of times, they are so delicious! I’m going to be making another batch Friday for a back to school function. Highly recommend!
Thanks Jill, we’re so happy to hear you enjoy these! :)
I made these today and they are absolutely delicious! I’m in Australia so our terminology is a little different. I used a basic cake mix and baked it at 180 celcius for 8 minutes. Perfect!
Thanks Morgan, we’re happy you liked these and that they worked out well for you in Australia! :)
Thank you for your quick and easy breakfast or brunch preparation for families. I will do it. I will making tomorrow morning.
You’re very welcome, we hope you enjoy these!
We live in high elevation so the first time I made these they were very flat. I added 1/3 cup of flour and they were puffy and wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Donna, glad you were able to get them puffy! : )
Lemon cookie recipe calls for 18.25 box of lemon cake mix. Cake mixes come in 15.25 boxes now. Does the recipe have to be adjusted?
Oh, I didn’t know that. Yes it would need to be adjusted.
I made these last night and they are so yummy! For some reason my dough seemed to soft to make dough balls so I added powdered sugar to the batter to thicken it and it worked just fine. Not sure why mine was so runny, I followed recipe. I am sending these to my son’s dorm to share with his roomies. Thanks so much for the recipe!
LEMON IS MY FAVORITE AND THESE LOOK SO EASY TO MAKE. I AM GOING TO MAKE SOME FOR EASTER AND TRY SOME DECOR SPRINKLED ON THE TOP–ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO MIGHT WORK BEST AS I DON’T MAKE DESSERTS VERY OFTEN AND NEED A LITTLE “HELP” AS FAR AS ANY DECOR GOES?! SPRINKLES? EASTER CANDY? BEFORE OR AFTER BAKING?
THANKS!
Unfortunately it will be hard for anything to stick to these once they have been baked. But you could add some sprinkles before baking. Just press them into the dough.
I made these tonight and they are one of the most delicious cookies that I have ever eaten. I used a meyer lemon that I grew myself, so that made them all the more delicious. This recipe is wonderful.