This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.
Light and crispy these Lemon Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect treat for any lemon lover.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love lemon, then you can never have enough lemon recipes. These delicious and crispy lemon oatmeal cookies have been a favorite of ours for over a decade. And you are going to love them too.
Oatmeal and lemon is not a combination I usually put together but trust me on this one, it works! The recipe is similar to a cookie that was available at the Portland Art Museum. The author of the article where I found the recipe (sorry I don’t have their name – I cut out the recipe but that was it) had this to say about their experience with the cookies nearly twenty years ago:
“I don’t remember the exhibits, but I’ll never forget those elegant cookies. Their elusive, lemony flavor makes them the ideal accompaniment to an evening’s dessert, such as fresh fruit, ice cream or sorbet.”
Cookie Ingredients
- Flour. I use all purpose flour
- Baking Soda
- Sugar. Granulated sugar
- Butter. I always use salted butter, if you use unsalted butter, add in 1/4 tsp more salt.
- Lemon Extract. Extract will give you a bolder lemon flavor then lemon juice will.
- Lemon. You will use the lemon zest.
- Oatmeal. Old fashioned oatmeal will give you a chewier cookie. If you only have quick oats that will work too, the texture of the cookie will just be a bit different.
How to Make Lemon Oatmeal Cookies
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and one cup sugar together until light and creamy in color, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add in lemon extract and zest, beat to incorporate.
- Add in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir just until blended.
- Pour in the oatmeal and beat to blend.
- Scoop dough into balls using a tablespoon size cookie scoop. Keep it small as they spread a lot.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Dip the bottom of a glass into water and then into the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Use the glass to press down on the ball of dough to slightly flatten.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown.
Tips from Leigh Anne
- This cookies spread quite a bit so I used my smallest cookie scoop (about 1 Tablespoon size) so they didn’t get too big and run together.
- The recipe does not contain eggs, it is not a typo so no need to email me to ask me!
- Do a test cookie first to see how much they spread. If they spread too much add another tablespoon of flour.
This cookies are light and crispy on the edges with a delicious subtle lemon flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these cookies freeze well.
Lemon Oatmeal Cookies freeze great and will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Check out all my tips on how to freeze cookies here.
Some of my other favorite oatmeal treats:
If you are looking or more lemon treats, try these:
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- The Best Lemon Bars
- Lemon Icebox cookies
- Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies
- Lemon Sorbet
Be sure and follow me over on YouTube for weekly cooking demos.
Lemon Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- Grated zest from 1 medium lemon
- 1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal uncooked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Into a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a stand mixer set on low speed, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar until creamy and light in color, 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- On medium speed, add the lemon extract and zest and beat until blended.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, beating on low until blended.
- Add the oatmeal and beat until blended
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out some dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball (if the dough sticks to your hands, keep a bowl of cold water nearby and occasionally dip your hands in, shaking off the excess)
- Place the cookies, 2 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Place the reserved 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl alongside another small bowl filled with water.
- Lightly dip the bottom of a flat glass in the water and then in sugar.
- Lightly flatten each cookie, refreshing the glass with every one or two cookies.
- Bake until the tops are just golden, about 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
- Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Tips & Notes:
- This cookies spread quite a bit so I used my smallest cookie scoop (about 1 Tablespoon size) so they didn’t get too big and run together.
- The recipe does not contain eggs, it is not a typo so no need to email me to ask me!
- Do a test cookie first to see how much they spread. If they spread too much add another tablespoon of flour.
Nutrition Facts:
Rita says
What do you mean by 11/2 C ? Did you mean 1/2 cups of oatmeal?
Leigh Anne says
It is 1 1/2 cups – one and a half cups of oatmeal
Karen says
There are no eggs listed in this recipe. Is this correct?
Leigh Anne says
The recipe is correct as written, no eggs.
Lily says
Oon the lemon oatmeal cookies, instead of extract could I use lemon juice instead, and if so how much, I belei ed it called for 1tsp. Extract.
Cant wait to try this, looks yummy?
Leigh Anne says
Lemon juice won’t be as strong as lemon extract. If you add more lemon juice, you also may need to add a bit more flour to compensate for the extra liquid.
Roberta B says
So, what went wrong? I made these last week, and they spread out and melted the full surface of the baking sheets. It’s a good thing the sheets had sides. No nice round little cookies. I cut them into squares, and we ate them that way. They tasted OK, but didn’t look like the picture or anything like cookies.
Leigh Anne says
What altitude are you at? If you are a high altitude you may need to add some additional flour.
Roberta B says
I’m at sea level. The only thing I can think of is that I made the little balls of dough too big (but they still seemed kinda small) or spaced them too close.
Jennifer B Heaton says
Awesome. Consider a drizzle of lemon, powdered sugar and milk.