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:
Michele says
Delightful! Thanks for sharing the recipe and being so detailed! I think that beating the butter and sugar for a full 4-5 minutes is a crucial step. I also think the thin layer of sugar that gets added as they are flattened before going into the oven makes a big difference. I usually prefer chewy, hearty cookies over thin and crispy, but this cookie has a good balance of both. I used the convect setting on my oven (set for 335 degrees, baked for 10 min) and the centers had a tiny bit of chewiness to them. They almost melt in your mouth! (especially if you sample them within a couple minutes of taking them out of the oven!)
Leigh Anne says
So glad you loved them too!
Jamie says
Ok so i Improvised this recipe and used this as a base for a different one.
So I didn’t have any plain oatmeal or lemon extract in my pantry. So instead I used maple brown sugar oatmeal, no lemon and 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. I still used the same bake times and same temperature they turned out fantastic.
Leigh Anne says
I bet they were delicious with maple brown sugar oatmeal – yum!!
Andrea says
Very good! I had to adjust the baking time to 7-8 minutes as they did not take long to bake. It was easy to overbake them. I think next time – I will double the lemon extract. Everyone loved them!
Leigh Anne says
Glad you enjoyed them, everyone’s oven is different!
MLem says
Only 1 cup sugar goes in the batter! The 1/3c is for the outside! I missed this and put the extra 1/3c in the dough but honestly they still turned out pretty good! I also used “earth balance coconut spread” instead of butter to make these vegan. Not sure if this is just because of the fake butter (and extra sugar) I used but these were also very greasy, so we ate these with a napkin. Mine also turned out very crispy (almost crumbly) and sweet with a touch of lemon and nuttyness from the oats!
Leigh Anne says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Susan says
Can I substitute gluten free flour in this recipe?
Leigh Anne says
I have never made them with gluten free flour but if it is a flour you often use in baking it should work fine.