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Old-Fashioned Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies are little sugar-coated pillows of goodness, lightly crisp on the outside and tender, almost cake-like on the inside. The bright, zesty lemon flavour greets you first, followed by the gentle warmth of ginger. They are quite simply irresistible.
These Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies are relatively similar to my very popular Lemon Crinkle Cookies, a recipe I have been making since I was a kid. I reduced the butter and changed the method a bit to produce cookies that are slightly fluffier on the inside than traditional crinkles. Of course, I also added ginger. I love ginger and so does everyone in our family. My Triple Ginger Pound Cake with its three layers of ginger flavour is proof positive of that. If you prefer a milder flavour, I recommend you reduce the ginger from two and a half teaspoons to just two teaspoons.
I use a trio of lemon – rind, juice and lemon extract to give layers of flavour that make these cookies really special. Three lemon ingredients may seem excessive, but trust me, it really isn’t. Don’t leave out the lemon extract unless you really can’t get it – or you find yourself mid-recipe and there’s none in the cupboard! (Not that this has ever happened to me <ahem>.) However don’t let a lack of lemon extract stop you from making the cookies!
What is Golden Caster Sugar?
I often use golden caster sugar for my Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies. A slightly finer sugar made from unrefined sugar cane or beets, golden caster sugar has a lovely colour which gives the cookies a slightly richer flavour and warmer colour. Golden caster sugar is hard to find outside of the UK though, so I call for ordinary granulated or caster sugar in the recipe. Feel free to use the golden caster sugar if you can get it. It really does not make that big a difference.
Tips for Making Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies
- Be sure to let the dough chill before rolling it in balls. This helps the cookies to crinkle.
- Ovens vary radically so do keep an eye on the cookies when they are baking. I always start by setting the timer for 8 minutes, although they generally take just under 10 minutes. You want them to be a light, golden shade. This may take more or less time. It’s important not to over-bake the cookies as they can turn quite crispy very fast. This is not the end of the world, but they really do taste nicer if they have the slightly crisp outside and the soft, tender middle.
- As tempting as they are fresh from the oven, these cookies are best left to cool a bit before you eat them. They do taste fine warm, but the texture settles as they cool and makes them extra delicious.
Serving Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Perfect with a cup of tea or a nice cold glass of milk, Old-Fashioned Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies are so irresistible that I often find myself opening the cookie jar only to find they are all gone! If you have slightly less enthusiastic cookie monsters at your house than I do, the cookies will keep well in a sealed container at room temperature for three to five days.
Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies – Printable Recipe
Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour Plain flour is also known as all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 2½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated or caster sugar You can use golden granulated or caster sugar if you prefer.
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, beaten together
- the finely grated zest of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated or caster sugar You can use golden granulated or caster sugar if you prefer.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C / fan ovens 165°C).
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and 1 cup sugar together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and egg yolk along with one tablespoon of the flour mixture.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon extract.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, blending the mixture well until smooth.
- Beat in the lemon juice.
- Cover the dough and put it in the fridge for at least 10 minutes and up to half an hour.
- After the dough is chilled, pour the ½ cup sugar into a plate or bowl with raised edges.
- Roll the chilled dough into balls about 1 inch in circumference between the palms of your hands.
- Roll each cookie in sugar.
- Place each cookie about two inches apart on baking trays or cookie sheets.(You may need to bake the cookies in batches.)
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn a light golden shade. Keep an eye on the cookies so they do not burn.
- Remove the baking trays from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for five minutes before carefully removing with an egg lifter or spatula.
- Cool the cookies completely on wire racks before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 or 4 days, although mine are usually gone by then…
- You can also freeze these cookies very successfully after they are baked. Thaw before serving and use within 24 hours.
did you make this recipe?
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More Cookie Recipes You Will Love
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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ginger and lemon go perfectly together, these cookies look delicious April. I love this recipe!
Thank you so much, Vicky!
Those look amazing! Great Combination.
Thank you so much, Florian 🙂
These looks tasty. I like the lemon and ginger. Stumbled.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Thank you so much, Joy, and thank you for stumbling too! Hope you have a lovely weekend as well.
Great combination of flavors and texture in these cookies.
Thank you, Peter!
LOVE crinkle cookies – pinned & on my list of sweets for my sweetie! Looks delicious!
Thank you so much, Debra, and thank you for pinning too 🙂
It exact looks like my mommy’s cookies .. You reminds me my mom
Thank you so much, Priya, that is a lovely compliment!
These look so good! I could eat a whole plate full!
Thank you, Debi! They are hard to resist 😉
They do look hard to resist, April. I too love ginger. You are one of the most creative cookie makers. Pinning and tweeting.
Thank you so much, Hadia, that is a lovely compliment! Thank you for pinning and tweeting as well 🙂
What a lovely looking cookie April! I look forward to trying a batch of these!!!
Thank you, Angela 🙂
Your plate of lemon cookies look so good April!
Thanks for sharing the recipe to make them with us at Cooking and Crafting with J&J.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Julie
Thank you so much, Julie! Hope you have a lovely week as well.
Pinned! Deliciousness!!
I would love for you to share this at my Facebook Group for Recipes, Crafts, and Tips and Tricks!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you so much, Jess, and thank you for the invitation too! I will find your group, join and share 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing with us at #FoodieFriDIY – what a lovely cookies, do you have any leftovers? 😀
My pleasure, Debra! Sadly these cookies really do tend to go fast 😉
I love how simple this is. I am also loving the lemon and ginger combination – that’s one of my favourites.
Thank you, Dannii 🙂
WOW! Those lemon and ginger cookies look so delicious. I want to try them as they have two of my favourite ingredients! 🙂
http://lilinhaangel.com/
Thank you! I love lemon and ginger too 🙂
Sounds delicious! Your descriptions of the flavor have me hooked and I haven’t even tried baking this yet! 🙂
Thank you so much, Brooke! Please let me know if you do try the recipe 🙂
These cookies look delicious! I love the combination of ginger and lemon. I’ll have to give them a try.
Thank you so much, Erin. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! I find them a bit addictive 😉
These sound delicious, thanks for sharing
I’m so glad you like them, Chas 🙂 Thank you!
Hi April,
Your Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies will be perfect in my cookie jar. I am sure they won’t last long here at the cottage, they look delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday! Have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
My two favourite flavours are lemon and ginger so I love these 🙂
Thank you, Amber 🙂
These look really good with an adult flavour, lots of flavour and not so sweet.
Thank you, Leanna. They really are delicious 🙂 These are the cookies I get asked to make most often!
This is a delicious cookie for our holiday dessert menu with the lemon and ginger flavors. Thanks for sharing with Foodie Friends Friday this week.
Thank you, Joanne 🙂
Hi April,
I love the flavor of your delicious cookies! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much, Miz Helen! I hope you have a lovely weekend 🙂
These look as delicious as their presentation! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your week!
Thank you so much, Marilyn! I hope your week is wonderful too!
I love the flavor of your awesome crinkle cookies, wish I could have a couple of those cookies right now! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday,501!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much, Miz Helen!
I’m so sorry, but i found these disappointing. They were very dry and they looked…odd! Despite following the recipe to the letter, they all looked like little golden molehills! I made them for a friend but didn’t feel they were good enough to handover. They look nothing like the picture
I’m so sorry you were disappointed, Joanna. I have been making these cookies for years and they always turn out.
Dry cookies could possibly indicate over-baking. Oven temperatures vary radically, and every oven performs differently so it’s possible these were somehow overcooked. Recipes are affected by type of oven, the altitude you live at, even the weather. I recommend people always err on the side of caution (eg. If it says 8 to 10 minutes, set the timer for 8 minutes first). I offer a short Top 3 Baking Tips video that covers some of the things that can possibly go wrong with baking which goes into more detail on this issue which you can find in the sidebar.
Another possibility is over-mixing as that can make the cookies not rise as well and be tough. As mentioned in the recipe, it’s important to blend thoroughly but don’t over-mix.
The only other thing I can suggest is to check the expiry date on your baking soda as if the leavening is old it may not work as well.
You said you followed the recipe exactly, so this is unlikely, however I do find this recipe does not double well. When it comes to baking, as Ina Garten says, recipes do not always double successfully. https://www.tastingtable.com/946098/what-ina-garten-does-before-doubling-a-recipe/
No one can guarantee a recipe turns out every time and it’s impossible to know exactly what happened as I was not there, however I am sorry you were disappointed.
Again, I’m so sorry you were not happy with the results.
I was wondering if you have ever made these with fresh ginger. A friend gave me some ginger root and lemons with which I’m trying to find a recipe that I can use these in. Your recipe looks wonderful. The combination of lemon and ginger works well together. Thanks!
I haven’t ever used fresh ginger in this recipe, but provided you grated or cut it up very finely I am sure it would be lovely, Kent. You might need to experiment with the quantities as fresh ginger can vary in strength, but I would definitely give it a try. Thank you for the compliment, the recipe really is delicious. Please do let me know if you try it with fresh ginger!