Soft & Chewy Blueberry Lemon Cookies

Lena B.

7 months ago

blueberry lemon cookies on cooling rack with lemon and yellow striped towel

As the weather warms up (slowly, but surely here in North Carolina), these chewy, no-chill cookies are perfect for bringing in blueberry season. Bursting with zesty lemon flavor and studded with blueberries, these cookies are an absolute treat for any occasion. Plus, they don’t require a mixer, making them incredibly easy to whip up. Enough typing, let’s get into it.

Your grocery list

Produce

Lemons

Dairy

Unsalted butter
Eggs

Baking and pantry items

All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Salt
White granulated sugar
Light brown sugar

Frozen

Frozen blueberries

Equipment/tools you’ll need

Mixing bowls
Electric hand mixer, whisk, or rubber spatula
Cookie scoop
Parchment paper (optional, but recommended for easy clean-up and to help control the spread of the cookies)
Baking sheets
Cooling rack

Step-by-step instructions for making blueberry lemon cookies

Like almost all drop cookies, these blueberry lemon cookies can be made by following a few simple steps.

1. Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. This ensures that the oven and baking sheets are ready for the cookie dough.

2. Make the cookie dough

In a large mixing bowl, sift the 2 ¾ cups of flour, then add 1 teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. Sifting the flour helps to aerate it and ensures a lighter texture in the cookies.
In another mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), add the softened butter. Using an electric hand mixer, whip the butter for about a minute. Add 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of brown sugar, then whip them together with the butter until well incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, egg, and egg yolk. The resulting mixture will be pale in color. Creaming the butter and sugars thoroughly creates a light and fluffy cookie texture.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Use the electric mixer or a rubber spatula to either whip or fold the dough together until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, so mix until just combined.
Gently fold in 1 cup of frozen wild blueberries with the rubber spatula. The blueberries’ color will bleed into the dough slightly. Be careful not to over mix as the blueberries can break and discolor the dough. Use a large cookie scoop (3 oz cookie scoop) to portion out 6 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet. This ensures consistent cookie size for even baking.

3. Bake and enjoy!

Bake for 14-16 minutes, one cookie sheet at a time (store the other pan in the freezer while the first one bakes). Bake until just the edges are golden brown. Baking one sheet at a time ensures even baking and prevents overcrowding in the oven, but you can bake them both at once if you are short on time. Just switch the top pan to the bottom (and vice versa) halfway through bake time.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Allowing the cookies to cool on the sheet helps to set them before transferring, ensuring a chewy texture. Also, once the bottom is set, it becomes a lot easier to move these soft-baked cookies without them breaking into pieces.

6 tips for making great blueberry lemon cookies

Use frozen blueberries: Using frozen blueberries helps prevent them from bursting and bleeding too much into the dough, and it also helps maintain their shape and texture during baking.
Avoid over-mixing: Over-mixing the cookie dough can lead to tough and dense cookies. It’s important to mix the ingredients until just combined to ensure a tender and chewy texture.
Fresh lemon juice AND zest are recommended: Freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest provide a vibrant and intense citrus flavor to the cookies. The combination of both juice and zest enhances the overall lemony taste and aroma.
Just use baking soda: Using only baking soda (and no baking powder) in this recipe helps create a chewier texture in the cookies. The acidity from the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda, resulting in a softer and more tender cookie.
Handle the dough gently: When folding in the frozen blueberries, handle the dough gently to avoid breaking the blueberries and to prevent over-mixing. This ensures that the blueberries are evenly distributed without compromising the cookie’s texture.
Chill the dough, if needed: If the dough becomes too soft due to warm kitchen temperatures, consider chilling it in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before scooping and baking. This helps the cookies maintain their shape and prevents excessive spreading during baking.

How to freeze your own blueberries at home

Freezing fresh blueberries may seem obvious, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you have to freeze your own blueberries before using them in this recipe.

Choose ripe, high-quality blueberries: Select fresh, ripe blueberries, and discard any that are soft, moldy, or damaged. High-quality blueberries will freeze better and maintain their flavor and texture.
Wash and dry the blueberries: Rinse the blueberries under cold water to remove any debris or impurities. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess moisture. Ensure they are completely dry before freezing to prevent ice crystals from forming on the berries.
Freeze in a single layer: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the washed and dried blueberries in a single layer on the sheet. This prevents the blueberries from clumping together during freezing, making it easier to use the desired amount later.
Flash freeze the blueberries: Place the baking sheet of blueberries in the freezer and let them freeze for 1-2 hours, or until they are firm. This process, known as flash freezing, helps maintain the individual integrity of the berries and prevents them from sticking together.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container: Once the blueberries are frozen, transfer them to airtight freezer bags or containers. Label the bags with the date of freezing and store them in the freezer. Properly stored blueberries can last in the freezer for up to 6-12 months.

How to store your cookies

Store these lemon blueberry cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookies have lots of moisture from the blueberries, so they will become incredibly soft and crumbly in an airtight container. I recommend putting the cookies in a container with some ventilation (maybe a cookie jar, or just leaving them out on a plate) to keep them from becoming “soggy”.
To freeze: Store the cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 30 days. Thaw for 1-2 hours before enjoying.

Ways to adjust your cookies

Make smaller cookies for a different texture and adjust the baking time accordingly.
Experiment with variations such as adding white chocolate chips or a lemon glaze for extra flavor.

Soft & Chewy Lemon Blueberry Cookies

These cookies combine bright, fresh lemon flavor and plump blueberries, all folded into a perfectly sweet, chewy sugar cookie base.

Course Dessert

Keyword Blueberries, Cookies, Lemon

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Total Time 25

Servings cookies

Calories 177kcal

Author Lena B.

Cost $12

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 ½ cups frozen blueberries plus more for the tops of the cookies

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the 2 ¾ cups of flour. Add 1 teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Whisk and set aside.
Add softened butter to another mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Using an electric hand mixer, whip butter for about a minute. Add 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of brown sugar and whip them together with the butter until well incorporated. Mix in lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, egg, and egg yolk. The resulting mixture will be pale in color.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl. Use the electric mixer or a rubber spatula to either whip or fold the dough together until just combined.
Add 1 cup of frozen wild blueberries. Gently fold these in with the rubber spatula. The blueberries' color will bleed into the dough slightly. Be careful to not over mix.
Use a large cookie scoop (3 oz cookie scoop) and scoop 6 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, bake one cookie sheet at a time (storing the other pan in the freezer while the first one bakes). Bake until just the edges are golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you don't feel like separating the second egg yolk from the whites, using 2 whole eggs will turn out just fine as well. Using less egg whites in cookies just makes for a richer cookie with less moisture to bake out. If using 2 whole eggs, consider chilling the dough to give the flour more time to absorb that liquid. Also, cookies may take 1-2 minutes longer to bake.

Nutrition