Lemon Sugar Cookies with Olive Oil, Dairy-free
These Lemon Sugar Cookies are fluffy chewy lemon zest filled sugar cookies made with olive oil instead of butter. They have a refreshing sweet lemon taste, all while satisfying your sugar cookie craving. YUM.
If you are in the mood for a lemon dessert, you should check these lemon cookies out because they hit the spot. They are soft and chewy in the middle and have a great citrus lemon flavor. They are just right for summer time ( or for any lemon lover).
Speaking of lemon lovers, try our Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables, Lighter Lemon Ginger Turmeric Salmon, or Dairy-free Lemon Poppy Seed Coffee Cake if you love lemon recipes.
Why this recipe works:
- This recipe is great for those following a dairy-free diet or looking to bake with olive oil. Try our olive oil brownies if you want dairy-free deliciousness.
- These cookies are lighter than your average sugar cookie but taste great.
- They are great for those who love lemon recipes.
- They come together quickly and bake in 10 minutes.
Ingredients needed:
- all purpose flour– this type of flour works best for this cookie recipe.
- baking powder and baking soda– these both help the cookies to rise.
- olive oil– make sure you are using a good quality olive oil.
- apple sauce– make sure it isn’t flavored and doesn’t have extra sugar inside.
- cane sugar– or regular granulated sugar work well here.
- egg– this helps bind the cookies together.
- lemon juice and lemon zest– you’l need to zest two lemons to get the zest you need for this recipe.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
- Instead of apple sauce, you can use pear sauce.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Zest your lemons and then juice them.
We like to zest our lemons first and then juice them so that no lemon goes to waste.
Step 2
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
Step 3
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients together.
In another large bowl, mix the olive oil, sugar, egg, apple sauce, lemon juice and lemon zest with a hand held mixer.
Step 4: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix.
Step 5: Roll dough into balls and bake!
Recipe FAQs
Can you make sugar cookies with olive oil?Yes of course! We love making sugar cookies with olive oil instead of butter. In fact, these Soft Olive Oil Sugar cookies are a reader favorite and what inspired us to make these lemon sugar cookies.
Olive oil is a wonderful butter replacement. It has less saturated fat and is plant based. We find that it results in a lighter taste/ texture.
This baking with olive oil article from Better Homes and Gardens has great tips.
Yes, you can make these with limes or oranges. Just use lime zest or orange zest and lime juice or orange juice.
How many lemons do you need for this recipe.You’ll need at least 2 lemons.
Prep 15 minutesCook 10 minutesTotal 25 minutesMakes 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- the zest of two lemons, (note: if want more lemon flavor than use the zest of 3 lemons)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover cookie sheet pan in parchment paper or silicone cookie sheet liner.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a fork.
- In another bowl, mix the olive oil, sugar, egg, apple sauce, lemon juice and lemon zest with a hand held mixer.
- Pour half of the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet ingredients and mix with your hand-held mixer. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix again. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl as you do this.
- Using a small cookie scoop, or a spoon, scoop out Tablespoon sized balls of the dough and place on a cookie sheet.
- Note: if you want to roll the dough in coarse sugar, do this prior to placing the balls of dough on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before letting them cool on a cookie rack.
Notes
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
- Instead of apple sauce, you can use pear sauce.
