Lemon Blueberry Cookies are sweet, tangy, tart, and an absolute must bake summer dessert! Made with fresh or frozen berries, this simple one bowl recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. The sweet blueberries paired with the zesty lemon are definitely a match made in cookie heaven!
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Blueberries are one of my favorite summer fruits! They're sweet, juicy, and pair great with so many different recipes.
You can use them in muffins, cake, on top of pancakes, or even in cookies!
Yes, you read that right- blueberries INSIDE cookies, and quite honestly they're one of my favorite add-ins.
These lemon blueberry cookies are a little tart, a little sweet, and a whole lot delicious. They're so soft, have the perfect light and chewy texture, and best of all, take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I guarantee these will become a new summer staple dessert.
Here are some more cookie recipes you'll love! Small batch M&M cookies, eggless chocolate cookies, and dairy free chocolate chip cookies.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfect pairing: The tart lemon flavor pairs so well with the juicy blueberries!
- Fresh or frozen: Bake these cookies any time of the year since they can be made with both fresh or frozen blueberries
- One bowl: The dough comes together in one bowl, so there's minimal dishes to clean up
- Only 30 minutes: Even if you have to chill your dough, these blueberry and lemon cookies are ready in just about 30 minutes
- Small batch: Don't want extra treats hanging around tempting you? Good thing this recipe makes 6 large or 12 small cookies!
Key Ingredients Needed
*the full ingredients list and measurements can be found in the recipe card below*
- Butter: Whenever I'm baking, I always like to use salted butter to help balance out the sweetness.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for regular, granulated sugar. Brown sugar will not work because the molasses flavor will overpower the lemon.
- Lemon: You will need both the zest and juice of a lemon to extract the most flavor.
- Eggs: Since this is a small batch recipe, you only need 1 egg yolk.
- Vanilla: A small splash of vanilla extract makes these cookies extra delicious!
- Flour: I use a good quality, all-purpose flour. King Arthur and Gold Medal are my favorites.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep the cookies extra soft and chewy!
- Baking powder: This helps give the cookies a little bit of rise, just make sure it's not expired!
- Baking soda: Just like the baking powder, you want to make sure this ingredient isn't expired.
- Salt: Salt helps balance all of the flavors and keeps this treat from being overly sweet.
- Blueberries: I tested these cookies with both fresh and frozen blueberries and both work! However, I found that I actually prefer frozen because there's no need to chill the dough and they take on a pretty lavender color.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten free: Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour that contains xanthan gum.
Dairy free: Use vegan butter in place of the regular butter
- Orange or lime can be used in place of the lemon
- If you don't have cornstarch, arrowroot starch is a good substitute
- Both salted and unsalted butter work, the flavor won't be affected too much
How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cookies
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
STEP TWO: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 20 second intervals until fully melted. Then set aside to cool for 5 minutes
STEP THREE: Next, in a medium sized mixing bowl add the sugar and lemon zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils
STEP FOUR: To the lemon sugar, add the cooled butter, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix with a wooden spoon.
STEP FIVE: Then, mix in the dry ingredients and finally fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula
STEP SIX: Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and use your hands to roll them into balls. Place each ball onto your prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light brown
STEP SEVEN: Carefully take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the lemon blueberry cookies cool on it for at least 8 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Expert Baking Tips
- Salted vs. unsalted: When it comes to baking with butter, most often bakers tell you to bake with unsalted to you can control the salt level. I actually prefer to bake with salted butter because I think it helps to balance the sweetness better, but you can really use whatever you have on hand.
- Let the butter cool: After microwaving it to melt, you want to allow the butter about 5 minutes to cool slightly so you don't accidently cook the egg yolk!
- Zest first: Since you need both the zest and juice from a lemon, it's easier if you zest it first
- Measure properly: Using a kitchen scale helps to eliminate the margin or error when it comes to measuring.
- Cool on the tray: These tart lemon blueberry cookies are on the softer side, so they need to rest on the tray after baking for at least 8 minutes before you transfer them so you don't end up with a big mess.
- Glaze if desired: For added flavor you can whisk up a lemon glaze to drizzle on top. Just mix ¼ cup powdered sugar with a pinch of salt and a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice until it's thick but pourable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just don't add the blueberries if using frozen! If you're using fresh blueberries you can go ahead and make the entire dough up to 24 hours in advance.
Frozen blueberries will release a bit too much water if they defrost, so just make the lemon dough ahead of time then fold in the frozen berries right before you're ready to bake 🙂
These cookies are best if enjoyed within a day or two of baking them.
Yes! Just keep the ratios all the same and you can make 12 DELICIOUS soft and chewy lemon blueberry cookies.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
STORING: You can keep leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
FREEZING: If you want to freeze some cookies for later, place in a single layer in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
A quick note about baking in grams...
You may notice that many of my newer recipes have the ingredients listed in grams and that's because, after much testing, I've come to the conclusion that it really is the most accurate way to bake.
Giving measurements in cups leaves a lot more room for error, so while I do try and include those measurements as much as possible, I do suggest investing in a $10 kitchen scale.
More Lemon and Blueberry Desserts For You!
- Lemon blueberry sheet cake
- Small batch lemon curd
- Starbucks blueberry muffins
- Dairy free blueberry muffins
Did you make this recipe? If so, I would appreciate you leaving a comment and star rating down below!
PrintLemon Blueberry Cookies
Lemon Blueberry Cookies are sweet, tangy, tart, and an absolute must bake summer dessert! Made with fresh or frozen berries, this simple one bowl recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. The sweet blueberries paired with the zesty lemon are definitely a match made in cookie heaven!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 6 Cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 56g salted butter- melted (4 tablespoons)
- 71g granulated sugar (⅓ cup)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 83g all purpose flour (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 16g cornstarch (2 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 60g fresh or frozen blueberries (see note*)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 20 second intervals until fully melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes
- Next, in a medium sized mixing bowl add the sugar and lemon zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils until it smells very fragrant
- To the lemon sugar, add the slightly cooled, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Then, to the wet ingredients, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until just combined and no traces of flour are visible.
- Finally, to the cookie dough, gently fold the blueberries in with a rubber spatula taking care not to burst them.
- Once the dough is chilled (SEE NOTE) it's time to bake. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and use your hands to roll them into balls.
- Place each ball onto your prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden brown color
- Carefully take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the lemon blueberry cookies cool on it for at least 8 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Notes
*If using fresh blueberries, chill the dough for 15 minutes before baking. If using frozen berries, you can bake immediately
- Salted vs. unsalted: When it comes to baking with butter, most often bakers tell you to bake with unsalted to you can control the salt level. I actually prefer to bake with salted butter because I think it helps to balance the sweetness better, but you can really use whatever you have on hand.
- Let the butter cool: After microwaving it to melt, you want to allow the butter about 5 minutes to cool slightly so you don't accidently cook the egg yolk!
- Zest first: Since you need both the zest and juice from a lemon, it's easier if you zest it first
- Measure properly: Using a kitchen scale helps to eliminate the margin or error when it comes to measuring.
- Cool on the tray: These tart lemon blueberry cookies are on the softer side, so they need to rest on the tray after baking for at least 8 minutes before you transfer them so you don't end up with a big mess.
- Glaze if desired: For added flavor you can whisk up a lemon glaze to drizzle on top. Just mix ¼ cup powdered sugar with a pinch of salt and a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice until it's thick but pourable.
- Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days
Keywords: lemon blueberry cookies, blueberry lemon cookies, lemon cookies with blueberries
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