Description
These soft and chewy Lemon and White Chocolate Cookies with Thyme are perfectly balanced with bright lemon, sweet white chocolate chips and a unique fresh herb flavor. If you love lemon cookies, you need to add this recipe to your repertoire.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (200g/7oz)
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. table salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (175g/6.2oz)
- zest of 1 lemon (grated on a microplane ) plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg, preferably room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (170g/6oz)
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl if using an electric handheld mixer. Add lemon zest and fresh thyme leaves and rub into sugar using your fingers or a fork until very fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add butter to sugar mixture and beat on medium-low until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the edges of the bowl as needed. Do not rush this step, you want this mixture to turn slightly pale and be light and airy. Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined. Note the mixture may look curdled at first, just continue to beat over medium speed and it will blend smooth after about 3 minutes. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until the dough just comes together, about 1 minute, scraping the edges of the bowl to ensure there are no streaks of flour. Add the white chocolate and stir just until combined, about 10 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop (or two large spoons to scoop out 2 tablespoon portions) and add the cookie dough balls to the prepared baking sheet, 6 cookies per baking sheet, about 2-inches apart. You should have about 6 extra cookies, place these on a small plate (you can bake these on the first baking sheet after it cools slightly). Transfer the baking sheets and extra cookie balls to the refrigerate and cool for at least 30 minutes.
- About 15 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and place an oven rack in the middle position.
- Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until slightly golden around the edges and the tops are still pale but no longer wet, 11-13 minutes (the cookies should not turn golden brown like chocolate chip cookies). Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the other baking sheet. Add the extra cookie dough balls to the first baking sheet once it has cooled and bake.
Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days on the counter. You can refrigerate them if you want them a bit crispier.
- Freeze leftovers in a freezer safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
- To make ahead, you can store the cookie dough balls in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You can double this recipe as written, just be sure to only cook about 6 cookies on each tray to avoid overcrowding the baking sheet.
- Fresh thyme adds an interesting herbal flavor to these cookies. If desired, you can skip it but you will be missing one of the most unique flavors of these cookies.
- Swap out the all-purpose flour for a one-to-one gluten free flour substitute if you wish to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Refrigerating the dough allows the butter solids to setup, ensuring the cookies have a pleasant texture.
- Cornstarch helps the cookie dough hold its shape as they cook, ensuring a more tender crumb.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American