These easy lemon and white chocolate cookies are flavoured with lemon zest and studded with creamy sweet white chocolate chunks. Tender and crumbly, these popular cookies are very simple to make and take just 10 minutes to prepare!
Lemon is such a delicious ingredient in baking, and I use it in these Sicilian lemon almond cookies, classic lemon drizzle cake and lemon biscuits. Combined with sweet white chocolate, it’s such a delicious pairing! These white chocolate chip cookies are not only great for the biscuit tin, but as they travel well, they make delicious gifts or are ideal to take to a picnic or bake sale.
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Why we love this recipe
- Like my dotty cookies, this is a shortbread style cookie and is therefore an eggless cookie recipe.
- A buttery shortbread cookie flavoured with zesty lemon and creamy white chocolate is such a delicious combination of flavours!
- These lemon chocolate chip cookies are so easy to make – prepare the dough and leave in the fridge, then cut and bake!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.
- Plain flour – all purpose flour.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter but you can use salted butter if you prefer. You can also use margarine instead, which will make the cookies slightly less crisp, something we love!
- Icing sugar – confectioners sugar. adding this superfine sugar helps give the cookies that melt in the mouth tender texture.
- Soft brown sugar – provides a little moisture to stop the cookies from becoming too dry and sandy.
- Lemon zest – see below for ideas for using up the lemon juice.
- Vanilla essence – vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- White chocolate – I like to use a white chocolate bar like Nestle Plaistowe or Milky Bar and roughly chop into chunks, but you can use white chocolate chips if you prefer.
How to make lemon white chocolate cookies from scratch
Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter / margarine with icing sugar and brown sugar and lemon zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. This can be done with a spoon, hand mixers or in a stand mixer.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. It will take a while to bring together, keep working it! When it has almost come together, but is still a little crumbly, stir in the chopped white chocolate.
- Bring the dough together using your hands.
- Roll into a sausage shape 5 cm (⅕ inch) in diameter and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap the clingfilm and using a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough into 1.5 cm / 0.5 inch thick slices.
- Place the cookies on the lined trays, leaving a little room as they can spread slightly.
- Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
FAQ
Can I add other add-ins to the white chocolate chip cookies?
Of course! Swap the lemon zest for orange zest, add dried cranberries, or stir through chopped nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead and keep wrapped in the fridge.
Why do I have to chill the cookie dough?
Chilling the cookie dough helps make it easier to slice the cookies, and ensures that the cookies don’t spread too much during cooking.
My recipe tips
- Make sure your butter is room temperature. This will make it easier to beat in to the sugar.
- Beating the lemon zest with the sugar and butter ensures you get the most lemon flavour throughout the cookie.
- As these cookies are more of a shortbread, you don’t want too much colour on them when they are baked, otherwise they can taste a little bitter. As you will see from these images, the edges can become quite dark, that is OK.
Make ahead/storage
These white chocolate lemon cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezer: you can freeze these shortbread cookies for up to 2 months – I find any longer than this and they can begin to absorb strong smells such as onions. To freeze, wrap them well to avoid freezer burn and place in a sealable bag or container with lid.
Ideas for leftover ingredients
- Lemon juice – squeeze the lemon juice over English pancakes and sprinkle with sugar in this treat that is too good to just serve on pancake day! You could also add it to apples to stop them from becoming brown, or make a quick homemade buttermilk and use in scones or cakes like this chocolate orange cake.
- White chocolate – use to make white chocolate and raspberry loaf or white chocolate and raspberry blondies.
Why not try…
You may also like these other easy cookie recipes:
Lemon and White Chocolate Cookies
Author: Robyn
These easy lemon and white chocolate cookies are flavoured with lemon zest and studded with creamy sweet white chocolate chunks. Tender and crumbly, these popular cookies are very simple to make and take just 10 minutes to prepare!
Equipment
- 2 baking trays
Ingredients
- 220g (1 c) butter or margarine, room temperature
- 40g (⅓ c) icing sugar / confectioners sugar
- 90g (½ c, packed) soft brown sugar
- 1 lemon, zested – around 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or vanilla bean paste
- 375g (2 ½ c) plain flour / all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 100g (3½ oz) white chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter / margarine with icing sugar and brown sugar and lemon zest and vanilla until light and fluffy. (This can be done with a spoon, hand mixers or in a stand mixer.)
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. It will take a while to bring together, keep working it! When the mixture has almost come together, but is still a little crumbly, stir in the chopped white chocolate.
- Bring the dough together with your hands and roll into a sausage shape 5 cm (⅕ inch) in diameter.
- Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan / 190˚C / 338˚F convection / 374˚F.
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap the clingfilm and using a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough into 1.5 cm / 0.5 inch thick slices.
- Place the cookies on the trays, leaving a little room as they can spread slightly.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
- Leave on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Plain flour – all purpose flour.
Butter – I like to use unsalted butter but you can use salted butter if you prefer. You can also use margarine instead, which will make the cookies slightly less crisp, something we love!
Icing sugar – confectioners sugar. adding this superfine sugar helps give the cookies that melt in the mouth tender texture.
Soft brown sugar – provides a little moisture to stop the cookies from becoming too dry and sandy.
Lemon zest – for the leftover lemon juice: squeeze over English pancakes and sprinkle with sugar in this treat that is too good to just serve on pancake day! You could also add it to apples to stop them from becoming brown, or make a quick homemade buttermilk and use in scones or cakes like this chocolate orange cake.
Vanilla essence – vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
White chocolate – I like to use a white chocolate bar like Nestle Plaistowe or Milky Bar and roughly chop into chunks, but you can use white chocolate chips if you prefer.
Make sure your butter is room temperature. This will make it easier to beat in to the sugar.
Beating the lemon zest with the sugar and butter ensures you get the most lemon flavour throughout the cookie.
As these cookies are more of a shortbread, you don’t want too much colour on them when they are baked, otherwise they can taste a little bitter. As you will see from these images, the edges can become quite dark, that is OK.
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 109mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 307IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
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