This one is for all the lemon lovers out there! Say hello to these lemon white chocolate chip cookies. A perfectly soft and chewy lemon flavoured cookie loaded with white chocolate chips! They've got a chewy centre and a slightly crispy edge. These cookies are a perfect balance of tangy lemon and creamy, sweet white chocolate. They have a crumbly texture, beautiful colour, and taste heavenly! Give them a go, and I assure you that you are going to love these cookies!

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Only a handful of basic ingredients are required to make these decadent cookies and they bake in just less than 15 minutes.

Here’s your ingredients list,

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• All-purpose flour: Make sure to measure it correctly. The best way to measure all-purpose flour is by using a digital scale. If you don’t have then spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level the flour.
• Corn flour: It is added for extra softness and chewiness.
• Unsalted butter: Make sure to buy unsalted butter because you can control the amount of salt according to the recipe requirement. Butter should be at room temperature, it means it should be softened enough so when you press using a little pressure, your finger will leave a dent.
• Light Brown and granulated sugar: In this recipe, I used both light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and gives the texture to these cookies and light brown sugar adds softness and moisture. Light brown sugar also gives caramelised flavour.
• Egg: It gives structure to these cookies. The egg should be at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavour. Always use good quality vanilla extract.

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• Baking soda: It is used as a leavening agent, which means it reacts with lemon and causes the dough to rise.
• Salt: It balances the sweetness and enhances the flavour of chocolate.
• Lemon zest and juice: In this recipe, both lemon zest and lemon juice are used to give these cookies a strong burst of lemon flavour. Make sure, using zester peel only the outer yellow part of the lemon, not the white pith. They enhance the tangy flavour and offset the sweetness of white chocolate.
• White chocolate chips: Use good quality white chocolate chips for better results.

HOW TO MAKE THESE LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES STEP BY STEP!

Step 1: MAKING THE LEMON SUGAR

This step is very important because most of the flavour in a lemon comes from the very outside of the zest so when lemon oil in the zest is mixed with granulated sugar, it enhances the flavour.

1. Using a zester, zest a whole lemon. Don’t go too far while zesting the lemon. Rotate the fruit while grating the lemon as you don’t need the white part of the lemon since it's bitter in taste. 

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2. In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar (about 1 minute). Lemon zest infused sugar is ready. Set aside to infuse completely for about 5 minutes.

STEP 2: MAKING THE COOKIES

1. In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, salt, cornflour and baking soda. Whisk them to combine and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add unsalted softened butter and lemon sugar, light brown sugar and vanilla extract, and beat them until light and fluffy by using an electric hand mixer for about two-three minutes.

3. Now add the egg and beat again until well- combined. Now add lemon juice, beat again, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 

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4. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture into the wet mixture in two batches, and beat after each addition until just combined. Avoid overbeating.

5. Fold in the 3/4 cup (130 g) white chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky. Reserve 1/4 cup or more chocolate chips to press on the top of the cookies just before baking.

6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes. Don’t skip this step, as it makes your cookies chewier, thicker and more flavourful. It also prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven while baking.

7. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

8. Preheat the oven to 155°C/320°F (for the Fan oven) and 175°C/347°F for the conventional oven.

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9. Shape the dough into balls of about 1 1/2 tbsp each. Cookies should be 2 inches apart from each other. Press the few more chocolate chips on the top of each cookie ball.

10. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown and crispy from the edges and the centre is set and puffed up but they are still soft and gooey. Keep in mind that they will look a bit under-baked in the middle as they will continue to cook once out of the oven. If you are baking one sheet at a time, keep the remaining dough in the fridge and repeat the process.

TIPS TO MAKE PERFECT LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• Butter and eggs should be at room temperature for easy and evenly mixing. Always use unsalted butter as you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Measure your flour correctly to get the best results. The best way to measure the flour is by using a digital scale but if you don’t have one, then spoon and level your flour carefully. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level the flour. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense or crumbly cookies.
• Sift your dry ingredients before adding them into the wet mixture that helps to combine everything evenly.
• Always use fresh lemon juice and freshly peeled zest.

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• First, make the lemon sugar before mixing it with butter. It will intensify the flavour.
• Don’t over mix the cookie dough.
• Chilling the dough in the fridge before baking prevents the cookies from overspreading while baking so resulting in thicker cookies rather than flat cookies.
• Baking time depends on the size of the cookies. You can make the cookies in large or small sizes, but be sure to set the baking time according to the size of the cookies. If cookies are larger in size, increase the baking time by a few minutes. If cookies are smaller in size, reduce the baking time by a few minutes
• Don’t overbake them because they will become hard once they have cooled. They should be slightly underbaked in the middle. Under baked cookies are the secret to getting soft and chewy cookies. Take them out of the oven when they look a bit under-baked in the middle as they will continue to cook once out of the oven.

FAQ

How can I make perfectly round cookies?

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There are 2 methods.

1st method: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they are still hot, push in the edges of the cookies with the back of the spoon to make them a perfect round shape.     

2nd method: Take any round object or cookie cutter slightly larger than cookies, put over the cookies and scoot it around the hot cookie into a perfectly round shape.

Here I used the 2nd method to get perfectly round cookies but it only works when cookies are still hot and soft.

How do I store the cookies?

Cookies are best served straight from the oven but you can store any leftover cookies.

Cool them completely then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, for up to 5-6 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer. You will reheat your frozen cookies in the oven for one minute because warm chocolate chip cookies are the best.

I hope that you'll try this recipe and you'll love them as much as my family and I do! If you make this recipe then be sure to tag @kaotickrunch on Instagram. We'd love to see your creations!

Happy baking and eating! 😊