Copycat Panera Lemon Drop Cookies

5 from 5 votes

Easily make your favorite Panera Lemon Drop Cookies at home. These lemon drop cookies are a fun twist on the traditional sugar cookie.

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Chilling Time3

Total Time3 27

Course: Cookie Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Erica Schramek

Equipment

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter room-temperature
1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
4 lemons zest only
2 large eggs room-temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups white chocolate chips

Topping

¼ cup powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar, and zest of 4 lemons together on high speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 2 minutes.
Add the 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Mix just combined being careful to not overmix.
Fold in the 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Wrap the cookie dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The chill time allows the dough to firm up and allows the flour to fully hydrate.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough each. The dough may be a bit crumbly but will become smoother as you roll it.
Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet leaving at least 2 inches in between each cookie. Flatten the balls slightly with your hand to help them spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack cooling to cool completely.
Once they have cooled, use a flour sifter or fine mesh strainer to dust the cookies with the ¼ cup powdered sugar.

Notes

Measuring Ingredients: Using a digital kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale you can measure the ingredients by volume but be careful when measuring the flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour creates dense cookies.

Salt: For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

Butter: Room temperature butter is easier to cream together with the sugar. I use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter you will need to omit the salt in the recipe. There is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of salted butter.

Bake Time: For crispier cookies increase the bake time by 2-3 minutes.

Storage: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freezing Cookie Dough: Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in a zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.

When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the cookie balls from the freezer, let them sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, and then bake. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.

Nutrition