Fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and freeze dried blueberries come together to make this tart but sweet Blueberry Lemon Sugar Cookies.
Updated January 2023
Heading into this new year with so many recipe updates (and upgrades!) that I’m finding myself a bit overwhelmed! But I knew I needed to update the Blueberry Lemon sugar cookies for quite some time. I knew it could be better, and I was not giving the flavor combination the justice it deserved. Hoping this update will demonstrate what a delish combination it can be within a sugar cookie.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
So as I still look to make recipes easier we are once again coming in with a no chill recipe, woot woot! Saving us hours out of our busy days with these no chills. This recipe is bursting with blueberry and lemon flavor, and will pair deliciously with a lemon glaze, lemon royal icing or lemon buttercream!
If you are searching for other sugar cookie recipes, may I recommend my vanilla sugar cookie, double chocolate sugar cookie or lemon sugar cookie? All are delicious and so easy to make!
Ingredients
Lemon Zest & Sugar: we will combine the lemon zest and sugar, and pinch together to release the zest oils into the sugar. This will help pull out the lemon flavor without resorting to a lemon extract.
Lemon Juice: the combination of the lemon zest sugar and lemon juice will help provide a tart but subtle flavor to the cookie.
Freeze Dried Blueberries: this recipe does NOT use fresh blueberries. Fresh blueberries will contain a bit too much moisture and make it a bit more difficult to achieve a rollout cookie (no spread), so we are using freeze dried blueberries here. You can find them on Amazon, Target or your local grocery store.
Butter: you are going for room temperature butter here. You will know your butter is ready if you press a finger into it and it slightly indents against it. If it pushes in too far and kind of mushes out than you have gone too far. Just place in fridge for 30 minutes and you should be good to go.
Variations
Other Freeze Dried Fruit: You can sub the freeze dried blueberries with freeze dried raspberries (1:1 ratio).
Decorating Options: royal icing or buttercream, you can't go wrong with either one. Add flavorings to help enhance the cookie flavor too!
Storage
You can store these at room temperature in a secured ziplock bag for up to 3 days, or in a freezer safe ziplock bag for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply remove entire bag without opening from freezer and place on kitchen counter. Allow to come to room temperature before opening the bag.
Tips
Kitchen Scale. There is no tool that I will promote more than the kitchen scale. It drastically helps reduce the chance for an error in making recipes. And honestly it helps create less of a mess (no need for measuring cups when you have a scale!).
Parchment Paper. Rolling your dough between two pieces of parchment paper helps making the process much easier. Generally some will lightly flour the dough and rolling pin, and then proceed to roll out the dough but using parchment eliminates the possibility of adding too much flour to your dough.
Rolling Pin with Guides. Sometimes as we roll out our dough (without measuring guides), we don't quite get it leveled. Measuring guides helps remove that challenge by rolling out your dough to the desired height with ease.
More Recipes To Enjoy
Blueberry Lemon Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachment
- kitchen scale optional but recommended
- blender or food processor
- rubber spatula
- parchment paper
- zester
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 3 cup all purpose flour 330 g
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 226 g
- ¾ cup sugar 150 g
- 1 cup freeze dried blueberries 34 g
- 1 ea large egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 ea lemon zest
Instructions
Combining Lemon Zest and Sugar
- Combine sugar and zest into one small bowl. Using your fingers massage the zest into the sugar to help extract the oils. Try to coat as much of the sugar as you can. Set aside.
Preparing Dough
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter, sugar, fresh lemon juice and salt. Mix on medium high until creamed – about 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Add egg and mix on medium low until fully incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- In a blender or food processor, add freeze dried blueberries and grind down for just a few seconds. Place fine mesh strainer over stand mixer bowl and sift blueberry powder in. Discard remaining seeds or large blueberry pieces left in strainer.
- Mix on medium low until blueberries are fully mixed in. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, add flour and baking powder and sift well. Add to wet ingredients.
- Mix dry ingredients on low until about half the flour has been absorbed. Then turn on one notch higher and mix until dough begins to pull onto the paddle attachment and away from the bowl.
Rolling Out Dough
- Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll to ?" thickness (or your desired thickness). If you find the dough to be slightly sticky, just lightly flour bottom of parchment paper and the top of the dough prior to rolling out.
- Cut shapes and place on baking sheet at least 1" apart.
- Bake for 9 minutes, or until you see very light browning along bottom edges.
- Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow to completely cool before enjoying or decorating.
Emilee Douglas
Love this recipe. I was not able to find freeze dried blueberries locally. Where do you get yours?
Sharon Alvarenga
Thank you! Your local Target or Walmart should have them, usually you can locate them in dried fruits section. Or you can purchase through Amazon as well.
Susan
Is there a difference between dried and freeze dried?
Sharon Alvarenga
Dried fruit still contains moisture so tends to be a bit chewy. Freeze dried fruit has less moisture but still retains the flavor of the fruit. Much easier to work within baked goods so you are able to control the amount of moisture and flavor within the dessert.