Lemon Blueberry Cookies (Soft and Chewy) - Olives + Thyme (2024)

There are few flavor combinations I love more than blueberry and lemon. My Blueberry Pound Cake, Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Mini Blueberry Muffins and Easy Lemon Blueberry Scones are just a few I love from the blog. If you’re a fan of berries and lemon, these lemon blueberry cookies are for you!

• Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and chewy lemon filled sugar cookie bursting with sweet blueberries, to the sweet and crunchy sugar coating, these lemon berry cookies will delight your senses.
• Easy to make, bake and eat. These chewy lemon blueberry cookies taste like you just bought it from a bakery, but they’re actually so easy to make. Simply mix up the lemon sugar cookies with blueberries, roll in sugar, bake and enjoy.

Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, egg and egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla extract and fresh or frozen blueberries.

These blueberry lemonade cookies are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these chewy sugar cookies if you need them.

• All purpose flour: Make these blueberry lemon cookies, gluten free blueberry cookies, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These both act as leaveners in these cookies.
• Cornstarch: I like to use a little cornstarch in most of my no chill cookie recipes; especially the cookie recipes I also use melted butter. Using cornstarch helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much, as well as giving them an extra chewiness. If you would like to omit, make sure to chill the dough for an hour.
• Granulated Sugar: Maple sugar would also work well to make this refined sugar free.
• Lemon Zest: Lemon pairs so beautifully with blueberries. To make this blueberry coffee cake taste even more perfect, zest 1 lemon into the sugar. Lime would be a wonderful substitute.
• Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
• Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Blueberries: You can fresh or frozen blueberries. I prefer the look and overall structure of these lemon blueberry cookies when using fresh blueberries. If using frozen berries, do not let them thaw or overmix the dough, as this will cause a more muddied look. Also note that the baking time will be a bit longer if using frozen berries.

Frozen Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, I recommend using wild blueberries as they tend to be smaller which is better for these lemon blueberry cookies. Mix them in right before scooping them onto the baking sheet and make sure not to overmix. If using frozen, I recommend reducing the baking temperature to 350 F (177 C) and baking for 14 - 16 minutes or until the edges are set, with a golden brown color.

Blueberry Jam: Use up to ½ cup blueberry jam or preserves gently swirled into the lemon sugar cookie dough. Just like with the frozen blueberries, make sure not to over mix the jam into the cookie dough as this can cause a more muddled look rather than a blueberry marbled look.

Classic Sugar Coating: Of all the versions I tested, this is my favorite one. After scooping the blueberry lemon cookie dough into balls, roll them in granulated sugar for that classic sugar cookie taste. Bake them according to the recipe directions.

Lemon Glaze: Top the lemon blueberry cookies with a tart lemon glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon juice until smooth. Dip or glaze over the cooled cookies.

White Chocolate Chips or Chunks: Mix in up to 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips or small chunks right before mixing in the blueberries.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, melt the butter and cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes. In another bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and lemon zest together until they are the consistency of wet sand. Whisk in the cooled melted butter until well combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.

Store: Place the baked blueberry cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Make sure the chewy lemon blueberry cookies are completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw your blueberry lemon cookies to let them sit out at room temperature until thawed or overnight in the fridge.

M's Expert Tips

• Cool the melted butter. To make these lemon berry cookies extra chewy, the butter is melted. However, it needs to cool for about 10-15 minutes before using in the recipe. I like to melt min right after turning on the oven and then transferring it to the fridge while I gather my other ingredients.
• Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
• Use fresh blueberries for this recipe. I tested this recipe with both fresh and frozen. I prefer the look and overall texture when using fresh blueberries. However, these blueberry lemon cookies work well with frozen blueberries, too. Make sure to check out the Variations section for more information.
• Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first 3-5 minutes of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.

Are these lemon blueberry cookies the same as the Starbucks lemon blueberry cookies?

They are similar, but not the same. This recipe for lemon blueberry cookies is more like a soft and chewy lemon sugar cookie filled with fresh blueberries. The strabucks version is more like a shortbread cookie.

Does the type or size of the blueberries make a difference?

Yes, the smaller the blueberry, the better for these lemon blueberry cookies. If the fresh blueberries, are too big, they may release too much moisture. That can turn these cookies from chewy to more cake like. When using fresh, select the smallest looking blueberries or use the wild blueberry variety for frozen.

Can I make these cookies smaller?

I find that a medium cookie scoop, with about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough makes the perfect chewy sugar cookie. However, you can make a small (1 tablespoon) cookie if you like. Bake this size cookie for 8-10 minutes.

Other Chewy Cookie Recipes to Try

• Strawberry Cookies
• Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies
• Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars
• Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies

If you try this Lemon Blueberry Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M

Lemon Blueberry Cookies Recipe

Megan

These lemon blueberry cookies are soft and chewy lemon filled sugar cookies packed with fresh or frozen blueberries. What I love most about this lemon blueberry cookie recipe is that it’s no chill and is easy to make in one bowl. Make these blueberry lemon cookies for a wonderfully delicious taste of spring all year long.

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