Soft and chewy Lemon Blueberry Cookies are naturally purple from fresh or frozen blueberries, studded with white chocolate chips, and rolled in lemon sugar for the most perfect cookie ever.
For more soft and chewy cookie recipes, try Oatmeal Craisin Cookies and White Chocolate Chai Cookies.
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I didn't know it was possible to love blueberries more than I already do—until I mixed them into these soft, thick, gorgeous blueberry lemon cookies.
The blueberries are whipped into the dough, turning it vibrant purple. The white chocolate chips are rich and creamy, and the lemon juice, lemon zest, and crunchy lemon sugar coating pair perfectly with the blueberries. You're gonna love 'em.
❤️You're Going to Love These
- Stunning purple blueberry cookies you can make with fresh or frozen blueberries
- Thick, soft, and chewy cookies bursting with juicy blueberries and tangy lemon flavor
- Zesty lemon sugar coating adds a crunchy contrast to the pillowy soft cookies
- Easy cookie recipe that takes minutes to make
This recipe was inspired by this viral TikTok recipe from justinesnacks.com.
🍋Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries. Fresh or frozen regular or wild blueberries will work. The intensity of the color will vary depending on your blueberries. I had the most vivid color and intense blueberry flavor from big, fat, juicy, fresh blueberries.
- Butter and eggs. Use room-temperature butter and eggs to ensure the cookie dough combines smoothly and doesn't separate.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest. You'll need 3 teaspoons of lemon zest for the cookie dough and lemon sugar -- one medium lemon should give you what you need.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch makes soft, tender cookies and keeps the dough from spreading.
- Baking powder. Be careful not to grab the baking soda. Not only will it affect how your cookies rise and taste, it can turn the blueberries green.
- Granulated sugar. For the most vibrant color, I used all white sugar in this lemon blueberry cookie recipe. I tested it with brown sugar and found it dulled the color a bit -- but it still tasted great!
🫐Variations or Substitutions
- Boost the lemon flavor with a little lemon extract. If you add vanilla extract, use clear. Brown-colored vanilla extract turns the purple dough gray.
- Use dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips for a super delicious flavor combo!
- Gently mix in one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries with the white chocolate chips. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them.
- Skip the lemon sugar and roll the cookies in regular granulated sugar or turbinado sugar.
🥣How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Step 1: Microwave the blueberries for 1 ½ to 2 minutes on high or until the skins burst. For fresh berries, stir every 30 seconds so they don't boil over. Chill in the refrigerator or freezer to room temperature.
Step 2: For the lemon sugar, place the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Massage the zest into the sugar with clean, dry hands or mash it together with the back of a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Step 3: In a very large bowl, cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg.
Step 4: Add the blueberries with the juices, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and whip on high for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
Step 5: Place dry ingredients in a mesh strainer set over the bowl and sift them in—or whisk them together in a separate bowl. Mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Pour in the white chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until mixed in. Bake right away or chill the dough for 30-60 minutes, up to overnight.
Step 6: Stir the lemon sugar if it has clumped together. Portion dough with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or ice cream scoop and roll into balls. Roll cookie dough balls in the lemon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Step 7: Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until the tops are set and the bottoms are light golden brown.
Step 8: Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy them when they're warm or gooey or cooled and chewy.
👉Helpful Hint: The dough is thick and sticky. If baking right away, handle the dough with lightly oiled fingers. Also, once you drop the ball into the sugar and roll it around, it becomes quite easy to work with. Chilling the dough for 30-60 minutes also helps.
✅Top Tips
- One medium lemon should provide enough zest for the cookies and the lemon sugar. Make the lemon sugar first, then use any remaining zest in the cookie dough.
- When microwaving fresh blueberries, check on them every 30 seconds so they don't boil over.
- Let refrigerated cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before baking.
🍪Storage
- Store unbaked cookie dough balls rolled in sugar in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking. These are thick, puffy cookies, and chilled dough may make them even thicker. If you prefer slightly less thick cookies, use the bottom of a glass to press down the dough balls before baking, or gently press the cookies down with a silicone spatula immediately after they come out of the oven.
- Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
❓FAQ
Yes. Both fresh and frozen blueberries work well in this recipe and taste delicious in the cookies.
One medium lemon will yield about one tablespoon, or three teaspoons, of lemon zest.
Sure! A little lemon extract or even a tiny bit of almond extract would taste delicious in this recipe. If you would like to add vanilla extract, use clear colored vanilla. Brown colored vanilla will turn the vibrant purple dough a dull gray-purple hue. They will still taste great, though!
😋More Delicious Blueberry Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
Lemon Sugar - for rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
Blueberry Lemon Cookies
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Microwave the blueberries for about 2 minutes on high or until the skins burst. For fresh berries, stir every 30 seconds so they don't boil over. Cool to room temperature -- to speed it up, place them in the freezer while you work on the next steps.
- Make the lemon sugar. Place granulated sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. With clean, dry hands, massage zest into the sugar until completely combined. Or use the back of a spoon to work the zest into the sugar. Cover and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the blueberries with the juices, lemon juice, and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest -- or whatever is left after making the lemon sugar. Beat on high for 5 minutes until fluffy.
- Place the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt into a large mesh strainer set over the bowl. With a spoon, stir the flour mixture through the strainer. You can also whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Use a mixer to mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix; It's okay if there are a few streaks of flour.
- Add the white chocolate chips and mix on low just until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough. Bake right away or chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon portions. Roll the dough into balls, then roll them in the lemon sugar until coated. The dough is sticky -- it may help to lightly oil your fingers. The dough balls are easier to work with once you drop them in sugar. If it's too sticky, chill the dough for a bit. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the bottoms are light golden brown or the internal temperature reaches 185-190 degrees.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
- One medium lemon should provide enough zest for the cookies and the lemon sugar. Make the lemon sugar first, then use any remaining zest in the cookie dough.
- When microwaving fresh blueberries, check on them every 30 seconds so they don't boil over.
- The dough is thick and sticky. If baking right away, use lightly oiled fingers to handle the dough. Also, once you drop the ball into the sugar and roll it around, it becomes quite easy to work with. Chilling the dough for 30-60 minutes also helps.
- These are thick, puffy cookies, and chilled dough makes them even thicker. For thinner cookies, use the bottom of a glass to press down the dough balls before baking or gently flatten them with a silicone spatula immediately after they come out of the oven.
I made these for a friend’s chili cook-off and dessert contest, without having made them before. There were at least 10 desserts, with the first place trophy going to Oreo cheesecake(hard to beat!) and second place went to my submission of these delicious, easy cookies!
The only changes I made was that I used a #18 scoop so the recipe made closer to 40 cookies. I was afraid to run out of dipping sugar towards the end so I added a little more to the lemon sugar bowl. The second time I made them (yes, they’re that good!) I increased the lemon dipping sugar to almost a cup and increased the zest a bit. My oven runs hot so I baked at 375°. I store them in my freezer and pop a few in the air fryer at 180° for 2-3 minutes to get that just baked deliciousness but they are equally good right out of the freezer. Also, I bought the expensive white chocolate chips the first batch and the store brand the next time I made them and those were actually better.
Yay, congratulations on winning the silver medal! Love the air fryer idea -- I have a stash in my freezer, too, so I'll have to try that. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing all your tips :). Cara
I tried these and followed the recipe exactly, including chilling the dough before rolling. My cookies came out really thin, crumbly and flat. I tried making a few just by dropping them without rolling and those came out a little better, but still, too thin and brittle. The flavor was definitely more on the lemon side, I'm not sure if that was because of my blueberries (frozen, wild harvested) or some really strong lemons. I liked the flavor and the color enough that I'm going to try again one day, hopefully they'll come out better.
Oh no, I'm sorry this happened. I've made them several times and have only ever had them come out really thick. I wonder if the butter was too soft or if it's possible that the dough was overmixed? As for crumbly, that would make me wonder if there was too much flour or your oven was too hot? I suggest making sure your butter is room temp, not super soft, and that the dough is mixed until just combined. If it's possible there was too much flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top. Also, maybe try baking at a lower temp. I hope something here resonates and will help you with your next go at it. Let me know!