Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, ground turmeric (if using) and kosher salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl or stand mixer. Use your hands to massage the lemon zest into the sugar until it is evenly distributed and the sugar is yellow (this creates a stronger lemon flavor!). Add the dairy-free butter and mix on low speed, using a stand mixer or electric mixer, for 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vegetable oil, applesauce, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract to the bowl and mix for 1 more minute. The mixture should be mostly uniform, but may look slightly separated due to the lemon juice.
- Make the Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough should be very soft and look slightly crumbly, but it should not be sticky and should ball together when pinched. Use a spatula to form the dough into 1 ball and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap.
- Chill: Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl and set aside.
- Form the Cookies: Use a measuring spoon or cookie scoop to scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough. Roll the dough between your hands to form a smooth ball, then generously roll the cookie dough in the powdered sugar. Coat it in more sugar than you think you need – I like to even press a little extra on the sides and top of the ball. Place the coated ball on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cookie dough, placing each cookie about 3 inches apart from each other.
- Bake: Bake the cookies, one baking tray at a time, in the middle rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Store the extra baking tray in the refrigerator while the first one bakes.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven (they should have spread, but still look puffy) and let them set on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire baking rack and let them cool completely.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately, or store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Lemon Zest: 1 packed tablespoon sounds like a lot of zest, but the lemon flavor mellows out a lot in the cooking process to result in a perfectly balanced lemon-flavored cookie. If you want a really strong lemon flavor, I’d recommend increasing the zest to 1 1/2 packed tablespoons.
Oil: The added oil in these cookies gives them a softer texture and more gooey center. Use a neutral vegetable oil for no added flavor, or swap it out for olive oil for a little more flavor complexity!
Unsalted Butter: If using unsalted butter increase the salt to 1/2 tsp. You can also use softened refined coconut oil for these cookies, but they will be slightly less soft and will spread more in the oven.