Panera Lemon Drop Cookie Recipe (Copycat Version)

Are you a lover of lemon desserts? Do you ever crave the perfect balance of tangy and sweet in a delicious cookie? Today, I'm sharing a copycat recipe inspired by the famous Panera lemon drop cookie! With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you'll soon be enjoying the chewy, golden, heavenly flavors of a Panera lemon drop cookie in the comfort of your own home. Let's start baking!

Ingredients you'll need

Gather the following ingredients to start making your lemony cookies:

All-purpose flour: I used the King Arthur brand; feel free to use your preferred brand of flour.

Baking soda: It helps the dough rise and become light and fluffy.

Salt

Unsalted butter: Remember to use room-temperature butter. Being at room temperature makes it cream well with sugar for a better texture. You can Take the butter out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before you start baking or cut it into small cubes to speed up the softening process.

Sugar: I use granulated sugar; you can also use brown sugar.

Eggs

Lemon juice: I strongly recommend you use fresh lemon juice for the fresh lemon flavor. You can decrease the lemon juice if you prefer less acid and milder cookies.  

Lemon zest: It adds an extra citrus taste to the delicious cookies and maximum natural flavors.

White chocolate chips: Besides being sweet and creamy, they provide pockets of melted chocolate, adding extra texture to the cookies.

Powdered sugar: I used it for dusting. You can leave it out if you prefer.

Vanilla: It is optional.

Step-by-step baking instructions

Squeeze the lemon: Slice the lemon in half crosswise. Use a citrus juicer, reamer, or simply your hand to squeeze out the juice. If squeezing by hand, hold the lemon over a bowl or cup and use your fingers to catch any seeds. If needed, strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds or pulp. Use a microplane grater, zester, or a vegetable peeler for the lemon zest. Set fresh lemon juice and zest aside for later use.

Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Creaming the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using a paddle attachment at low speed.

Mixing the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and half of the white chocolate chips to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.

Mixing dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms.

Adding remaining white chocolate chips: Gently fold in another half of the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Scooping the dough: Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.

Baking to perfection: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Be careful not to overbake for the best chewy texture.

Cooling and dusting: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, dust the cookies with powdered sugar for a finishing touch.

Pro tips

Here are some tips to help you make the perfect and delicious lemon drop cookies:

• For the best results, use fresh lemon zest and juice rather than bottled varieties.
• Using the flat edge of a knife or a spatula, level off the excess flour from the top of the measuring cup. DO NOT pack the flour down into the measuring cup. Doing so can result in using too much flour, which can result in dry cookies.
• If you prefer smaller cookies, use a smaller cookie scoop and adjust the baking time accordingly.
• Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container to maintain their freshness and chewy texture.

Final thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this copycat Panera lemon drop cookie recipe post. The baking process of making these copycat Panera's lemon drop cookies is easy and straightforward. By following the tips and tricks mentioned in this post, you can create a batch of cookies that are just as delicious and satisfying as the ones from Panera.

So go ahead, get baking, and treat yourself to a taste of Panera in the comfort of your own home. 

Don't forget to share your experience and any additional tips in the comments section below. Happy baking!

Panera Lemon Drop Cookie Recipe (Copycat Version)

With simple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you can enjoy the chewy, heavenly flavors of a Panera lemon drop cookie in your home.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 cookies

Calories: 230kcal

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• ¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

• Squeeze the lemon: Slice the lemon in half crosswise. Use a citrus juicer, reamer, or simply your hand to squeeze out the juice. If squeezing by hand, hold the lemon over a bowl or cup and use your fingers to catch any seeds. If needed, strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds or pulp. Use a microplane grater, zester, or a vegetable peeler for the lemon zest. Set fresh lemon juice and zest aside for later use.
• Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Creaming the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using a paddle attachment at low speed.
• Mixing the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and half of the white chocolate chips to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.
• Mixing dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms.
• Adding remaining white chocolate chips: Gently fold in another half of the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• Scooping the dough: Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Baking to perfection: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Be careful not to overbake for the best chewy texture.
• Cooling and dusting: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, dust the cookies with powdered sugar for a finishing touch. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.7g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 11.3g | Saturated Fat: 6.9g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 3385mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 18.2g | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below, and tag me @sassychopsticks9 or tag #sassychopsticks9 on Instagram!

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