If you love cookies that are the perfect balance between rich and refreshing, you will love these Brown Butter Lemon White Chocolate Cookies. They’re soft and chewy, studded with white chocolate chips, and just the right amount of zesty lemon to brighten every bite. And the best part? They come together in under an hour–no chilling required!
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Making brown butter is an easy way to elevate the flavor of your baked goods. It adds a warm, nutty depth that makes these cookies feel just a little extra special, and the citrus kick keeps things light and springy. It’s the kind of cookies that feel fancy but are secretly super simple to make (just like my brown butter chocolate chip cookies and lemon blueberry cookies).
Whether you’re baking for a party, a picnic, or just because you would like something sweet, this recipe is the one to try!
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: We are using unsalted butter. Make sure to let the brown butter cool for about 15 minutes before mixing it with your other ingredients so it doesn’t melt your sugar or eggs.
- Egg + yolk: The extra yolk is the secret to a super soft and chewy cookie. Room temp eggs are ideal so everything blends up nicely and smoothly.
- Lemon: We’re using both lemon zest and lemon juice here for maximum flavor. Make sure to zest your lemon before juicing it.
- White Chocolate: I love using white chocolate chips for this recipe, but you could swap them with a good quality white chocolate bar. Chop it up to get a mix of melty pockets and little shards in every bite.
Please see the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Brown the butter. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the butter occasionally until it foams, then turns golden brown and smells nutty. It’ll take about 5-7 minutes.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, give the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt a good mix.
Mix in the sugar and eggs. Whisk the sugars into the cooled brown butter. Then add in the egg, yolk, lemon zest, and lemon juice, whisking it all together for about 1 minute until the mixture is lighter in color.
Add the dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined–don’t overmix! The dough will be thick and soft.
Mix in the white chocolate. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Scoop and bake. Scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet–about 2 tablespoons per cookie, spaced a couple of inches apart. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers look slightly underbaked.
Tips for the Best Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
- Weigh your ingredients. Using a digital kitchen scale makes measuring easy and accurate. If you don’t have one, measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest. Fresh lemon makes a difference here–and don’t skip the zest! It adds a pure lemon flavor that bottled juice can’t match. But go easy–overzesting (especially into the bitter white pith) can make things taste bitter.
- Let the dough rest. Once mixed, all you need is about 10 minutes of rest so the flour can absorb some of the butter. If you try to bake them immediately, your cookies will spread thin.
- Want picture-perfect cookies? While the cookies are still warm, use a round cookie cutter to gently scoot them into a perfect circle.
Storage
- Room temp: Once your chewy lemon cookies with white chocolate are cool, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: To make these cookies last even longer, freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months–just let them cool completely first, then pop them in a freezer-safe bag.
- Make ahead: You can also freeze the cookie dough! Scoop it into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Bake straight from frozen–just add an extra 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
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Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Description
Brown Butter Lemon White Chocolate Cookies are soft and chewy, studded with white chocolate chips, and just the right amount of zesty lemon to brighten every bite. And the best part? They come together in under an hour–no chilling required!
Ingredients
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 170 g (6 ounces) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has brown specks throughout. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- To the cooled butter, add the sugars and whisk together.
- Add the egg, yolk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk vigorously for 1 minute or until the mixture is lighter in color.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until almost combined with just a few streaks of flour still visible.
- Fold in the chopped white chocolate just until combined. Allow the cookie dough to sit for 10 minutes.
- Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are still light and slightly underbaked.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the hot sheet pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store leftover cookies in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Make ahead: Place scooped cookie dough onto a small baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 10 minute rest
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
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