Panera Bread Lemon Drop Cookies
This quick and easy recipe for Panera Bread’s lemon drop cookies will give you a whole batch of these delicious treats! Skip the price tag of the Panera cookie and enjoy these mouthwatering copycat cookies instead.
Servings: 19 cookies
Calories: 295kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two 11x17-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract along with ½ cup of the flour mixture to prevent curdling. Beat until well blended.
- Mix in the remaining flour mixture in two additions, stirring on low speed until the dough is smooth. Be careful not to overmix, or the cookies will be tough.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly distributed.
- Drop the cookie dough in ¼ cup sized balls, putting four cookies per tray. Each ball of dough should weigh between 57-67g, depending upon how many chocolate chips are in it. Be sure to place the cookies far apart, as they will spread in the oven.
- Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes per tray, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Let them cool for 2-3 minutes on the tray, then use a spatula to transfer them to wire racks.
- Dust with the icing sugar and let them cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before you begin. (If you need to soften the butter quickly, microwave the stick of butter on high in 5-second intervals, flipping the stick to a different side between each interval.)
- Be sure to add ½ cup of the flour mixture to the dough when you add the eggs and other liquids. This prevents the dough from splitting or curdling.
- Don't overmix the batter once the flour is added, or the cookies will get tough.
- Watch the cookies closely as the end of the baking time nears. Take them out when they are light golden around the edges.
- The cook time means that each tray bakes for 12 minutes. If you bake four cookies per tray, it will take you 1 hour to cook 19 cookies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
