Name: Lemon Coolers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter ((1 stick), unsalted); ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup confectioner’s sugar (divided); 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup confectioner’s sugar; 1 teaspoon Kool-Aid lemonade mix

These Lemon Coolers are delightful lemon-flavored cookies that are small, round, and covered with powdered sugar. They are perfectly bite-sized which are great for a snack, tea party, or special treat. Try them this summer for a fresh and zesty cookie the whole family will love!

round lemon cooler cookies stacked with sliced lemons on the side

Sunshine Lemon Coolers

Lemon Coolers, Lemon Cooler Cookies, or Sunshine Lemon Cooler Cookies are all different names for the same thing – small and round cookies with a burst of lemon flavor covered in powdered sugar. If you remember Sunshine Cookies’ Lemon Coolers that came in a yellow and green box then you know what I’m talking about. They had a texture like a shortbread but weren’t as crumbly, and were covered in powdered sugar to make them into tiny bites of lemony decadence.

Several of these lemon coolers cookies fit into the palm of your hand at once, so you never ate just one or two, and the next thing you knew the whole box was gone! While these original lemon coolers are no longer available, the internet has taken to making copycat recipes, but I think this one is the easiest and closest to the real thing. It will be a blast from the past from the first bite!

I love Lemon Cooler cookies so, of course, I had to make my own version of these delicious cookies so my family can enjoy them all summer long. This recipe is super easy to make and only takes 30 minutes. Add them to the dessert table at your next dinner party or barbecue, serve them with tea or coffee, or enjoy these sweet treats throughout the day.

If you’re a lemon lover check out my Classic Lemonade recipe which is perfect for quenching your summertime thirst, or my Orange Crush Cupcakes for some different sweet citrus flavors.

These would be so pretty next to our pink Watermelon Lemonade.

What Ingredients are Needed to Make Lemon Coolers?

Lemon Cooler Cookies

½ cup (1 stick) butter, unsalted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 cup all-purpose flour

Lemon Powdered Sugar

1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon Kool-Aid lemonade mix

How to make Lemon Cooler Cookies

Step One: Cream the Sugar, Butter, and Lemon Zest

Metal mixing bowl with powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice in the bottom, unmixed.

Preheat the oven to 350 and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
In a large bowl cream together ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, butter, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Add in flour and mix to form dough.

Step Two: Add Vanilla

Next, add the vanilla extract to the flour mixture and mix until smooth.

Step Three: Put Balls of Dough onto a Baking Sheet

Baking skeet lined with parchment paper with small balls of cookie doughbeing lined up in rows of 3, with a small ice cream scoop sitting on the tray.

Baking skeet lined with parchment paper covered with small balls of cookie dough in rows of threes.

Make cookie dough balls into the size of a quarter, or 1-inch balls, and place them onto a prepared cookie sheet. You can use a scoop to help keep the sizes the same.

Step Four: Bake Cookies and make Lemon Powdered Sugar

White bowl with confectioner's sugar and lemon kool-aid in it.

Bake until cookie bottoms are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Place cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine a cup of confectioner’s sugar and a teaspoon of lemon Kool-Aid and mix.

Step Five: Cover in Lemon Powdered Sugar

White bowl with Lemon Powdered Sugar in it, with a freshly baked lemon cooler cookie in the middle of the mix.

Wire rack on a worktop filled with neat rows of round Lemon Cooler Cookies covered in powdered sugar.

Dredge cookies into the lemonade powdered sugar until completely coated and put on a plate. Then repeat with the remaining cookies.

Suggestions and Alternatives

Add white chocolate chips to the recipe at the dough mixing stage.
Try icing these cookies with a lemon drizzle glaze.
Top with lemon zest for an extra lemony zing!
Substitute Kool-Aid with lemon zest in the Lemon Powdered Sugar.
Similarly, use a packet of True Lemon crystals instead of lemon Kool-Aid for a more intense lemon flavor.
Be sure to use parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking to the tray – it also helps for an easy clean up.
For an extra thick Lemon Powdered Sugar coating: For the first time coating, make sure the cookies are still warm, then let them cool down and coat them again for a second time.

lemon cooler cookies stacking in white bowl

Do They Still Make Lemon Cooler Cookies?

A company called Sunshine Biscuits originally distributed Lemon Coolers, but when the company merged with Keebler in the 1990s the cookies were suddenly no longer available. However, you can still buy Memaw’s Original Recipe Lemon Coolers from selected stores, but my recipe will save you from needing any store-bought variety!

How Do I Store This Recipe?

Store these cookies in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.

More Lemon Recipes

Lemon Coolers

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Lemon Coolers are delightful lemon flavored cookies that are small, round, and covered with powdered sugar. They are perfectly bite-sized which is great for snacking, and they go so well with coffee on your coffee break. Try them this summer for a fresh and zesty treat the whole family will love!

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