Get ready for another scrumptious oatmeal cookie recipe. This time I’ve combined bright lemon zest and spicy candied ginger with wholesome oats to make super flavorful and chewy Ginger Lemon Oatmeal Cookies. It’s one of my favorite twists to my ever-growing list of oatmeal cookies!
Regular readers of Laura’s Bakery know how much I enjoy tweaking a classic oatmeal cookie base. Just check out my apple oatmeal cookies for proof! Well, if you thought those cookies were delicious, wait until you try these ginger lemon oatmeal cookies:
Even though you can add all sorts of mix-ins to these chewy oatmeal cookies, the base ingredients themselves are quite simple. Just be sure to check the full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
Start by combining the butter with the sugar. This is easiest to do in a food processor. Cream them together until you have a smooth and light mixture.
Add the rest of the ingredients and knead into a firm dough.
Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and roll them into balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can flatten the dough balls slightly if necessary.
Bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before cooling them completely on a wire rack. This will help them to keep their structure.
You can store these chewy oatmeal cookies in an airtight container outside of the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Absolutely! They freeze perfectly for up to 3 months. You can even freeze the dough balls and bake them straight from the freezer (just add a few minutes to the baking time).
To freeze the dough balls, first freeze them on a tray and then transfer to a freezer bag. That way you’ll be able to bake fresh oatmeal cookies whenever the craving hits.
Including oats in your baking is a fabulous way of adding incredible texture, bulk, and nutritious fiber too! Here are a couple of ways I love to incorporate them in my baked treats:
Quick oats or instant oats can be used, but these types of oats absorb more moisture, so the cookies will be softer and less structured.
Avoid steel-cut oats as they’re too hard for this recipe.
Without a doubt, you can’t go wrong by using old-fashioned rolled oats when making chewy oatmeal cookies. They give the cookies the perfect texture!
For mix-ins, consider adding chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or white chocolate chips. Just keep the total amount of add-ins about the same. You can also experiment with vanilla extract for added depth of flavor.
Lemon juice will add too much moisture in the dough which will affect the texture of the cookies. Trust me, there is plenty of tangy lemon zest for all the lemon lovers out there!
No, that isn’t necessary. That said, you can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap to store in the fridge a day ahead of baking these ginger lemon cookies, if needed. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.
Chilling the dough may be a good idea if your kitchen is warm or the dough feels too sticky to handle. In that case, I suggest chilling it for about 20-30 minutes in the fridge before rolling the cookie dough balls.
Stem ginger comes from tender young ginger roots that are preserved by peeling, slicing, and gently cooking them in a sugar syrup. This process gives it a unique flavor which is both fiery and sweet. It’s a wonderful addition to ginger-based treats, such as Gingerbread Cookies, Gingerbread Bundt Cake, or these Gingerbread Scones, but it can also go beyond sweet treats to enhance homemade chutney, curry, and stir-fry.
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