If you choose to use lemon juice instead of lemon extract, you run the risk of the cookies rising too fast and then not having the structural support they need to hold that rise, so they can then collapse. It won’t ruin the cookies or the taste, it will just make for a different texture and a less intense lemon flavor. If you want to skip the lemon extract, consider using two teaspoons of lemon zest instead of lemon juice.
Measure your flour properly. This is such an important step, it gets its own section below. Ensure your butter is room temperature. You should be able to push your finger into it and make a small dent but not go all the way through. The butter will actually feel cold to the touch. The eggs should also be room temperature. Eggs that are fresh from the refrigerator can lower the temperature of everything else. A quick way to bring them to room temperature is to put them in a bowl of lukewarm water for five minutes. Cream the butter for at least three minutes. The purpose of this step is to beat air into the sugar, which makes for light and fluffy cookies. We aren’t just mixing the two ingredients in this step, we are creaming them together, so make sure it gets its time. Keep your pans cool. If you are baking in batches and need to use your baking pans more than once, you need to make sure that they have cooled before you put more dough on them. You don’t want the cookies to start cooking before you pop them in the oven. Keep the cookies uniform in size. This way they will cook evenly. A great way to do this is by using a cookie scoop. My favorite scoop is linked above.
While your best bet is to measure the flour with a kitchen scale, I know not everyone has one. Follow these steps and these cookies will be perfect. These cookies freeze great! Freeze them in a single layer for four hours before transferring them to an airtight container. Store them in the freezer for up to three months. These can also be frozen as dough balls. Freeze the dough balls in a single layer. Once completely frozen (about four hours), transfer them to an airtight container. The dough balls can be baked right from frozen. Bake them in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
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