Thick and Chewy Lemon Blueberry Cookies

Ingredients (~24 cookies)

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Incorporate Lemon Flavor into the Sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the granulated white sugar, light brown sugar, and grated zest of one large lemon with your fingertips, gently massaging the lemon zest into the sugar mixture to release the oils.

Prepare the Cookie Dough

Using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl as an initial step in preparing the cookie dough.

Set the dry mixture to the side for now.

With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and the lemon-sugar mixture to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture forms a smooth, creamy paste; scrape down the sides of the bowl to keep everything evenly blended.

Be careful not to over-cream the mixture since the butter is at room temperature.

Next, add the egg to the mixture, mixing it into the dough on medium speed until it has completely blended and the dough has lightened in color.

Change the mixing speed to low and slowly drizzle in the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

At this point, you may notice that the dough appears somewhat curdled; this is normal.

Add in the dry mixture to the wet mixture in three separate batches, mixing on low speed just until the mixture is barely mixed after each addition.

Once all of the dry ingredients have been added and incorporated into the wet mixture, gently fold in the blueberries using a silicone spatula, being careful not to break the blueberries open as this will stain your dough.

Refrigerate and Bake the Cookies

Shape the dough into balls, each measuring about 2 tablespoons in size, with your hands.

Place all of the cookie dough balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets and gently press a few additional blueberries into the tops of each cookie for looks.

Cover the pans with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookies for no less than 45 minutes or overnight.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, set your oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 13 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are slightly browned while still soft and chewy in the centre.

Although the cookies will appear slightly undercooked when they come out of the oven, they will set as they cool.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool.