Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookies Recipe • 5★

Updated October 16, 2025

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

Delivering warmth from turmeric and brightness from lemon zest, these golden crinkled cookies feel (and look) like sunbeams breaking through clouds. Imagine powdered doughnuts run through with Fruit Loops cereal milk on a Saturday morning. In fact, these soft, crisp-edged cookies are lovely for breakfast, but don’t restrict their bright, sunny disposition to a specific time of day: Pair them with a glass of milk or cup of herbal tea, whether as an afternoon pick-me-up or a not-too-sweet finish to any meal.

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3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine salt

1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour

¾ cup/92 grams powdered sugar, for coating

Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together oil and turmeric until combined. Let sit for about 30 seconds to let turmeric dissolve. Add sugar, lemon zest, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Vigorously whisk to combine and aerate the mixture, about 1 minute.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil and turmeric until combined. Let sit for about 30 seconds to let turmeric dissolve. Add sugar, lemon zest, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Vigorously whisk to combine and aerate the mixture, about 1 minute.

Step 2Whisk in baking soda and salt. Add flour, then switch to a rubber spatula and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate dough until hard enough to scoop, about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Whisk in baking soda and salt. Add flour, then switch to a rubber spatula and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate dough until hard enough to scoop, about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Step 3Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons) and working one at a time, scoop out 1½-inch/29-gram rounds and coat them in powdered sugar. Place them a couple of inches apart on the baking sheets and bake until crinkled and no longer wet-looking on top, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on the pan before eating.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons) and working one at a time, scoop out 1½-inch/29-gram rounds and coat them in powdered sugar. Place them a couple of inches apart on the baking sheets and bake until crinkled and no longer wet-looking on top, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on the pan before eating.

To make ahead, prepare cookies up through Step 2, then scoop out 1½-tablespoon rounds and set them in a single layer in a resealable container. Freeze the dough, covered, for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, coat frozen dough balls in powdered sugar and bake, adding 1 to 2 minutes as needed.

When measuring flour, be sure to scoop it into the measuring cup, then level it using the back of a butter knife.

Hi there, these cookies should be crisp at the edges but soft and cakey on the inside, like powdered doughnuts. They're little cakes, essentially.

The key, I've found, is making sure you don't pack the flour or use too much of it (no more than 192 grams). Also, once you add the flour, don't overmix and don't overbake.

Hope that helps! Enjoy, E

These cookies are as easy as his Gochujang Caramel cookies and just as amazing! I will be putting these in the Teacher Appreciation Cookie Boxes. They came out perfect. I will go get my cup of hot tea and pat myself on the back right often I rate this 5 stars. One of my favorite cookies, ever.

Great cookie! Not too sweet (dangerous... can eat 5 at a time).

I made half a batch with normal flour and half a batch with GF flour for my Coeliac roommate - they were both great!

GF version (as usual) needs 3-4 minutes of extra cooking. But still cracks in the same way and looks similar!

Try Mixing powdered sugar with lemon zest at the end

These were perfect to celebrate a friend's belated birthday. . . . She likes lemon, and these are little cake-like cookies! (Plus, we're in our 50's, so the idea of anti-inflammatory turmeric is appealing in a cookie as well!) Agree with Eric--like lemony powdered doughnuts & the golden-orange color on the inside is cheerful. Made as directed; I included both vanilla and almond extract. Then I added a tiny bit of lemon extract as well. Served with vanilla gelato. A happy birthday!

These were nice once baked and came out alright but I made an unholy mess because the dough was so sticky - I can’t see any comments saying how this was resolved.

I had my dough in the fridge overnight so I can’t think it was that, otherwise followed recipe as is.

Sadly I might not attempt again because it was too much of a faff. Gah!