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These copycat Savannah smiles are my take on the original Girl Scout cookie recipe made with simple ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes! These crisp, buttery, sweet, and lemon-infused cookies are coated in powdered sugar, making them as irresistible as you’d imagine. One bite and you’ll see why these are such a hit!
I’ll be honest. Girl Scout cookie season doesn’t do much for me. I have ruffled a lot of feathers saying that, but they’re just not my favorite.
The original ingredient lists throw me off a little. Or a lot. Why does a simple cookie have to include so many hard-to-pronounce ingredients?
Making homemade, copycat versions in my own kitchen is a different story.
So, when they decided to discontinue the legendary Savannah Smiles cookies, I made it my mission to recreate a simple version that tasted just as good, if not better, than the original.
I did and I impressed not only myself but everyone else around me!
The lemon wedge cookies are crispy yet buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are bursting with sweet and citrus flavors.
The fact that they are shaped like little smiles and dusted in sugar make them even better!
You’re going to love how easy these are, and with just 10 minutes in the oven, you can make a batch of 40 cookies in just 20 minutes!
The original iconic sugar dusted lemon cookies are even better when you make them yourself!
Why you’ll love Copycat Savannah Smiles 🍋
Copycat recipe – They taste like the original or maybe even better? Sugar lemon shortbread cookies that are coated in powdered sugar give the perfect zesty sweet balance.
Simple ingredients – I use real lemon juice and the optional lemon extract, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, etc. You know, baking staples and nothing extra!
A big batch – There are 40 copycat Savannah smiles in every batch! That’s enough to share with a few people, even if you don’t want to 😉 Way more than you’d get in those boxes of cookies.
Great for any occasion – Potlucks, cookie trays, and dessert tables over the holidays, baby showers, wedding showers, you name it! They’re delicious cookies any time of year, you don’t have to wait for girl scout season!
Equipment you’ll need
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- All-Purpose Flour – I have only tested with all purpose white flour. It’s important to measure the flour correctly, as with any baking recipe, to get the right consistency in the dough and texture in the finished cookie. Use a scale if you have one, or the spoon and level method. Too much flour can result in dense cookies.
- Salt – Used to enhance the taste of every other ingredient bringing out even more flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – Bring it to room temperature at least 30 minutes before you begin. You want it soft enough to easily cream without leaving lumps behind. If you only have salted butter, that will work, you just might want to omit the additional salt.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – AKA powdered sugar or icing sugar. This sweetens the cookies as well as helps to maintain their structure. You’ll also need to save some for coating the lemon powder sugar cookies!
- Vanilla Extract – A staple flavor enhancer used in many baking recipes. It’s a classic warm flavor that pairs well with lemon!
- Lemon Juice – You can use fresh lemon juice or juice from a bottle. I much prefer the flavor of freshly squeezed lemon, but you do you.
- Lemon Extract – This is an optional addition if you like your Savannah smile cookies just a little extra lemony. If you don’t have any, you can add a bit of lemon zest to the dough instead to get a more intense lemon flavor.
How to make Copycat Savannah Smiles
Since we’re making 40 cookies, you’re going to need to prepare two baking sheets. Line them both with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and overspreading.
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Step One: Combine flour and salt in a small mixing bowl with a whisk and in a separate large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Step Two: To the butter mixture, add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon extract if you’re using it. Beat until smooth. Then, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.
- Step Three: Use a medium cookie scoop (which is about 1 Tablespoon) to scoop out the dough. Use the palms of your hands or the bottom of a glass to form circles. Cut those in half to form the smile shape (it doesn’t have to be pretty).
- Step Four: Place each one on the prepared baking sheets, about 1” apart, and bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 10 minutes.
- Step Five: Let them cool on the pan for 2 minutes then toss the cookies in powdered sugar in a small bowl until evenly coated. Enjoy!
What to serve with Copycat Savannah Smiles
These make a tasty breakfast treat or snack with a cup of tea or coffee. The kids would love theirs with a refreshing glass of old fashioned lemonade instead!
They would also go great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some creamy yogurt!
More favorite girl scout cookies made at home:
Tips & Suggestions 🍋
- Do not overwork the dough! Not only will it result in tougher cookies, but the more you work the dough, the warmer the butter gets which will cause a bit of spreading.
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure even amounts of dough in every savannah smile cookie. It will help them all to bake evenly.
- For something a little different, especially for those who don’t love powdered coating, you could use a powdered sugar lemon glaze instead. Made from confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and milk, just spoon it over the cooled cookies.
How to store Copycat Savannah Smiles
How to store leftovers
Keep these homemade copycat savannah smiles stored in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate them, keeping them on the counter is just fine.
Some people have had success keeping them fresh for even longer than a week, but I wouldn’t know. We devour ours much sooner than that!
Can I freeze sugar dusted lemon cookies?
You can freeze them for up to 1 month. Once completely cooled, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature before you bite into them again!
FAQs
According to a press release they sent out in 2019, they decided they needed to make room for new flavors. Lucky for us we have the best copycat Savannah Smiles recipe to fall back on!
Named after the birthplace of the Girl Scouts and of course, their shape!
Although not exactly shortbread, they’re definitely more shortbread than they are sugar cookies. The reason is, sugar cookies contain eggs while shortbread cookies do not. However, for these to be true shortbread cookies, there would need to be a higher ratio of butter to flour, and in this case, there isn’t.
Lemon Powder Sugar Cookies
Need more cookie recipes? Try these:
Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.
Copycat Savannah Smiles – Lemon Powder Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk together.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Use a hand mixer on medium to beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon extract (if using). Beat until smooth.
- Pour in the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat on low until just combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (#40, approximately 1 tablespoon) to portion out the cookie dough.
- Use the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass to form the dough balls into circles and then cut in half to form the smile shape.
- Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 1” between them.
- Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 2 minutes.
- Once slightly cooled, pour the remaining powdered sugar into a shallow bowl and toss the cookies in it until evenly coated.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
These taste amazing, but I did have to use more butter, as it was crumbly with only the half cup.
These came out perfect!! Everyone loved them. If I can’t have chocolate, Lemon is the next best flavor!!
Agreed!