Have a lemon craving?! These bright, zesty, and delightfully easy sourdough lemon coconut balls are pure bliss! They are an easy recipe and a perfect way to use up some extra sourdough starter. With a refreshing hint of lemon flavor and the tropical texture of shredded coconut, these cookies strike an ideal balance between a tangy and sweet treat. Enjoy as a dessert, on a platter for a summer gathering, or a casual afternoon snack.

If you use an active sourdough starter, refrigerate the batter for 8-24 hours before baking. Bring your batter to room temperature before creating your lemon balls.

I love adding poppy seeds to lemon recipes, so if you’re like me, whisk your poppy seeds into the dry mixture before combining it with the wet ingredients.

What You’ll Need

2 sticks of salted or unsalted softened butter, room temperature
3 cups organic, unbleached bread flour (or all-purpose)
lemon zest of 1 lemon
½ cup powdered sugar (we make our own by blending our organic raw sugar in our blender)
2 tablespoons lemon juice from fresh lemons or any fresh lemon juice on hand
½ cup sourdough starter (discard)
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup of powdered sugar (for coating – lemony glaze)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (for coating – lemony glaze)

SUBSTITUTES

Butter – Can be substituted with coconut oil.
Bread Flour – All-purpose flour will also work. I prefer organic bread flour for my cookies. Also, enjoy using fresh flour by milling your wheat! This is always enjoyable and gives you that whole wheat flour. Side note: You may need to add a little more of a wet ingredient for fresh-milled flour.
Vanilla – Can be substituted with almond extract.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer with a medium bowl.
measuring cup and spoons

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare your Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sourdough discard, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract on low/medium speed until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then add to your wet ingredients
Mix on low speed until just combined. If needed, use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
Your dough will be a bit crumbly after using a mixer, but begin to bring it all together with your hands once mixed, and you will no longer have crumbly dough.

standmixer filled with sourdough starter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla

standmixer of creamed ingredients for sourdough lemon coconut balls

dry ingredients in mixing bowl for easy sourdough lemon coconut balls

combining wet and dry ingredients for easy sourdough lemon coconut balls

mixing dry and wet ingredients in a stand mixer

bring cookie dough to a dough ball in a stand mixer

2. Shape your Lemon Balls:

Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the lemon cookie dough and roll it into a dough ball with your hands.

shaping cookie dough for easy sourdough lemon coconut balls

3. Bake Time:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and place in a heated oven.
Bake cookies at 350℉ for 20-22 minutes.

4. Coat with Classic Lemon Glaze Sugar Mixture:

Set your lemon bliss balls on a cooling rack to cool down. Once cooled, gently roll your balls in your lemony glaze, then into your shredded coconut. Allow your glaze to set and zest with a lemon before eating.

coating sourdough balls with coconut flakes

How to Store Your Cookies

Store your cookies in an airtight container on the kitchen counter, or a Tupperware dish covered with plastic wrap.