Savannah Smiles
Crispy, zesty and buttery Lemon Shortbread-like cookies inspired by the (now discontinued) Girl Scouts cookies, Savannah Smiles. These rich, tart cookies are bursting with bright lemon flavour and dusted with powdered confectioner’s sugar, for a sweet treat that tastes like summer.
Girls Scouts’ Savannah Smiles Cookie Recipe
Savannah Smiles were a Girl Scouts’ cookie named after Savannah, Georgia – the city where Girl Scouts’ was founded (and the birthplace of its founder, Juliette Gordon Low) and the Brownie song “Smiles.”
When they were launched, Girl Scouts described Savannah Smiles by saying: “This lemon wedge cookie is cool and crisp, with just the right number of lemon chips to deliver tiny bursts of happiness. And, when you hold it right, you’ll quickly be reminded of that world-famous ‘Girl Scout Smile’.”
Sadly, they were discontinued in 2019 and replaced with Lemon-Ups and Lemonades, which are iced/glazed lemon shortbread cookies, so the only option to enjoy a batch of Savannah Smiles anymore is to whip them up yourself!
(Luckily, this recipe yields a big batch, so you will have plenty to enjoy – and possibly share!)
More Girls Scouts’ Inspired Recipes:
- 2-Ingredient Thin Mint Cookies
- Samoas Caramel Chocolate Macarons
- Girl Scout Tagalog Cake
- Samoas Donuts
- Thin Mint Cupcakes from In the Kids’ Kitchen
- Thin Mint Layer Cake from In the Kids’ Kitchen
- Samoas Truffles from Conservamom
Savannah Smiles Variations:
To give your Savannah Smiles cookies a unique twist, you can:
- Use lime juice and lime zest for a lime shortbread cookie
- Or orange juice and orange zest for an orange shortbread cookie
- Dip cooled cookies in white chocolate instead of coating in powdered sugar
- Cut the cookies into a different shape (or just plain rounds instead of half-circles)
- Add crushed, dehydrated fruits like dehydrated strawberries, raspberries or blueberries for a fruity touch (you can add this to the dough or finely crush and sift them into the powdered sugar)
- Add a couple drops of lemon flavor oil or lemon flavor extract for even more profound lemon flavor.
How to store Savannah Smiles: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Can you make Savannah Smiles cookies in advance? Can prep dough 2 days in advance – wrap and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe as written.
How to freeze cookie dough? Freeze dough after shaping dough into crescents/smiles by placing on a baking sheet and freezing until firm, 2-3 hours. Transfer the frozen cookies to a zip-top freezer bag or your favorite freezer containers. When ready to bake, thaw and then follow the remaining recipe steps. (You might want to print off or write the remaining steps onto the zip top bag so that you don’t forget what to do, or you can use our “e-mail me the recipe” button below to have the recipe waiting in your inbox.)
How to freeze baked Savannah Smiles’ cookies? Store in zip-top freezer bag or your favorite freezer containers and freeze for up to 1 month.
Savannah Smiles Cookie Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Butter, softened at room temperature
- Powdered confectioner’s sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- Lemon extract, optional
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: for even more profound lemon flavor, add a couple drops of lemon flavor oil or lemon flavor extract.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mats
- Electric Mixer
- Cookie Scoop
How to Make Savannah Smiles Cookies
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in vanilla extract, lemon juice and optional lemon extract, if using. (If using real lemons for the lemon juice, feel free to add a bit of lemon zest in.)
Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
Use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets.
Press down with your hand or the bottom of a glass to form into a round cookie shape, then cut in half to create the smile shape.
Bake for 10 minutes, allow to cool on the tray for 2 minutes, then toss the cookies in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar to coat completely.
Place on a cooling rack until completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes approximately 40 cookies.
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Savannah Smiles Cookies
Crispy, zesty and buttery Lemon Shortbread-like cookies inspired by the (now discontinued) Girl Scouts cookies, Savannah Smiles. These rich, tart cookies are bursting with bright lemon flavour and dusted with powdered confectioner’s sugar, for a sweet treat that tastes like summer.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in vanilla extract, lemon juice and optional lemon extract, if using. (If using real lemons for the lemon juice, feel free to add a bit of lemon zest in.)
- Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets.
- Press down with your hand or the bottom of a glass to form into a round cookie shape, then cut in half to create the smile shape.
- Bake for 10 minutes, allow to cool on the tray for 2 minutes, then toss the cookies in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar to coat completely.
- Place on a cooling rack until completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
40Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 49Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves these easy Savannah Smiles lemon cookies as much as mine does!
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