Lemon Curd Cookies

Whipped Lemon Shortbread Cookies with lemon curd lined up on a cooling wrack.

These Lemon Curd Cookies are light and airy with a crumbly texture that melts in your mouth and has a bright pop of creamy lemon curd. Very easy to make and perfect for parties, holidays or just as a special treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Lemon Cookies, Lemon Curd Cookies, Whipped Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Cooling Time 30

Servings cookies

Calories 141kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar *sifted, See Note #1 below
1/4 salt See Note #2 below
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest *from 1 large lemon or 2 medium, See Note #3 below
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour *sifted
1/2 cup cornstarch
10 ounces lemon curd

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Making the Cookies

Preheat oven to 325℉ and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, sifted powdered sugar, salt, lemon extract and lemon zest. Using the paddle attachment beat ingredients on medium-high speed for a full 5 minutes making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. See Note #4 below.
In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together the sifted flour and cornstarch.
Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Scoop the batter using a small (1 Tablespoon) sized cookie scoop and place on prepared cookie sheets leaving about 1 inch space in-between each cookie.
Place a small amount of powdered sugar in a separate small bowl. Dip the back side of a rounded 1/4 teaspoon into the powdered sugar and then press the sugared side into the center of the cookie making an indentation. See Note #5 below.
Bake the cookies unfilled for 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. See Note #6 and 7 below.
Once baked remove from the oven an let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wired cooling wrack to completely cool.

Filling the Cookies

Once the cookies have completely cooled, open a gallon sized plastic bag (or piping bag) and place the corner edge into the center of a glass. Fold the edges of the bag over the sides of the glass. Spoon the lemon curd into the bag. Once filled, pull the sides of the bag up and remove from the glass. Twist the bag at the top of the lemon curd. Using a pair of scissors cut the tip of the bag off. Squeeze a small dollop into the center of each cookie. (See images in post for guide.)

Lemon Glaze

In a small bowl add powdered sugar and 3 tabelspoons of lemon juice. Mix well. If glaze is too thick add an additional 1/2-1 full tablespoon more lemon juice. Transfer glaze to a sandwich bag (or piping bag) using the same glass technique as the lemon curd. Drizzle a small amount of glaze onto the cookies.

Notes

Recipe Notes

Note #1- If your powdered sugar is brand new, chances are that you won't need to sift it. However, as powdered sugar sits it tends to clump. Because of this it is a good idea to sift it.

Also, an additional 1/4 cup will be needed for dipping and making the indentation into the cookies.

Note #2- If using Maldon's Sea Salt for its low iodine levels grind it in a mortar and pestle before adding to the dry ingredients.

Note #3- To zest the lemons easily use a microplane.

Note #4- Beating the butter mixture for a full 5 minutes is extremely important as it helps to give the cookies their light airy texture. At the end of the 5 minutes the mixture should look silky smooth and fluffy.

Note #5- Making the 1/4 teaspoon slightly damp with the first indentation will help the powdered sugar adhere to the metal. After the first indentation the moisture from the cookies will help the powdered sugar to stick to the metal.

Note #6- Since ovens can vary in temperature accuracy, it is best to keep a watchful eye on the cookies starting at the 10 minute marker.

Note #7- At the beginning of the baking process the cookies will have a shiny appearance as the butter begins to melt. Once the shininess has disappeared and the edges of the cookies take on a light golden color, then the cookies are done baking.

Nutrition