These soft and buttery lemon curd cookies are filled with homemade lemon curd. These linzer cookies are so easy to make and take just 25 minutes to prepare. Plus, you can make these cookies ahead of time!
I love changing the inner cutout for these cookies, it means you can customize them depending on the time of year you are making these lemon curd cookies! I tried a heart shape and also a little bunny head, so cute for Easter or Spring.
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Tell me about this recipe!
- The cookie base for this recipe is a linzer cookie. These cookies are made with almond flour and confectioners' sugar. You'll need to chill the dough briefly before rolling it out and cutting out the shapes.
- The lemon curd is made over the stove and uses fresh lemon juice and zest. This gives you a silky and tangy lemon curd.
- The cookie tops are dusted with confectioners' sugar before they're filled with lemon curd.
Ingredients Needed
Lemon Curd Cookie Dough
- Lemons: you'll need lemons for both the lemon curd and the cookie dough. I love having a bit of lemon zest in the cookie dough to bring though that lemon flavor.
- Butter: I always use unsalted European style butter in my recipes.
- Salt: I'm using kosher salt for both the lemon curd and the cookie dough.
- Ground Almonds: use ground almonds or almond flour for the cookies.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Start off by making your lemon curd. Pour your sugar into a small saucepan. Grate your lemon over the sugar. Whisk the lemon zest and sugar together until the lemon zest releases some of its oils, making the sugar slightly yellow.
Step 2: Add in your egg yolks and whole eggs to the lemon sugar. Whisk for a minute or two until the eggs are fully incorporated into the sugar.
Step 3: Pour in your lemon juice and add your salt. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until it becomes thick and shiny. Use a spoon to drag it through the curd. If it leaves a trail then it is ready. Take the saucepan off of the heat.
Step 4: Whisk in your butter a piece at a time. Wait until the butter has completely melted before adding the next piece. Whisk in your vanilla extract.
Step 5: Pour your lemon curd into a small bowl, cover the top of the curd with plastic wrap. You want the plastic wrap to be touching the surface of the lemon curd. This will stop it from forming a skin! Once it has come to room temperature, place in the fridge. You can keep this in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Step 6: Make your cookie dough! Cream your room temperature butter with your powdered sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Step 7: Whisk your flour, almond flour and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 8: Add your egg to your butter mixture and mix for a minute. Add your lemon zest and vanilla and mix again. Slowly pour in your dry ingredients and beat together on low speed until just combined.
Step 9: Divide the dough in two and wrap each half in clingfilm. Chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
Step 10: Roll out the chilled dough on to a lightly floured surface until it is an ⅛th of an inch thick. Stamp out your cookies using a linzer cookie cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Once cooled, dust half of the cookies with powdered sugar, then fill each cookie with about a teaspoon of lemon curd. Sandwich the cookies together.
Recipe Tips
- I recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before dusting them with confectioners' sugar.
- Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature before you start baking. Pull out the eggs and butter 1-2 hours before you start the recipe.
- Be sure to wash your lemons before your grate them for the lemon zest.
- I recommend making the lemon curd the day before, this will give it plenty of time to completely set before you use it to fill your cookies!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I recommend keeping your lemon curd cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
Lemon curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serve it with crepes, pancakes or waffles! Add it to yogurt or ice cream, or just eat it by the spoonful!
Yes, you can definitely use store bought lemon curd if you don't want to make it!
Try these cookie recipes next!
Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Lemon Curd Cookies
Equipment
- linzer cookie cutters
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 egg yolks room temperature
- 75 grams sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 85 ml lemon juice
- 56 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookies
- 72 grams ground almonds
- 240 grams all purpose flour
- 120 grams confectioners' sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 226 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
Make Lemon Curd
- In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, whisk together the sugar and lemon zest. You want the zest to release its oils into the sugar, making the sugar almost yellow
- Add your egg yolks and egg and whisk until completely incorporated and pale and thick, this will take about a minute or two.
- Pour in your lemon juice and then add your salt. Heat this up over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until it becomes thick and glossy. The curd should coat the back of a spoon and you can run your finger through this, leaving a trail. Take the curd off the heat.
- Whisk in your butter a piece at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next piece. Whisk in your vanilla extract.
- Pour the curd into a bowl (make sure it isn’t a metal one!) and press clingfilm to the surface. Let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Make Cookies
- Beat your butter and confectioners' sugar together in a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes. It should be creamy and soft.
- In a medium bowl, whisk your flour, salt and ground almonds together. Set aside.
- Add your egg to the butter mixture and mix again until just combined. Then add your vanilla extract and lemon zest. Pulse until it is combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in your dry ingredients. Mix until it has just incorporated and there are no streaks of flour.
- Divide the dough into two discs and wrap each disc in clingfilm. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- When ready to cut out the cookies, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/174°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out your cookie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is an ⅛ inch thick. Cut out your cookies using a linzer cookie cutter. Half of your cookies should have a shape cut out, and the other half will be plain. Reroll your scraps and cut out more cookies. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you should have 36-40 sandwich cookies.
- Place the cookies on your lined baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until a light golden brown. The cookies don't need that much space between them as they will not spread much in the oven.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, dust the cut out cookies with extra confectioners' sugar.
- Use a teaspoon to fill the plain cookies (Without a cut out in the middle), then sandwich with a cut out cookie. I recommend storing the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
Naomi Druxman
This turned out so delicious! It took me a lot longer, but everyone that tried them loved them. I doubled the recipe too!
Ella
Thanks so much for your review! 🙂
Catherine
These are delish & so cute.