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Lemon Curd Cookies

Lemon Curd Cookies

Brighten your day with these exquisitely tender and zesty Lemon Curd Cookies! They’re a quick, flavorful, and elegant treat featuring a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie filled with a burst of sweet and tangy lemon curd.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 96
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cookie Dough:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
For Filling and Dusting:
  • ⅓ - ½ cup lemon curd homemade or store-bought
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • Hand or Stand Mixer
  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment Paper

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the room-temperature butter and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar together on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the butter mixture. Beat for about 1 minute until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
    1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt.
    ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined and a soft dough forms.
  5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, or up to 3 days.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of the chilled dough and roll them into balls. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  8. Use your thumb or the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to make a deep indentation in the center of each dough ball.
  9. Fill each indentation with about ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon curd.
    ⅓ - ½ cup lemon curd
  10. Place the filled cookie trays in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
  11. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just barely starting to turn golden. The centers will still be soft.
  12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  13. Once completely cool, dust the cookies lightly with the remaining confectioners' sugar before serving.
    2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Notes

Success Tips: Do not skip the chilling steps! Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading and helps them hold the lemon curd filling. For the best flavor, use high-quality lemon curd or make your own. The unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 2 months, making it a great make-ahead option. These cookies are also delicious filled with other jams or fruit curds.