Description
Sweet Italian lemon cookies dance with zesty brightness and powdered sugar charm. Crisp Mediterranean-inspired treats bring sunshine to your dessert table, inviting pure citrusy joy in every delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Lemon Cookies
Main Ingredients:
- 200 grams (1 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 110 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 110 grams (½ cup) caster sugar
- 1 egg (52 grams)
Flavoring Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- Lemon zest from ¾ of a lemon
- Lemon peel from approximately ¼ lemon (only the yellow peel, avoiding the white pith)
- 45 grams (3 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
Binding and Leavening Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- A pinch of salt
Lemon Curd Filling:
- 55 grams (¼ cup) caster sugar
- 4 grams (1 teaspoon) cornstarch
- 1 egg (53 grams)
- 22 grams (1 ½ tablespoons) unsalted butter
Additional Coating:
- Granulated white sugar for coating the cookies
Instructions
- Thoroughly combine softened unsalted butter (113 grams or ), granulated sugar, freshly grated lemon zest, and pure vanilla extract in a spacious mixing bowl until the mixture becomes light and creamy.
- Gently incorporate a single room-temperature large egg into the butter mixture, whisking until completely integrated and smooth.
- Carefully sift together all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and baking soda directly into the wet ingredients, folding gently until a soft, cohesive dough develops without overmixing.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 20-25 minutes, allowing the ingredients to firm up and flavors to meld.
- Prepare the frozen lemon curd filling by portioning small dollops onto a parchment-lined tray and freezing until solid.
- Using a standard ice cream scoop, portion the chilled dough into uniform balls, creating a small indentation in the center.
- Place a frozen lemon curd dollop into each dough indentation, carefully wrapping and sealing the dough completely around the filling.
- Roll the filled dough balls in granulated sugar, ensuring a complete and even coating.
- Arrange the sugar-coated cookies on a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet, maintaining approximately 2 inches of spacing between each cookie.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a fan setting, then bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes until the edges achieve a delicate golden-brown color.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool completely on the baking tray, which helps them set and develop a perfect texture.
Notes
- Chilling the dough prevents spreading and ensures a perfect cookie texture with clean edges.
- Frozen lemon curd creates a delightful surprise center that bursts with tangy brightness when bitten.
- Rolling the cookies in sugar before baking adds a sparkling, sweet crunch to the exterior.
- Refrigerating allows gluten to relax, resulting in a tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie consistency.
- Scooping with an ice cream scoop guarantees uniform cookie sizes for even baking and professional appearance.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg