Easy Lemon Curd Shortbread Filled Cookies

These easy lemon curd filled cookies are to die for. They are made with 2 lemon butter cookies filled with homemade lemon curd and sprinkled with powdered sugar. These lemon curd shortbread cookies are flavored with lemon zest and made with powdered sugar which makes them extra tender. Making these cookies will become a classic. Hope you love them as much as we did!

Ingredient & Material Notes

• Lemon peel: must be added into the butter cookie dough freshly grated
• Powdered sugar: it is used to make the lemon butter cookies as it helps absorb all the moisture from the other ingredients making them super tender -a melt in your mouth situation.
• Lemon curd: you can make your own homemade curd - get the recipe and all the tips to get make the best lemon curd ever here
• Cookie-cutter: this recipe calls for a 5 cm (2 – inches) round cookie cutter.

How to make this recipe

To make these lemon curd shortbread cookies you simply have to:

• Make the lemon butter cookie dough
• Make the lemon curd
• Bake the lemon cookies
• Assemble the lemon curd filled cookies
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar

Recipe notes

• The lemon shortbread cookie dough must rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before you roll it out.
• Always work on a lightly floured surface when rolling out the dough. If you find it is hard to work with, you can roll it out over a piece of floured parchment paper.
• If while rolling the dough you feel it is too soft, pop it back in the refrigerator.
• After rolling the dough, chill it once again for about 30 minutes before cutting out the lemon cookies.
• These cookies bake fast as they are thin. About 8 minutes. Stay close.
• Place over a wire rack and allow them to completely cool down before filling them with the lemon curd.
• If you are making your own lemon curd (get the best recipe ever here, make sure it is chilled and has completely set before using it.
• Use a piping bag or a spoon to fill the cookies with a dollop of lemon curd.
• These cookies must be chilled in the refrigerator once they have been filled for at least 4 hours before eating. This will allow for the lemon curd to properly set and not overflow when you bite into the cookie.

Notes on how to make the lemon cookie dough by hand

Making this dough is super simple:

• In a bowl, using the tips of your fingers mix the flour the butter, the lemon, and powdered sugar until you obtain a sand-like consistency.
• Make a hole at the center and add in the egg yolk. Mix using a spatula, until there is no more liquid involved.
• Transfer the dough onto a clean countertop and using the palm of your hand, smear it against the counter. You can repeat this until the dough has come together and there are no visible chunks of butter left. You can watch how this is done in this video.
• Proceed as instructed in the recipe.

Expert notes

• Chilling the dough will allow you to be able to roll it out easily, without it breaking apart. Because this dough has a large amount of butter in it, working with it can sometimes prove difficult if the dough warms up and softens.
• Chilling the dough after you have rolled it out will allow the cookies to keep their round shape once you cut them out using the cookie cutter.
• To bake the cookies, place them staggered over the baking tray lined with parchment paper. This will allow for better air circulation in the oven, thus making the cookies bake more evenly.
• If you fill the cookies while still warm, the lemon curd will not hold its shape and when you close the lemon sandwich cookies with the second round, it will expand. WAIT until they have cooled.

Make ahead

• Lemon butter cookie dough: can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
• Lemon butter cookies: can be baked and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. When ready to eat, proceed as instructed in the recipe.
• Lemon curd: can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Storage tips

Once assembled, these lemon curd filled shortbread cookies are best kept in the refrigerator and stored in an airtight container. They keep well for up to 5 days.

You can keep the baked lemon cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days before you fill them with the lemon curd.

Pro tip: before eating the cookies, chill them in the refrigerator for 4 hours so that the lemon curd and the cookies can become one!

Freezer instructions

These easy lemon curd cookies can be frozen. Place them in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 1 month.

To defrost: Let them sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Variations for this recipe

You can enjoy these lemon curd cookies glazed with a light lemon glaze.

You can also replace the lemon curd with lemon cream.

You can replace the lemon curd in these lemon curd cookies with raspberry jam>/a> or chocolate ganache.