Lemon Cookies with Lemon Cream

Name: Lemon Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar ((206g)); finely grated zest from 2 lemons ((no white pith)); 3 ounces cream cheese, (softened (86g)); 8 ounces unsalted butter, (softened (16 tablespoons or 226g)); 1 large egg yolk, (room temperature); 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; ⅛ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour ((337g)); ½ cup unsalted butter softened ((4 ounces or 113g)); 1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar plus more for dusting ((190g)); ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

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Our pretty little Lemon Cookies with tangy lemon cream filling are terrific for any occasion. From summer to winter these cookies are perfect for holidays, picnics or just because you want to brighten someone’s day. Lemon sandwich cookies are always a favorite especially for lemon lovers!

A platter of lemon cream filled cookies dusted with powdered sugar

The perfect year-round cookie!

The cookie dough has a subtle buttery lemon flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture similar to shortbread. Flavored with plenty of lemon zest and a little fresh lemon juice, these bite-sized cookies are the perfect treat and an instant favorite with the whole family.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar

Ingredients overview

Made with common pantry ingredients easily transformed into a memorable bite:

For the lemon infused cookie dough:

cream cheese – adds a nice subtle tang to the flavor and helps create a soft, cohesive dough
unsalted butter – softened
granulated sugar
lemon zest – you’ll need finely grated zest from two lemons. Only zest the yellow portion of the skin – no white pith! The pith can cause a bitter flavor in your finished cookie.
egg yolk
fresh lemon juice – fresh squeezed lemon juice makes all the difference in the flavor
salt (omit if using salted butter)
pure vanilla extract – if you enjoy lemon extract, feel free to add a tiny amount along with the vanilla extract. Be careful as a little goes a long, long way.
all-purpose flour

For the lemon filling:

unsalted butter – room temperature
confectioners’ sugar – plus extra for dusting on top of the finished cookies
vanilla extract
lemon zest – finely grated
fresh lemon juice

Tools needed to make this Lemon Cookie recipe:

In addition to an electric mixer and a good light-colored cookie sheet, you’ll need:

parchment paper
pastry bags – you’ll need two – one for the cookie dough and another for the lemon filling.
large decorating tip – for these cookies I used the Wilton 8B large decorating tip. You can also use the Ateco 869, or the Ateco 826 Open Star Pastry Tip, as we have done in our Orange Cream Star Cookies. Any large open pastry tube / tip should work well.

How to make Lemon Cookies using a pastry bag and decorating tip:

1. Create a template

Draw 1 and 1/2-inch circles on one side of a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit your cookie sheet. The circles should be spaced about 1-inch apart. Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil marks are on the bottom.

This simple step takes just a few minutes to complete but is invaluable when matching cookies to create a sandwich.

2. Make lemon sugar

In a small food processor combine half the sugar and the finely grated zest of two lemons. Process until the sugar is light yellow in color and the zest almost disappears.

3. Make the cookie dough

In a large bowl using an hand mixer or stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment beat together the cream cheese, butter, lemon sugar, all the remaining granulated sugar, lemon zest, egg yolk, salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Scoop half the dough into a pastry bag fit with a large decorating tip.

4. Pipe the cookies

Pipe cookie dough into one of the circles on the prepared baking sheet just until it’s almost full. The cookies won’t spread very much so you’ll end up with just about what you piped onto the parchment paper.

PRO TIP: To get the best shape hold the bag straight up and down with the edge of the tip hovering slightly above the baking sheet. Squeeze the bag firmly until the cookie is almost as wide as the circle. Stop squeezing, pull up and away.

If using the Wilton 8B tip, gently press the center of each piped cookie using a finger or the back of a tiny measuring spoon to smooth the dough.

This cookie dough is very forgiving. If you don’t like the way the cookie mound turned out, put the dough back in the bag and try again.

5. Bake

After baking and cooling, match up similar sized cookies to create a sandwich.

6. Prepare the lemon filling

Mix the filling ingredients together and pipe one teaspoon into a swirl onto the bottom of one cookie. Press the matching cookie on top and press gently. Refrigerate or freeze in an airtight container until needed.

A blue bowl of lemon cookies filled with lemon cream

Can you roll out these cookies or use a cookie press instead of piping?

Feel free to roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls, if desired. Gently press the dough balls into 1/4-inch thick rounds using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a small glass. As stated above, these cookies don’t really spread so they’ll end up as thick as you make them.

NOTE: rolling the dough into balls actually takes longer than piping the cookies onto parchment. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be thrilled you used the piping method.

I haven’t had much luck using a cookie press with this dough. It’s a little too soft to adhere to the pan. If you want to try anyway be sure you’re pressing the dough directly onto a cold baking sheet. Silpat mats and parchment won’t work for pressed dough.

Check out our troubleshooting guide for Spritz Cookies for more information on using a cookie press.

You might also be tempted to try rolling out the dough and cutting into sugar cookies. Again, this dough is just a little too soft for rolling out. If you’re looking for a tested, perfected and fantastic Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, please try ours!

Lemon Cookies with lemon cream filling on a platter

Freezable Lemon Cookies

These cookies freeze perfectly!

If you’re not planning to freeze them I highly recommend refrigerating the cookies once assembled to help set the buttercream filling. They’re best stored in the refrigerator and removed 30 minutes before serving.

The only problem I have with these cookies is the fact that I want to eat them all! One at a time they disappear from the sealed container in the freezer until they’re gone. Seriously. I devour them straight from the freezer just like our Orange Cream Star Cookies.

Lemon Cookies with lemon cream filling on a plate

Can you use other flavors in these cookies?

Absolutely! The Orange Cream Stars would be great with a chocolate ganache filling, too.

Another option is to omit the citrus zest and double the vanilla extract. Fill with chocolate ganache or Nutella.

Jam might also make a good filling but I would also use the buttercream so the tops won’t slide off. If you crave a buttery cookie with jam, you’ll love these Viennese Whirls. The whirls are also piped cookies with a fantastic texture and flavor.

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A plate of little lemon cookies dusted with powdered sugar

4.75 from 8 votes