Lemon curd cookies recipe

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Our gorgeous lemon curd cookies are under 250 calories per cookie sandwich.

lemon curd cookies
(Image credit: Future)
Makes12–15
SkillMedium
Preparation Time1 hours
Cooking Time15 mins
Total Time1 hours 15 mins plus cooling
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories241 Kcal12%
Fat7.5 g11%
Saturated Fat3.5 g18%

These lemon curd cookies are almost too pretty to eat. The lemon curd filling is a delicious surprise when you take a bite. 

If you like lemon cookies but want to make something a little fancier, these lemon curd cookies are perfect. We have used a jar of lemon curd but you could go the extra mile and make your own. Each cookie sandwich is under 250 calories. If you like, ditch the iced topping for a light dusting of icing sugar and you’ll shave off some more cals. 

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

  • 200g plain flour
  • 125g butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • Finely zested rind of 1 lemon

For the decoration and filling:

  • 350g royal icing sugar
  • 4-5tbsp lemon juice
  • Yellow food colouring
  • 6-8tbsp lemon curd

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  • Set the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper.
  • To make the biscuits, tip the flour, butter, sugar and lemon zest into the bowl of a food processor and whizz until the mixture just starts to bind together.
  • Knead dough lightly to form a ball. Roll it out on a surface, lightly dusted with flour, to about 3mm thick. Cut out circles using a 7cm round cutter. Put on the prepared baking sheets and repeat until all dough is used.
  • Bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and slide the baking parchment with the biscuits on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
  • To make the icing, tip the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in 4tbsp lemon juice, for about 3-5 minutes. The icing should give a smooth surface in the bowl when the bowl is tapped; if it doesn't adjust the consistency with a little more lemon juice if it's too stiff or more royal icing sugar if it's too soft.
  • Colour the icing yellow and spoon most of it into a piping bag. Add more colouring to the remaining icing and put in another piping bag.
  • To decorate, cut off the ends of the piping bags to give a small hole. Almost cover the top of one biscuit with the pale colour, and, working quickly, before the icing sets, pipe lines of the darker yellow over the top. Draw the tip of a cocktail stick through the icing, in each direction, to feather the icing. Tap biscuits gently to give a smooth surface. Repeat with half the biscuits.
  • Assemble the biscuits by spreading some lemon curd on the un-iced biscuit then place a decorated biscuit on top.

Top tips for making lemon curd cookies 

If you’re looking for some alternative flavour ideas or wondering how to store the biscuits, continue reading below. 

What do you eat lemon curd with?

You can use leftover lemon curd as a cake filling. It’s great instead of jam in a Victoria Sponge. Alternatively you can serve it with scones and cream, drizzled over meringue or some people even enjoy it spread over warm crumpets.

Is my lemon curd too runny?

If you’ve tried making your own lemon curd, first of all, well done! Lemon curd should coat the back of a spoon when it is ready. It will thicken a little as it cools too. If you feel like your lemon curd is too runny to used as a biscuit filling, you could ripple it through some softly whipped cream. 

Can I freeze lemon curd cookies?

The cookies can be frozen if they are not iced or filled. Simply bake, allow to cool and then wrap in cling film or an airtight container. 

To achieve perfect icing we recommend using a piping bag. If you’re worried about using single-use plastic icing bags, consider investing in a set of reusable silicone ones. 

Silicone Piping Bags, 6 pcs Stainless Steel Nozzles Set - View at Amazon

Silicone Piping Bags, 6 pcs Stainless Steel Nozzles Set - <a href="https://amazon.co.uk/Zikrange-Stainless-30cmx17cm-1-Reusable-Decorating/dp/B09BCWDTZM/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=reusable+piping+bag&qid=1691159562&sprefix=reusable+piping%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-10&tag=hawk-future-21&ascsubtag=hawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View at Amazon 

This set includes one reusable piping bag and six different nozzles. The bag can easily be washed and rinsed by hand so you can use it over and over again.

If lemon is your favourite flavour you have to try this Mary Berry lemon drizzle cake recipe. Our lemon curd cake is the perfect way to use up your jar of curd but if you want another cookie recipe, we recommend these easy chocolate chip cookies.

Food & Recipes writer

Sue McMahon is a former Food and Recipes Writer at GoodTo and Cooking Editor at Woman's Weekly. Her primary passion is cakes and Sue regularly travels the world teaching cake decorating. Her biggest achievement to date was winning the Prix d’honneur at La Salon Culinaire International de Londres beating over 1,200 other entries.