Lemon Bar Cookies
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Easy Lemon Bar Cookies are made with a soft, chewy and buttery cookie base and filled with a homemade tart lemon curd filling! They have all the same delicious flavors as traditional lemon bars, but in a cookie form!
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Lemon Bar Cookies
Lemon lovers will be in heaven with these Lemon Bar Cookies! They are easier to make than lemon bars and are filled with the perfect amount of lemon flavor in both the cookie dough and homemade lemon curd.
The cookies are super soft, chewy, and will melt in your mouth- similar to a shortbread crust. The lemon filling is creamy, zesty and has the perfect amount of sweetness. You won’t believe how much these taste like classic Lemon Bars and the little effort it takes to whip them up.
Lemon Bar Cookies are perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, Spring parties, or anytime you’re craving lemon bars! Make them all year long since lemons are always available but they are extra delicious in the Spring when lemons are at their best.
Other delicious Lemon Cookies to try are my Lemon Pudding Mix Cookies, Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, Lemon Shortbread Cookies, and Mini Lemon Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
key ingredients
- Lemon juice and fresh lemon zest: The star ingredients! You can’t leave this one out. Make sure to use lemon juice from fresh lemons- bottled lemon juice won’t work as it will make the flavor taste different. You can also use Meyer Lemons but they will make the cookies have a sweeter flavor instead of a zesty lemon flavor from regular lemons. If you want these to have extra lemon flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract or add more lemon juice and zest.
- Cornstarch: This will help make the cookies extra soft and tender. A little goes a long way.
- Granulated sugar: White sugar to add sweetness.
- Eggs: 1 whole large egg and an egg yolk, it’s best if the eggs are at room temperature so it incorporates in the dough better.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Adds a warm flavor and helps balance the tartness from the lemons.
- Almond extract: This is optional but it makes such a good addition and compliments the lemon and vanilla flavor so well.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level regular all-purpose flour when measuring it. Be sure not to scoop it out of the bag using the measuring cup. This way, you won’t accidentally measure out too much. You can also swap the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour if you want a healthier alternative.
- Baking powder: Used as a leavening agent.
- Butter: We use salted butter that’s softened at room temperature. If you use unsalted butter, make sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- Powdered sugar: Used in the cookie dough and to coat the cookie dough balls to give them a sweet exterior. This will help make the cookies so soft, they will melt in your mouth.
how to make Lemon Bar Cookies
To make the curd
Whisk curd ingredients in a saucepan: In a small or medium saucepan on medium-low heat, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Cook for about 10 minutes until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. The color should be bright yellow.
Add butter: Remove the curd from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until the butter has melted.
Cool lemon curd: Transfer the curd to a bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes and then place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the cookies
Cream butter and sugar: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until combined.
Add remaining wet ingredients: Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Mix dry ingredients together: Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture: Mix until cookie dough has formed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and be sure not to over-mix.
Scoop cookie dough: Use a cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls (equivalent to 2 tablespoons). Roll dough balls into powdered sugar (optional). Place on prepared cookie sheet place 2 inches apart.
Fill cookies with lemon curd: Use the back of a tablespoon and gently press an indentation into the top of each cookie. Add about 1 1/2-2 teaspoons of lemon curd to the center of each cookie.
Bake, cool, and enjoy! Bake for 11-12 minutes and let cookies cool for a few minutes, then cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Dust with more powdered sugar and enjoy!
pro tips
- Room temperature ingredients: For best results, it’s important that your eggs and butter are at room temperature. They incorporate with the other ingredients so much better when at room temperature. This will also help your cookies stay tender and soft.
- More lemon flavor: Add more lemon juice or extra lemon zest to the cookie dough for an extra zesty flavor.
- Cool lemon curd: Make sure the lemon curd is completely cooled when you add them to the cookies. Place the bowl in the freezer if you need to speed up the cooling process.
- Leftover lemon curd: If you have extra lemon curd you can use it on top of waffles, pancakes, add it to yogurt bowl, ice cream or eat it just as it is. Don’t let that good stuff go to waste!
recipe variations
- Lemon bar cookie cups: Bake these in mini muffin tin instead of a cookie shape to make little cooke cups.
- Sparkling sugar: Use sparkling sugar instead of powdered granulated to make them look extra sparkly.
- Gluten-free cookies: Swap the regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour.
- Store-bought curd: If you are in a pinch for time, you can use store bought lemon curd from the grocery store, just be sure to leave it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Our lemon curd recipe is super easy and quick to make so I always recommend making it from scratch!
leftovers & storage
Store cookies: Store the cookies in an airtight container or cover dish with plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days and then then transfer them to the refrigerator to store for a few more days. Enjoy cold or let them come to room temperature for a few minutes.
Freeze cookies: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze or harden. Once hard, place the cookies in a large freezer bag or stack in an airtight container layered with parchment paper. Store for up to 3 months- when ready to serve, remove from the freezer to thaw until softened.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough Balls: Freeze cookie dough balls by placing the balls of dough on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes or until hardened. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a large ziplock bag or airtight freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Be sure to store the lemon curd separately in an airtight container.
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Lemon Bar Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup salted butter cut in cubes
Lemon Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar plus more to roll dough balls in
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
To make the curd
- In a small or medium saucepan on medium-low heat, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Cook for about 10 minutes until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. The color should be bright yellow.
- Remove the curd from the heat and add in the butter. Stir until the butter has melted.
- Transfer the curd to a bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes and then place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until combined.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until cookie dough has formed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and be sure not to over-mix.
- Use a mini ice cream scoop to form cookie dough balls (equivalent to 2 tablespoons). Roll dough balls into powdered sugar (optional). Place on prepared cookie sheet place 2 inches apart.
- Use the back of a tablespoon and gently press an indentation into the top of each cookie. Add about 1 1/2-2 teaspoons of lemon curd to the center of each cookie.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes and let cookies cool for a few minutes, then cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Dust with more powdered sugar and enjoy!
