Lemon Bar Cookies
They taste just like classic Lemon Bars!
I love to eat lemon bars & make lemon bars! For the holidays this year, I decided to look for a cookie recipe that had many of those lemon bar flavors & textures. Guess what? I found the recipe!
Enjoy!
xoxo
SiLLibake
Lemon Bar Cookies
They taste just like classic Lemon Bars!
Ingredients:
Yield 24 cookies
Prep 30 mins
Cook 10 mins
Total 40 mins
Lemon Curd:
½ cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
4 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
Cream Cheese Dough:
7 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
3.5 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 whole large egg room temperature
1 large egg yolk room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for rolling
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C.
In a small pot, combine the sugar, lemon juice, yolk, and lemon juice.
Cook over medium-low heat for 12 minutes, stirring constantly until the curd looks vibrant yellow and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the curd into a bowl and stir in the butter.
Set aside to cool completely before using. Place it in the fridge to chill quickly!
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until combined.
Pour in the sugar and mix until fully combined and fluffy.
Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Scoop with a standard cookie scoop (roughly two tablespoons) and drop each one into a bowl of powdered sugar.
Toss the ball in the powdered sugar until fully coated.
Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking tray.
Use the bottom of a tablespoon to press down the top of the dough to create a well, then fill it with one teaspoon of the lemon curd.
Move the cookies to give them at least 2-3 inches of space between them to spread.
If you bake right away, bake for 10 minutes (the cookies will spread out quick a bit, but still taste DELISH) If you want the cookies to stay more in tact, freeze for 20 minutes then bake for 13 minutes.
Let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack then dust with more powdered sugar and enjoy!
Tip
Use a kitchen scale for the best results. Baking by weight is much more accurate than cup measurements!
The best tip for making the lemon curd is to make sure you stir it constantly when it's on the heat. This will keep the eggs from scrambling.
Do not let the lemon curd boil! You should cook it over low heat.
Let the lemon curd cool completely before using. You can place the bowl in the fridge to chill it quickly or leave it out at room temperature for 1 hour before using it.
Drop each dough ball directly into the powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to your hands.
If you prefer a thicker cookie, freeze them for 20-25 minutes until frozen solid then bake for 13 minutes.
Fresh lemons: I recommend fresh lemons for the best and freshest flavor. You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch but I highly recommend fresh!
Egg yolk: You will need egg yolks for both the dough and the lemon curd.
Cream cheese: This recipe has the best results with full-fat cream cheese.
RECIPE BY: Cambrea Bakes
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