These are THE BEST lemon cookies you’ll ever make. They’re perfectly zesty, buttery and so tender that they simply melt in your mouth, and they’re baked with a generous dollop of tangy, creamy lemon curd in the centre. And in addition to their incredible flavour, they look gorgeous as well! If you love lemon desserts, you need to try this one.
I’ve found my new favourite lemon cookies – and it’s these AMAZING gluten free lemon curd cookies. They’re insanely lemony, as well as perfectly buttery, tender and moist, and absolutely packed with lemon in pretty much all forms you can think of.
They’re an upgraded and supercharged version of my gluten free lemon crinkle cookies, which are actually one of the most popular recipes on the blog! I took that recipe, made it even more buttery and then stuffed it with lemon curd.
And the result is SPECTACULAR: you get all the zesty, buttery, melt-in-the-mouth goodness of the lemon crinkle cookies, with the added tangy creaminess of the lemon curd. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t stuff any more lemon in there if you tried – these cookies have officially reached maximum lemon capacity, and it’s fabulous.
(I was actually inspired by the amazing lemon curd-stuffed cookies from Buttermilk by Sam and Butternut Bakery. As soon as I saw them, I just knew that I had to add a lemon curd centre to my lemon crinkles – it was simply meant to be!)
Before we get to the bits and bobs of making these amazing cookies – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
The lemoniest of all lemon cookies
I really wanted these to be the ULTIMATE lemon cookies, so I made sure to include both the lemon juice and the lemon zest in both the cookie dough and the filling:
- The lemon curd is made from freshly squeezed lemon juice and I’ve also added the zest of one whole lemon to it, so you get both the tangy freshness of the juice and the aromatic notes from the zest. I like to strain the finished lemon curd to remove the zest and make it extra smooth, but you can skip this step if the texture of the zest in there doesn’t bother you.
- The lemon cookie dough includes the zest of two lemons and also two tablespoons of lemon juice. This makes the cookies incredibly fragrant and you really get a lemony kick in every single bite.
Because we’ll be using plenty of lemon zest, I recommend using unwaxed organic lemons when making this recipe.
Homemade lemon curd
The lemon curd in these cookies is just a slightly tweaked, small-batch version of my go-to, 100% reliable homemade lemon curd recipe.
When developing that recipe, I spent a lot of time making sure that you get the creamiest, most luscious lemon curd possible with no curdling or splitting and no metallic aftertaste. Here are the most important things to keep in mind:
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the maximum amount of essential oils from the zest. This will make your lemon curd extra fragrant.
- Minimise contact with metal – this prevents your lemon curd from developing a metallic aftertaste. I cook my lemon curd in a saucepan with a ceramic (non-metal) coating, stir it with a rubber spatula (not a metal whisk) and also use a plastic/nylon (non-metal) mesh sieve when straining it in the end.
- The cooking method that I use is slightly unusual, in that it’s similar to that for making pastry cream. You whip the sugar, lemon zest and egg yolks together until pale and fluffy, and then slowly drizzle in hot lemon juice. This tempers the egg yolks and reduces the chances of them curdling when you cook the lemon curd. This ensures that your lemon curd will be perfectly smooth and creamy every time.
- Cook the lemon curd over low heat until it thickly coats the back of a spoon or spatula. You don’t want it to come to a boil (you don’t want to see any bubbles forming), you just want it to thicken sufficiently.
The lemon cookie dough
As I’ve mentioned above, these lemon curd cookies are based on my lemon crinkle cookie recipe – with a few extra tweaks. I increased the amount of butter in the cookie dough, both to make it more buttery and also because I wanted the cookies to spread out a bit more in the oven. At the same time, I reduced the amount of baking powder slightly, to better control the cracks that form as the cookies expand during baking.
Making the cookie dough is incredibly straightforward: you just combine all the wet and all the dry ingredients separately, and then mix them together into a fairly loose, runny, batter-like cookie dough. Initially, the mixture will really look more like a batter than a cookie dough – but don’t panic! It needs to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and then it will be firm enough to scoop and assemble the cookies. (You can also keep it in the fridge overnight and assemble the cookies the next day.)
Assembling & baking the lemon curd cookies
After at least 2 hours in the fridge, the lemon cookie dough will be firm enough to scoop, so it’s time for the fun part: assembling the cookies! For this:
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop out portions of the cookie dough.
- Drop a scoop of cookie dough directly into a bowl of powdered/icing sugar and roll it around until it’s evenly coated. The sugar coating will allow you to handle the cookie dough without it sticking, so you can roll it between your palms to form a perfectly round ball.
- Place the sugar-coated cookie dough balls onto a lined baking sheet, with plenty of space between them (as the cookies will spread during baking).
- Use a ½-tablespoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the centre of each cookie dough ball (make sure that you press only halfway through each cookie dough ball, not all the way through).
- Fill the cookies with about 1 (generous) teaspoon of lemon curd.
- Bake!
In the oven, the lemon curd cookies spread beautifully and in a controlled manner – I really optimised the ingredient quantities in the cookie dough so that they don’t end up as misshapen puddles or with too large cracks. So, don’t be tempted to change the recipe!
They need about 9-12 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC). This ensures that the cookies are fully baked through, with a crisp outer surface and a pleasantly soft, buttery, moist interior. It’s also important that you bake them until the lemon curd centre is slightly puffed up but NOT visibly bubbling – this will ensure that it stays beautifully smooth and creamy.
The lemon curd cookies are EVEN BETTER chilled from the fridge!
These cookies are, of course, absolutely amazing both while they’re still warm from the oven and also once they’ve cooled to room temperature.
But to take them from amazing to SPECTACULAR, I recommend keeping them in the fridge and eating them chilled. I tested chilling one cookie just as a random experiment and holy cow, my mind was blown.
When they’re chilled, the lemon flavour comes through even more, but most importantly, the texture of the cookies completely changes. They get denser and fudgier and somehow even more buttery. I am absolutely OBSESSED with these when they’re chilled.
And there you have it – this covers everything you need to know about these incredible gluten free lemon curd cookies. If you love lemon desserts, and especially if you’ve tried and loved my lemon crinkle cookies, I really recommend giving these a try.
Happy baking!!
More amazing lemon desserts
Here are some of my other favourite lemon desserts:
- The Best Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Easy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Strawberry Lemonade Cake
- Gluten Free Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
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Gluten Free Lemon Curd Cookies
These are THE BEST lemon cookies you’ll ever make. They’re perfectly zesty, buttery and so tender that they simply melt in your mouth, and they’re baked with generous dollop of tangy, creamy lemon curd in the centre. And in addition to their incredible flavour, they look gorgeous as well! If you love lemon desserts, you need to try this one.
Print Rate SAVE
4.71 from 31 votes
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook/Bake Time 25 minutes mins
Chill Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Servings 16 cookies
Author Kat | The Loopy Whisk
Ingredients
Lemon curd:
- 100 g (½ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon (Ideally, use organic unwaxed lemons.)
- 3 US large/UK medium egg yolks, room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- 60 g (¼ cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 55 g (½ stick) unsalted butter, cubed
Lemon cookies:
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar
- zest of 2 lemons (Ideally, use organic unwaxed lemons.)
- 115 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
- 2 US large/UK medium eggs, room temperature
- 30 g (2 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 240 g (2 cups) plain gluten free flour blend (I used Doves Farm Freee plain gluten free flour that doesn't have any xanthan gum added.You can also mix your own gluten free flour blend using this recipe.Note that for this homemade blend, 1 cup = 150g, so ideally use a digital food scale for best results.)
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (Omit if your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum.)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 90 g (¾ cup) powdered/icing sugar, for rolling the cookies before baking
Instructions
Lemon curd:
It's best to minimise contact with metal when preparing the lemon curd to prevent it from developing a metallic aftertaste. Therefore, I don't recommend using a metal bowl, metal utensils (such as a metal whisk) or a metal/metal-coated saucepan.
Instead, use a glass or ceramic bowl, a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, and a non-metal saucepan such as one with a ceramic coating.
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a bowl, and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
Tip:This helps to release more essential oils from the zest and it will make your lemon curd extra fragrant.
Add the egg yolks and salt to the lemon-sugar, and mix or whip them until slightly fluffy and paler in colour (no need to use a stand or a hand mixer for this, just whisk them briefly together by hand with a silicone whisk, a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon).
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the lemon juice until it only just comes to a boil.
Add the hot lemon juice to the egg yolk-sugar mixture in a slow drizzle, mixing constantly until you've added all the juice.
Tip: This tempers the egg yolks and reduces the chances of your lemon curd splitting or curdling when you cook it.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook it over low heat with constant stirring until thickened so that itthicklycoats the back of a spoon or spatula. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Don't allow the lemon curd to come to a boil – you shouldn't see any bubbles forming.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it's fully melted.
Pass the lemon curd though a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon zest – this will make it perfectly smooth and creamy (but you can skip this step if you don't mind the texture of the lemon zest).
Tip:I don't recommend using a metal sieve, as contact with metal can give your lemon curd a slight metallic aftertaste. If possible, use a sieve with a plastic or silicone mesh.
Pour the finished lemon curd into a bowl or heat-proof container and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film. Make sure that the plastic wrap/cling film is in direct contact with the surface of the lemon curd – this will prevent skin formation. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. (You can also prepare the lemon curd a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge until needed.)
Lemon cookie dough:
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl, and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
Tip: This helps to release more essential oils from the zest, and it will make your cookies even more lemony and aromatic.
Add the melted butter, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla, and whisk well until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt, and add them to the wet ingredients.
Mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until you get a smooth, batter-like cookie dough.
Tip: At this stage, the cookie dough will really be more like a batter – it will be very loose, soft and sticky, bordering on runny. That's how it should be. Don't add more flour!
Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours before proceeding to the next step. You can also keep it in the fridge overnight if you want to bake the cookies the next day.
Tip: In addition to firming up the cookie dough into something you can actually handle and shape into balls, chilling also ensures that the cookies won’t melt into puddles during baking.
Assembling & baking the cookies:
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line two large baking sheets with parchment/baking paper.
Tip:You will bake the cookies in two batches, so you can line two baking sheets if you have them on hand. Otherwise, just re-use the same baking sheet, but make sure to cool it completely before you place the next batch of unbaked cookies onto it.
Use a 2-tablespoon cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop out a portion of the cookie dough. Drop it directly into a bowl of powdered/icing sugar and roll it around until it’s evenly coated. The sugar coating will allow you to handle the cookie dough without it sticking, so you can roll it between your palms to form a perfectly round ball.
Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough, you should get 16 cookies in total.
Place the sugar-coated cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheets, with plenty of space between them, about 8 per baking sheet (as the cookies will spread during baking).
Use a ½-tablespoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the centre of each cookie dough ball (make sure that you press only halfway through each cookie dough ball, not all the way through).
Fill the cookies with about 1 (generous) teaspoon of lemon curd.
Bake one baking sheet at a time at 350ºF (180ºC) for 9-12 minutes or until the cookies have spread and cracked around the edges and the lemon curd centre is slightly puffed up but NOT visibly bubbling (this will ensure that it stays beautifully smooth and creamy).
While the first batch of cookies is baking, keep the second baking sheet with the cookies in the fridge until needed.
The cookies will be very soft and delicate immediately out of the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These lemon curd cookies are amazing both warm and at room temperature, but I find them to be at their very best when they're chilled from the fridge.
Storage:
The gluten free lemon curd cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to about 1 week.
You might have some lemon curd left over – you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 10 days.
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