Lemon Meringue Cookies with Homemade Lemon Curd Filling
Ingredients – 18 servings
For the lemon cookie dough
- 90 g Butter
- 100 g Granulated Sugar
- 1 pcs Egg
- 1 pcs Egg yolk
- 1 zest of organic lemon Lemon Zest
- 15 ml, freshly squeezed Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (optional) Vanilla Extract
- 195 g, BL65 Kecskeméti Kende pastry flour Flour
- 3 g Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
For the homemade lemon curd
- 3 pcs Egg yolk
- 90 g Granulated Sugar
- 2–3 g (about ½ teaspoon) Cornstarch
- 80 ml, freshly squeezed Lemon juice
- 1 lemon zest Lemon Zest
- 60 g Butter
For tossing
- as needed Granulated Sugar
- as needed Powdered Sugar
Preparation
Making Homemade Lemon Curd In the lemon juice, dissolve the cornstarch. In a heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks, granulated sugar, the cornstarch lemon juice, and the grated lemon zest. While stirring continuously, heat over medium heat to 82–84 °C until the cream thickens and coats the spatula. Remove from heat, add the butter, and stir until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Preparing the Cookie Dough Cream the softened butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and the egg yolk, then incorporate the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, and optional vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt, then mix into a uniform, soft dough.
Chilling the Dough Cover the dough, then refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours to chill sufficiently and become moldable. The chilling time is in addition to the preparation and baking time.
Shaping and Coating in Sugar From the chilled dough, measure out 25 g portions and shape them into balls. First roll them in granulated sugar, then coat them thoroughly in powdered sugar. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced appropriately, then refrigerate the baking sheet for an additional 20 minutes.
Pre-baking and Filling Preheat the oven to 190 °C in top and bottom baking mode. Place the baking sheet in the oven, and after 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 °C. After a total of 10 minutes of baking, remove the baking sheet. Gently press a small indentation in the center of each cookie, then fill with the cold lemon curd.
Finishing the Baking Return the baking sheet to the 180 °C oven and bake for an additional 5–7 minutes. The edges of the cookies should firm up, but the insides should remain soft. The total baking time is 15–17 minutes.
Cooling and Serving The freshly baked cookies are still soft and fragile, so let them cool on the baking sheet. They will firm up and become crumbly as they cool.
Tip: • Fill the cookies with completely cold lemon curd.
Tip: • Do not skip the 2–3 hour chilling of the dough and the additional 20 minutes for the balls.
Tip: • First roll the balls in granulated sugar, then generously in powdered sugar.
• Do not overbake: let the still soft cookies cool on the baking sheet.
