Description
Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies: A playful, bite-sized treat that captures the magic of classic lemon meringue pie in a soft, airy cookie, filled with lemon curd and topped with lightly toasted meringue.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup lemon curd
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest, mixing until combined.
- Gradually mix in flour and salt to form a soft dough.
- Scoop dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet.
- Press a small indentation into the center of each cookie.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, then remove and gently reinforce the centers if needed.
- Fill each center with lemon curd and let cool slightly.
- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form, then slowly add sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.
- Pipe or spoon meringue onto each cookie.
- Bake for an additional 5–7 minutes, until meringue is lightly golden.
- Cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the indentation is well-formed so the lemon curd stays in place during the second bake.
- For a stronger lemon flavor, add a touch more lemon zest or a thin lemon extract drop to the dough.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be refrigerated for longer freshness.
- If you don’t have lemon curd on hand, use store-bought or homemade lemon curd to fill the centers.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: First bake 10–12 minutes; second bake 5–7 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 92 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg
Keywords: Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies, lemon cookies, meringue cookies, lemon curd cookies, bite-sized lemon desserts, citrus cookies