Lemon Bar Cookies

These lemon bar cookies take your classic lemon bars and put them in a delicious cookie that celebrates the tartness of lemons in a melt in your mouth buttery cookie. You'll be dreaming about these cookies. 

What you'll love about it

If you are a fan of lemon desserts like a lemon meringue cheesecake or lemon blueberry cupcakes, these cookies are going to be a new favorite. 

This recipe celebrates everything you love about the best lemon bars in a delicious cookie you can share with everyone. It uses a delicious cream cheese cookie base that is soft and tangy and tastes like your favorite soft butter cookie. It is then topped with a bright sweet and tart homemade lemon curd. 

These cookies pack a lot of flavor using only pantry staple ingredients you can easily find in your local grocery store. Each component can all be made ahead of time, too, making it great for batch baking. 

It's one of those cookies that you'll have fun making and have even more fun sharing with others while you watch their eyes light up in delight as they take their first bite. 

If you love cookies and want to learn the science behind the best cookies, check out my cookbook Cookie School. 

Key ingredients

These amazing lemon bar cookies use only simple ingredients you can easily find in the grocery store if you don't have them already. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below. 

• Lemon - It is important to use fresh lemons and fresh lemon juice for the perfect flavor. The zest and juice play a vital role in the flavor of the recipe. You can use an organic bottled lemon juice in a pinch, but that may mean you won't be using the zest, and you will miss out on that brightness. I do not recommend using lemon extract. 
• Cornstarch - The use of cornstarch adds to the soft, fluffy texture of the cookie base. It is optional, but i do recommend replacing it with more flour. You can also add a teaspoon or two to the curd so that it gets thick enough for the cookies. 
• Cream cheese - Use room temperature full-fat block cream cheese for the best texture in the cookies and that delicious tanginess. The cookies don't have an overly pronounced cream cheese flavor, but it does improve the flavor a lot and add to the texture of the cookies. 
• Egg - Eggs play an important role because you need them for the curd and the cookie base. Typically, I like to use whole eggs in the lemon curd, but this particular recipe really does better with both whole eggs and yolks. 
• Powdered sugar - Just like my favorite homemade lemon bar recipe, these are finished with powdered sugar in two ways. First, the cookie dough is rolled in powdered sugar and then the whole thing is dusted with powdered sugar in the end. 

How to make

These cookies have two components: a soft and chewy cookie base that is then topped with tart lemon filling. Both can be made in advance before you are ready to bake them, making them a great weekend baking project. 

1. Make your lemon curd filling. Mix the lemon zest, sugar, and salt together in a double boiler set over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the lemon juice and stir well and cook until it simmers. While it is cooking, add the eggs and yolks to a small bowl and whisk well. 
3. Drizzle in one third of the heated lemon mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.
4. Add the egg mixture into the double boiler and stir constantly, scraping the sides and bottom until the mixture thickens and can fully coat the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature then strain into an airtight container and chill until ready to use. 
6. Make the cookie base. Add the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.
7. Add in the eggs and beat well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
8. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add to the wet ingredients. Stir until the flour is fully incorporated. 
9. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour, or preferably overnight. 
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.
11. Portion out the dough and toss in powdered sugar.
12. Create an indentation in the centers and add in the lemon curd. 
13. Bake until the edges are a delicate golden brown. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Amanda's baking tips

The most important way to ensure you get the best results is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the all-purpose flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep of the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.

It is important to use all room temperature ingredients because it helps everything to incorporate well together. You can quickly bring your eggs to room temperature by leaving them in very warm water for five minutes before cracking them. 

Use full-fat block cream cheese. Any other type will result in a cookie dough that is too loose and may separate. 

Don't overmix the dough when adding in the dry ingredients! You want to mix just until there are no streaks of flour. Mixing too much can develop the gluten in the all-purpose flour which will leave you with dry, tough cookies. 

You can chill the cookie dough for longer to further develop the flavor. The great thing about these cookies is the dough is soft enough that you don't need to wait for the dough to warm to portion out the cookies. In fact, it works better when the cookies are chilled and more firm to portion them. 

Making your own lemon curd filling gives you the ability to control the vibrancy, thickness, and balance of sweet/tart to suit your personal tastes and that of the recipe. You can use a store-bought curd, but make sure it is one that has minimal ingredients, uses primarily egg yolks, and isn't overly runny. I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of flour to store bought curd to make sure it is thick enough when baked. 

The best lemon curd is made low and slow. Take your time heating up the curd and letting it thicken. I like to add lemon zest to my lemon curd and in the instructions I tell you to strain it out, but if you don't mind the added texture, you can leave it in. 

Homemade lemon curd can be made days in advance, up to a week in advance. Allow it to cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container to store in the refrigerator. 

Storage tips

Lemon bar cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Unbaked cookie dough without the lemon curd may be frozen. You need to portion out the dough and freeze for at least an hour on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. To thaw, leave in the refrigerator overnight, then leave on the counter for 15 - 20 minutes before continuing on with the recipe.

If you want to freeze the cookie dough prepped with the lemon curd, you must first prep the cookies in the powdered sugar and add the curd, then freeze completely on a baking sheet. Place in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer. Thaw for an hour or two in the refrigerator before baking.

You can learn more about freezing cookie dough with this simple guide. 

FAQs

Recipe Card