Now that the weather is warming up, we’re all dreaming of spring. Sunnier days call for brighter, more fun flavors! Lemon is the perfect spring flavor. It’s bright, happy, and instantly boosts your mood.

These shortbread cookies are insanely soft, tender, and full of flavor! Then they’re filled with delicious lemon curd. You can totally make lemon curd from scratch, but it’s so much easier to buy it. You can find lemon curd near the jams at your local grocery store, Trader Joe’s, and on Amazon.

Top these cookies off with a yummy glaze made with lemon extract and real vanilla bean paste. This recipe is adapted from this Lemon Curd Cookies recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron!

We hope that you try them out and love them!

Lemon Curd Cookies with Lemon Vanilla Bean Glaze

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chill time: 1 hour

Bake time: 8-10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: About 30 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons Lehi Mills Peacock All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons half and half, heavy whipping cream, or whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the room temperature butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as needed. Add in the almond extract, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and salt, and beat until combined. Add flour and mix at low speed, scraping bowl as needed, until ingredients are all combined. Do not over mix the dough.
2. Shape the cookies into 1 tablespoon balls. Next, gently indent the center of each cookie dough ball with a tart press, wood reamer (pictured), or your finger. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined cooking sheet. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (or freeze for 30 minutes).Remove from the refrigerator and add completely lemon curd to fill (but not overfill) the centers of all the cookies. Return tray of cookies to the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges. For a softer cookie, under bake them slightly.
4. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Add the liquid one tablespoon at a time or until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
5. Spoon the glaze into a small plastic bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the glaze in a zig-zag or crosshatch pattern. Let the glaze set until hardened. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.