Lemon Sandwich Cookies: Recipe for Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Lemon sandwich cookies are two cookies with a sweet and bright lemon cream filling. Some recipes only have lemon flavor in the cookie, others have it in the cream, and some have lemon in both.

You can add lemon flavor to any of these standard cookie recipes:

1. 1. Butter cookies: For a sweet, buttery, and zesty cookie, start with a butter cookie recipe. Add lemon zest to the cookie dough and incorporate lemon juice into the filling or glaze. Refrigerate the dough before scooping to make molding the cookies to a similar size more manageable.
2. 2. Cream cheese cookies: Soft and chewy cream cheese cookies are tangy and complement a bold lemon flavor. Whip the lemon zest and the lemon juice with cream cheese and granulated sugar to create a light and fluffy cookie dough. A soft cookie prevents the filling from squishing out when you bite it.
3. 3. Shortbread cookies: Buttery and crumbly shortbread cookies are ideal for making sandwich cookies. They’re soft enough to bite into but have a distinct crumble from the lack of eggs. Roll shortbread cookie dough into a log and freeze it. Cut the log into even slices to serve as the top and bottom of the sandwich cookie.
4. 4. Sugar cookies: These cut-out cookies are a classic choice for sandwich cookies. Sugar cookies are soft and chewy or thin and crisp, depending on the recipe. Both varieties of sugar cookies work for sandwich cookies.

To enhance the lemony flavor of your sandwich cookies, try these sweet filling options:

1. 1. Lemon buttercream: Make a standard buttercream recipe with butter and powdered sugar and beat in lemon zest, lemon juice, or lemon extract.
2. 2. Lemon curd: Dollop sweet and tart lemon curd in between two cookies for a rich treat. Lemon curd is soft, so use a soft cookie recipe to ensure the curd remains in the middle of the cookies instead of squishing out the side when you bite in.
3. 3. Lemon pastry cream: A popular doughnut or pie filling, pastry cream has a similar texture to pudding. Start with a vanilla pastry cream base and incorporate lemon zest with the granulated sugar and cornstarch mixture.
4. 4. White chocolate ganache: Thick and creamy ganache holds its shape when cold or at room temperature, making it a good filling option for sandwich cookies. Bring heavy cream to a boil and pour it over an equal amount of white chocolate chips. Stir the mixture until it comes together and is smooth and shiny.