Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies

Gorgeous chewy lemon cookies topped with homemade lemon curd and the most marshmallowy toasted meringue. 

These aren’t just your average easy-peasy 20-minute cookies. I mean, I don’t think they’re difficult, and they certainly can be simplified with a store bought lemon curd (not my fav though option though), but they require a little work. Work that is well worth it, if you ask me.

Similar to my Buckeye Cookies and Chocolate Strawberry Cookies, it’s just kind of a level-it-up cookie…a cookie to impress people, not “just a cookie”.  

How To Make Lemon Meringue Cookies

I adapted this from my all-time favorite cookie base: my brown sugar cookie dough. But instead of brown sugar we’re doing granulated sugar with lemon zest, and then I replaced the egg white with lemon juice and extra egg yolk. 

If you’ve made any of my lemon meringue recipes like my cupcakes or cheesecake, then you’re good to go, but if you’re not familiar with making lemon curd or with homemade meringue, I highly encourage you to read those posts before making them for the first time. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter: I browned the butter for the cookies because that’s the original base of my dough. If you’re trying to skip this step, make sure you weigh out the reduced amount of butter, which is 93 grams instead of the original amount of 113 grams.
• Sugar: I use granulated sugar in the cookies, lemon curd, and meringue. I don’t recommend reducing it because it provides stability and moisture. 
• Egg: I used 2 egg yolks in the cookie dough and one extra egg yolk in the lemon curd so that leaves us with 3 perfect egg whites for the meringue (you’re welcome). 
• Baking powder: I don’t recommend swapping this for baking soda – it changes the spreading and browning of the cookies.
• Lemon: we’re using the lemon zest and juice so make sure you get some gorgeous fresh lemons. Old ones don’t zest well and that’s what gives a lot of flavor. 
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour, I haven’t tested this without other types, but all my other cookie recipes work fine with gluten-free flour blends as well. I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale for all the ingredients but especially flour. 
• Vanilla: I like using vanilla bean paste but pure vanilla extract works too.

Step-by-Step Photos

Lemon Curd

1. Combine the sugar, eggs, lemon juice & zest, butter and salt in a small nonstick or enameled (NOT metal) saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Whisk continuously until it thickens and reaches about 170F (77C), about 5 minutes. The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 
3. While it’s still hot, press the curd through a sieve into another bowl/jar, cover it and allow it to cool completely. 

Lemon Cookies

1. In a small pot, over medium heat, brown the butter for 5-10 minutes, stirring intermittently until it begins to bubble and foam.
2. Stir continuously until you see the milk solids browning and settling on the bottom. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
3. Zest the lemon on top of the sugar in a medium bowl and use your fingers to rub them together well until they’re well combined. 
4. Add the brown butter to the sugar and whisk well until it’s combined. 
5. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, and vanilla and whisk aggressively for 2-3 minutes, until it’s smooth and has lightened in color.
6. Add the dry ingredients and fold the cookie dough just until there are no more streaks of flour.
7. Freeze cookie dough for at least 15-30 minutes, or refrigerate for longer until it’s firm enough to scoop and roll. Scoop eight 2-ounce cookies.
8. Refrigerate after scooping again, about 15 minutes if you need it to firm up even more, then roll them between your hands to make them smooth balls. It shouldn’t stick to your hands but it also won’t be rock hard.
9. Bake one sheet on the middle rack for 10ish minutes then remove, bang on the counter, use a round biscuit cutter to scoot them around so they’re round and return to the oven for another 4ish minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown and they feel set. The centers will be puffed and settle down when you tap it on the counter.
10. Remove from the oven and tap the pan on the counter & use the biscuit cutter again to scoot them around so they’re perfectly round. Let them cool for a couple of minutes but then use a tablespoon or small cup to make a little indentation in the center to hold the lemon curd. 

Toasted Meringue

1. Whisk sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites over a double boiler. 
2. Sugar has to be fully dissolved in the egg whites before whipping & reaches 170F (77C). 
3. Egg whites and sugar fully whipped into a fluffy meringue, about 10 minutes. 
4. Once the cookies and lemon curd have cooled, spread about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd on top of the cookies. Refrigerate or freeze for a couple of minutes to set the top. 
5. Use a piping bag with a round piping tip to frost the top of the cookies and toast them using a culinary torch. 

How To Store Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies

These definitely need to be refrigerated because of the meringue and the lemon curd, so I recommend placing them in an airtight container and refrigerating them for up to a week. Freeze if it’s any longer than that. Bring back closer to room temperature before serving or eat cold. 

To freeze the cookies, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving. 

I don’t like to stack my cookies because of the toppings so I just place them on a thin tray and wrap it in plastic wrap. 

Love, B