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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Published on: February 24, 2016 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 15, 2025 15 Comments

    Lemon Curd Shortbread Cookies

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    Jump to Recipe
    A plate of lemon linzer cookies ready to be eaten.

    Learm how to make the best lemon curd shortbread cookies with this easy recipe. These lemon coconut cookies are made with coconut shortbread cookies and filled with homemade lemon curd, just like linzer cookies.

    A gift box of lemon curd-filled cookies.
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    The lemon curd-filled shortbread cookies are made from coconut shortbread cookies, made with a cookie recipe very similar to linzer cookies and pâte sucrée. Traditionally linzer cookies are made with ground almond, so we replaced it with ground coconut and filled the cookies with lemon curd before sandwiching them together.

    For this recipe, you will need lemon curd. I highly suggest learning how to make homemade lemon curd and using that for these cookies. The flavour is unmatched! These cookies have a similar vibe to the classic jam-filled shortbread cookies that everybody loves.

    Jump to:
    • What You Need to Make These Lemon Coconut Cookies
    • Variations and Other Fillings to Try
    • How to Make Lemon Curd-Filled Cookies
    • Other Sandwich Cookies
    • 📖 Recipe

    What You Need to Make These Lemon Coconut Cookies

    These lemon linzer cookies are made from simple ingredients, but here are a few things to note about them:

    Ingredients to make coconut shortbread cookies with a lemon curd filling measured out.
    • butter—I used unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add later or the cookies may be too salty
    • sugar—I used granulated sugar to give these cookies the sandy texture that I love in shortbread cookies
    • eggs, for the egg yolk—I used a large egg for the yolk. The yolk usually weighs 16–18 grams
    • ground coconut—use finely ground coconut (also called coconut for macaroons) or grind shredded coconut using the pulse function on a food processor or a spice grinder to get a finer texture (similar to ground almond if you can). Do not over-process the coconut because it may turn to "coconut butter"
    • salt—I use Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher Salt. If using table salt, add half the amount because the cookies might be too salty otherwise.
    • flour—I always bake with bleached all-purpose flour, but unbleached will likely work fine in this recipe
    • lemon curd—I prefer to use homemade lemon curd but store-bought will also work in a pinch. Use the best you can afford!

    Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

    Variations and Other Fillings to Try

    In the shortbread cookie, the most obvious variation you can try is replacing the ground coconut with your favourite ground nut. Ground pistachio would be excellent, for example!

    This recipe will also work well with a variety of fillings:

    • Other fruit curds—passion fruit curd to make passion fruit coconut cookies or grapefruit curd grapefruit coconut cookies (this is a surprisingly excellent combination)
    • Jams, like this classic strawberry jam
    • Marmalades, like this three fruit marmalade or a classic orange marmalade. Even lime marmalade would be really interesting with the coconut!
    • Chocolate—milk chocolate ganache or dark chocolate ganache (make sure the ganache is set and thick so you can pipe between two cookies using a piping bag) to make chocolate coconut cookies
    • Caramel—this dulce de leche, which I've used to fill alfajores will also work great here

    How to Make Lemon Curd-Filled Cookies

    If you are using homemade lemon curd to make these lemon coconut cookies, make the curd at least 1 day ahead to ensure it has fully set and thickened.

    Combining butter and sugar in a stand mixer bowl before adding an egg yolk, salt, and then finely ground coconut to make coconut shortbread cookie dough.

    Step 1: Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer bowl (image 1) and mix until light and creamy before adding the egg yolk and salt (image 2). Add the coconut (image 3).

    Mixing flour into coconut cookie dough before shaping into a disk and wrapping in plastic wrap.

    Step 2—Add the flour (image 4) and stir until the coconut dough comes together (image 5). Then divide the dough into two equal pieces, pat into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap (image 6) to chill until firm.

    Cutting out cookies with cookie cutters to make lemon curd linzer cookies.

    Step 3—Roll out the cookie dough, one disk at a time, between sheets of parchment paper or on a floured surface. It's forgiving. Reroll the scraps as you go, chilling when the dough is too soft. Cut out cookies using round or fluted cookie cutters and a set of stars or hearts to cut the windows (image 7). You will need 24 bottoms and 24 tops with a window. Chill the cutouts thoroughly before baking to minimize the cookies spreading. Use a pastry brush to brush off any excess flour before baking.

    Tip: This dough is very rich so it will be hard to work with when very cold, but also very delicate as it warms up. The good news is that you can press it together if it cracks or tears. You can chill the dough after rolling it out before cutting it, to make it easier to work with. Use a mini offset spatula to unstick any cookies that get stuck.

    Coconut shortbread cookies before and after baking on a sheet pan.

    Step 4—Transfer the chilled cookies to a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them out and staggering them (image 8). You should be able to fit 8, if not 12 cookies per half sheet pan. I find the bake is more even if you bake all the bottom cookies separately from all the top window cookies (which can take a minute less to bake without browning too much). As you can see in image 9, when baking the top and bottom cookies on the same pan, the baking can be a little uneven.

    Topping coconut shortbread cookies with lemon curd before sandwiching them together.

    Step 5—Once the cookies have cooled, flip over the bottom cookies to reveal the underside and top each with a dollop of lemon curd. Top each with a window cookie, twisting to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate to set so the filling firms up sufficiently before serving.

    A plate of lemon-curd filled cookies with a jar of lemon curd on the side.

    Other Sandwich Cookies

    Sandwich cookies take a little more time, but they are definitely worth it! Here are a few other sandwich cookie recipes to try:

    • Homemade alfajores cookies on plates served with coffee.
      Alfajores
    • Spreading maple butter filling on maple shortbread to sandwich together and make maple cream cookies.
      Maple Cream Cookies
    • shortbread cutout cookies sandwiched with strawberry jam filling
      Jam-filled shortbread cookies
    • whoopie pies
      Candy cane chocolate whoopie pies

    If you tried this recipe for the best lemon coconut cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📖 Recipe

    A plate of lemon curd-filled shortbread cookies with a jar of lemon curd on the side.

    Lemon Coconut Cookies

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    Learn how to make the most delicious lemon coconut cookies with this recipe. These coconut shortbread cookies are sandwiched together with homemade lemon curd.
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 11 minutes mins
    Chill time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 41 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Austrian
    Servings 24 sandwich cookies
    Calories 147 kcal

    Equipment

    • OXO balloon whisk
    • Heart cutters
    • Rolling pin
    • Sheet pan
    Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 173 grams unsalted butter softened
    • 100 grams granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 1 large egg yolk(s)
    • 55 grams ground coconut store-bought or made in a spice grinder from shredded unsweetened coconut
    • 188 grams bleached all-purpose flour
    • 250 mL lemon curd

    Instructions
     

    • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and sugar until it is creamy and soft.
    • Add the salt and the egg yolk, and beat it until it is very well mixed, scraping down the sides as needed with a spatula.
    • Beat in the ground coconut, mix well, then add the flour. Mix on low until the dough forms. Divide the dough in two, pat into disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for about 1 hour.
    • Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment.
    • Roll out one disk of dough to a thickness of about ¼"-⅛" (not too thick, but not too thin). Cut out 2¼ inch (5.7 cm) circles with the dough, re-rolling the scraps to cut out more circles. You will end up with about 24 cutouts. Chill them on parchment-lined sheets for at least 15 minutes (30 minutes is better), then bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges begin to brown a little. Let cool 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Repeat the rolling and cutting with the 2nd disk of dough to make 24 more circles, but this time, cut out a window with a small heart cutter or another small circle cookie cutter. Chill and bake as before. You should now how 24 top cookies with windows and 24 bottom cookies to make sandwiches.
    • When the cookies are cool, dollop a scant teaspoon of curd on the centre of each bottom cookie and top with a window cookie, twisting gently to glue them together.

    Notes

    • You can replace the coconut with any finely ground nuts. Ground pistachio would be wonderful in this recipe with the lemon curd filling!
    • You can use many fillings to sandwich between these cookies, not just lemon curd:
      • other fruit curds, like passion fruit or grapefruit curd
      • jams, like classic strawberry jam
      • marmalades, like three fruit marmalade, orange marmalade, or even lime marmalade
      • chocolate ganache, like milk chocolate ganache or dark chocolate ganache (after setting)
    • Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 147kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 57mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 191IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.5mg
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    Comments

    1. Maria says

      September 21, 2019 at 11:50 am

      Janice,
      Thank you for your blog!
      I made the cookies and they were amazing! I don't normally care much for coconut but they were very buttery, melted in your mouth, with subtle coconut flavor.
      The dough was too sticky to roll even after chilling. So, I made 1 tsp balls with a cookie scoop, flattened them and froze for 30 min, then baked.
      The curd was too thin: it could have been small egg yolks (I used 5 however). Maybe putting egg yolks weight would be helpful. But I turned the curd into grapefruit butter cream by adding 1 stick of whipped butter.
      Thanks again! This recipe is a keeper!

      Reply
    2. Faye Rodriguez says

      November 20, 2016 at 10:55 am

      Hi! Sorry for all the questions - How long will these cookies keep with the curd in them? Do they get soggy is made ahead of time? Do they need to be stored in the refrigerator?

      Reply
    3. Sarah | (Cooking for) Kiwi and Bean says

      February 28, 2016 at 8:31 pm

      Do you ship to Toronto???!!! Seriously these look so amazing!

      Reply
    4. Sean says

      February 26, 2016 at 10:00 pm

      These are beautiful. I made lemon curd for the first time a year or so ago, and now I can't get enough. It's just the sunniest, most spectacular little splash of sweetness. These look amazing. Seriously, how do you control your portions with all this incredible baking?

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:37 am

        Thanks, Sean! I exercise about 6 hours a week (ugh), and I also try to give away as much as possible because I've noticed over the years, I tend to hit the cookies a little harder 😉

        Reply
    5. christelle is flabbergasting says

      February 26, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      Your warning on bad lemon curd from grocery stores reminds me something! 😉

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:35 am

        Absolutely! Hehe! If it weren't for that project, I would have never known how bad store-bought lemon curd is!

        Reply
    6. Justine @ JustineCelina.com says

      February 26, 2016 at 1:24 pm

      I love the sound of these cookies, Janice! So fresh and springy -- what a unique combination of flavours. They're absolutely adorable, too. Have a fantastic weekend!

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:36 am

        Thanks! It IS very spring! Has me excited for Easter, actually too 🙂

        Reply
    7. Vicky Chin says

      February 26, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      These cookies look so good! I am drooling!
      Will definitely try your recipe! ?

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:38 am

        Yay! I'm so excited for you to try the recipe! And even if you only make the cookie part, it is totally worth it. They are buttery-coconut-delicious 😉

        Reply
    8. Carrie says

      February 26, 2016 at 12:50 pm

      What a great flavour combination. Pinned too!

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:38 am

        Thanks and I really appreciate the pin too!

        Reply
    9. Meaghan says

      February 26, 2016 at 11:45 am

      These cookies look heavenly!! The tart curd sounds like such a great balance to the coconut cookie. I'm with you on the use of 'disgusting' when it comes to store bought curd. As a non baker I have to say making a curd is not difficult, it sounds/looks/tastes like it would be but it really isn't. If I can do it anyone can!!

      Reply
      • Janice says

        February 27, 2016 at 11:35 am

        I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that store-bought curd is awful. And plus, Martha Stewart even has recipes where all the ingredients of the curd are combined in the saucepan at the beginning, so no tempering, just careful whisking. It's THAT easy!

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes

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