Lemon meringue cookies recipe

These lemon meringue cookies are style and substance - so pretty and one of the tastiest treats around.

These are the ultimate afternoon snack to have with your cup of tea or coffee. The delicate, lemony biscuits have a fabulous a lemon curd infused cream filling, shot through with crunchy chunks of meringue. They're an absolute delight. The recipe was created by TV chef, Lisa Faulkner. She makes her own lemon curd for the recipe. Of course if you're pressed for time, you can simply use a readymade jar instead. Try to get a really good quality one, so you get the best punch of lemon flavour, and not too much sugariness. However, the curd is so easy to make yourself, and lasts a long time in the fridge afterwards, so we really think it's worth making your own. It takes about 2 hours to make, but it's worth the effort.

Ingredients

For Betty's lemon curd (makes 1 x 420g jar):

• 225g caster sugar
• 60g unsalted butter
• Zest 1 unwaxed lemon
• Juice 2 lemons
• 2 large eggs, beaten

For the biscuits:

• 250g plain flour
• 100g rice flour
• 250g salted butter, softened
• 75g golden caster sugar
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolk

For the filling:

• 200ml double cream
• 3 tbsp Betty’s lemon curd
• 4 meringue shells, crushed

Method

1. For Betty's lemon curd: Put the sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice into a non-stick pan and place over a low heat. Stir gently with a whisk until the butter has melted then whisk in the beaten eggs - you’ll see it start to thicken. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir gently for 10-15 minutes. It should thicken enough to cling to the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. When cool, pour into a sterilised jar.
2. For the biscuits: Sift the flours into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the butter, sugar, lemon zest and egg yolk. Gradually work in the flour using your fingertips until the mixture comes together to form a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes until firm.
3. Preheat the oven 150°C/300°F/gas 2 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Dust the work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm. Cut into discs with a 6cm round cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
4. Bake the biscuits for about 30 minutes until a pale golden colour, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. Meanwhile, whisk the cream to soft peaks then fold through Betty’s lemon curd and crushed meringue. Spoon the mixture onto half the biscuits, then sandwich with the remaining plain biscuits.

Top tips for making lemon meringue cookies

Decorate the tops of the cookies by holding a paper doily or a piece of lace over them, and dusting icing sugar over them so it settled in the gaps.

Store the biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Store the lemon curd in a jar in the fridge and eat within the next month (which shouldn't be too difficult).

You might also like: 

Chocolate chip cookies

Sugar cookies recipe

Peanut butter cookies