Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut two pieces of parchment to fit your baking sheet(s). Using a round cookie cutter, create a pattern by drawing 1 ½ inch circles, spaced about 1 inch apart, on one side of the parchment. Turn the paper over so that the circles are at the bottom. Repeat with the second sheet of parchment. Set aside.
Place a large pastry bag with a large open decorator’s tip in it and set aside.
To prepare the cookie dough :
In a small food processor, combine half of the sugar and the finely grated zest of two lemons. Process until the sugar is light yellow in color and the zest almost disappears.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, lemon infused sugar, remaining granulated sugar, egg yolk, salt and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until foamy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix again. Add flour 3 times, scraping down sides and bottom as needed.
Pipe the cookies :
Pour half of the cookie dough into the prepared piping bag. The dough must be very soft to be used properly. If necessary, place the pastry bag filled with dough in a warm place to soften. You can also rinse your hands under very hot water and then hold the pastry bag for a minute or two to soften it.
Press generous 1 ½ inch pucks using the template as a guide. Cookies should be similar in size so that they match when sandwiched.
Pipe Tips :
For the best possible shape, hold the bag upright from top to bottom with the edge of the tip slightly above the baking sheet. Squeeze the bag firmly until the cookie is almost as wide as the circle. Stop squeezing, pull up and away. If using the Wilton 8B tip, gently press the center of the cookie to smooth with a finger or the back of a small measuring spoon.
This cookie dough is very forgiving. If you don’t like the look of the cookie once it has been cut, put the dough back in the bag and try again.
Bake the cookies until the edges are just starting to brown, about 7 to 11 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookie. NOTE: Cookies go from baked to over-brown in a flash, so watch the baking time carefully. Transfer the cookies to a rack and allow them to cool completely before filling.
To prepare the filling :
Beat all filling ingredients until smooth. Place filling in a pastry bag. Cut a small opening at the end. Arrange all cookies in pairs. Swirl the lemon filling in a whirlpool covering the entire bottom half of half the cookies. You should use about 1 teaspoon of filling per sandwich cookie. Cover with the corresponding cookie to create a sandwich.
Refrigerate or freeze until needed. Take them out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to get the best flavour and texture.
Recipe Notes
Please see the full ticket for additional tips on how to make perfect lemon cookies.
As the dough must be very soft, almost warm, to be piped, it is not recommended to prepare it in advance.