Lemon Square Cookies
I know it’s almost Fall baking season, but I had to share these lemon square inspired cookies! There are graham crackers in the cookie base to give them a nice crunch, and the pool of tart and silky lemon curd is the perfect topping. I’m saying goodbye to Summer with these cookies, and they’re the perfect dessert for your Labor Day cookout!
Ingredients for the cookies
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg, room temp.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 cup graham crackers
Ingredients for the lemon curd
1/2 cup lemon juice (can be obtained from 4 small lemons or 2 large ones)
4 egg yolks, room temp.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp.
Directions
*I recommend making the lemon curd first so it has time to cool/set up a bit before you pour it on top of the cookies.
Add egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan. Cook on the stove over medium-low to medium heat, whisking frequently to keep the curd from sticking to the bottom. Once the curd is thickened to your liking (this usually takes around 10 minutes), remove it from the heat.
Set a mesh strainer over a bowl containing the 3 tbsp. of butter and strain the curd into the bowl. Stir the curd and butter together and and allow it to cool. The curd will also continue to thicken as it cools.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Melt butter on stove top. Set aside.
Add sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined.
Add the graham crackers to a food processor and blend until it resembles a fine powder (like flour).
In another bowl, add the flour, graham cracker powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk them until combined.
Once your butter has cooled a bit, add it to the wet ingredients and whisk together.
Form a well in the bottom of your dry mixture, then pour the wet mixture into it. Slowly stir the dry and wet mixture together until just combined.
Chill cookie dough in the refrigerator (15 to 30 minutes is fine).
After the dough has chilled for a bit, either use your clean hands or a cookie scoop and scoop out golf-ball size portions of the dough and place them a couple inches apart on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes (take them out when the edges have browned). Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a 1/4 cup measuring scoop to gently press into the cookies. Press until you form an indent in all of the cookies for your lemon curd. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking rack for an additional 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to continue setting up.
Spoon about a couple teaspoons worth of lemon curd on top of each cookie. Once they’ve fully set up and cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
Makes about 12 to 14 cookies.
Enjoy!
