My mom used to make something similar to these and I’m so happy I found this recipe.

These Lemon Tea Cookies are a delightful treat, perfect for enjoying with a warm cup of tea or coffee. Delicate and slightly crisp cookies infused with bright lemon flavor are either sandwiched together with a creamy lemon filling or served as beautifully frosted single layers.

Lemon Tea Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

For the Filling:

Instructions:

1. Cream Butter and Sugar (Cookies): In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take at least 5 minutes of beating.
2. Add Wet Ingredients (Cookies): Stir in the salt, egg yolk (at room temperature), vanilla extract, lemon extract, and milk or cream to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.
3. Add Flour (Cookies): Gradually add the all-purpose flour to the wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms.
4. Chill Dough (Cookies): Divide the dough into two equal halves. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight to allow the dough to firm up.
5. Preheat Oven (Baking): When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
6. Roll and Cut Dough (Baking): On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the first half of the chilled dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch (or thinner for crispier cookies). Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Re-roll any scraps of dough to cut out more cookies.
7. Bake Cookies (Baking): Place the cut-out cookies onto a baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned and the edges are crispy.
8. Bake Second Batch (Baking): Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with the second half of the chilled dough.
9. Cool Cookies (Baking): Allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely for about 30 minutes.
10. Prepare Filling: While the cookies are cooling, prepare the lemon filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, softened cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon extract, and grated orange zest. Blend all the filling ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
11. Add Powdered Sugar and Coloring (Filling): Gradually add the powdered sugar to the creamy mixture, blending until the filling is smooth and reaches your desired consistency. If desired, add 2 drops of yellow food coloring and mix until evenly incorporated.
12. Assemble Cookies: Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can assemble them in two ways:
    • Sandwich Cookies: Spread a generous amount of the lemon filling on the flat side of one cookie and top it with a second cookie to create a sandwich.
    • Frosted Cookies: Alternatively, you can spread the lemon filling on the top of each cookie using a knife or pipe it on using a piping bag for a decorative look.
13. Serve and Store: Serve these delightful Lemon Tea Cookies with hot tea or coffee for a tasty treat. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.