Lemon curd is so refreshing that I needed a cookie that would not compete with its fresh lemon taste. Meringue cookies are the perfect choice because they are light, airy, and have little taste if you do not add any extracts.
I just finished making a batch of lemon curd for my lemon cheesecake bites last week and had some left over. This cookie is a great way to finish my leftover lemon curd.
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Ingredients for Lemon Curd and Meringue Cookies
Lemon Curd
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Sugar white
- Butter unsalted
- Eggs
Meringue Cookies
- Egg whites
- Cream of tarter
- Sugar white
Making Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is easy to make. It takes about 45 minutes, and I usually make it the day before I need it.
Add all the ingredients for the lemon curd to a small saucepan and turn the burner on to medium-low heat. Stir continuously for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how fast your burner brings the ingredients up to the point where the curd starts to thicken. You want it to coat your spoon.
Sometimes, a small amount of the eggs will have scrambled, so I always strain my lemon curd to get that silky curd.
Let it sit in the bowl after straining so it cools a little. I use small glass mason jars for my curds.
Pour the curd into the glass jar and lay a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the curd. This helps to stop a crust from forming.
Screw the lid on top and place it in the refrigerator. After the lemon curd has cooled, I remove the plastic and stir it before putting the lid back onto the glass jar. If you do not have a lid, just put another piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the lemon curd.
How to make Meringue
I want to clean my mixing bowl to prep for making my meringue. Even after washing your bowl, a film of grease could still be lingering in the bowl. I take a paper towel, dab some white vinegar on it, and wipe the whole inside of the bowl. You can also do the whipping beater.
Prepping
Now, for the eggs, I use my three-bowl method. Crack an egg into bowl 1, move the yolk to bowl 2, and then move the separated egg white to bowl 3. Then, do the next egg the same way. This way, if I break the yolk in bowl 1, it will not affect the egg whites in bowl 3. If you break a yolk in bowl 1, clean it before separating the next egg.
I now get my piping bag ready; I am using an Ateco #826 open star tip with an Ateco Medium Coupler. My piping bags are on the thicker side, so they do not break when I have thicker cookie dough.
Whipping the Meringue
Time to start the cookies. Add the egg whites to the mixer bowl and turn the mixer on to a medium speed until they are frothy, about a minute. Now add the cream of tarter and turn the mixer onto a high setting. Slowly add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. This is important if the sugar in not incorporated you will end up with grainy meringue.
This step could take 10 to 15 minutes so having a stand mixer will be a blessing. Still on a high mixer speed I mix for about 3 to 4 minutes then scrape down the bowl in order to capture any sugar along the top. Turn the mixer back on to a high speed for 7 minutes. What you are looking for is to take the whip attachment off and turn it around and the peak stands straight up. The meringue will look shiny and glossy.
I test the meringue by rubbing a little between my thumb and finger. If it feels grainy, you will need to return the attachment and whip it for a few more minutes.
Pipe and Bake
Preheat the oven to 225°F (110°C) and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Fill your piping bag and press a little so the meringue reaches the tip. Hold it straight up and down and press from the top. They do not spread, so I keep piping until I have both sheet pans filled. I did have to refill the bag to finish. On the second sheet pan, I leave a little room along the edge so I can overlap the sheet pans.
After you have all the cookies piped, and on the sheet pan, you want to make a small well so you can fill it with lemon curd just before serving. I have an I/4 teaspoon round measuring spoon that works great for this.
Since you cannot open the oven during and after the baking process you will not be able to switch sheet pans around in your oven. So to get an even bake I overlap the pans slightly so they are baking on the same rack.
Bake at 225°F (110°C) for 45 minutes. Then turn the oven off and walk away. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR! Leave the cookies in the oven for 2 hours.
I fill the wells with the lemon curd when I am ready to serve them, or better yet, put a spoon in the jar and let everyone add the amount they want.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Oh, my YES! You can spoon a mound onto the parchment paper and still add a small well in the middle for the lemon curd.
Yes, you can add flavoring. I didn't for this cookie because of the lemon curd in the middle. But you could add vanilla extract, and this way, if some did not want to add the lemon curd, they could eat them plain.
You could add a strawberry, raspberry, or apricot jam. Any of these would be great. You could just put whip cream on top. You could also buy a good dipping chocolate and spoon some into the well. Just don't heat so that it is so hot it melts the meringue.
Recipe
Perfect Meringue with Lemon Curd Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
LEMON CURD
- ¾ cup (183 g) Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon zest
- ¾ cup (150 g) Sugar white
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted cubed
- 3 (3) Eggs room temperature
MERINGUE COOKIES
- 4 (4) Egg whites room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cream of tarter
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
Instructions
LEMON CURD
- Add the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and butter into a 2-quart saucepan. Start to heat over low heat. I took the eggs and whisked them in a bowl, and added them to the pan. You want all the ingredients to come to the same temperature simultaneously, or you will end up with scrambled eggs. So I stirred almost the whole time. Please don't confuse the zest for cooked eggs; as long as you gradually bring the temperature up, it will be fine.
- I turned the heat up just a little, and it still took about 10 minutes for it to start to thicken. Take it off the stove and let it cool before putting it into a glass jar. I used plastic wrap and laid it right on top of the curd; this helps not to form a crust. Then put it into the refrigerator to cool completely. My jar is a small mason jar which I replaced the plastic wrap with the jar lid.
MERINGUE COOKIES
- Add your four egg whites to a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed till it is frothy about a minute. Then add the cream of tartar and turn the mixer on high. Important step! Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. You want the sugar to incorporate with the egg whites. After all the sugar has been added, continue to beat the egg whites on high speed for at least 10 minutes you want a stiff peak with these egg whites.
- Using a piping bag with a large open star will give you the swirl you need for the cookies. I have a measuring spoon that has a rounded end that was perfect for making the well that will hold the lemon curd.
- Line 2 cookie baking pans with parchment paper. I do not use silicone liners for meringues simply because I do not like how they turn out. I pipe the meringue cookies about 1 inch apart (they do not spread). Taking the round end of my measuring spoon, I make a well into the middle of each cookie. I had room on two baking sheets for three dozen and baked them in the oven side by side. I had to lift one side of the pan and put it under the edge of the other (they overlap about 1 inch), but these cookies do not move once they are on the parchment paper. Bake at 225°F (110°C) for 45 minutes
- Once they baked for 45 minutes, turn the oven off and leave in the oven for one hour. Store in an air-tight container. Serve with the lemon curd spooned into the well or on the side and let your friends, family, or guests add their own.
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Notes
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Sherri says
What is the oven temperature?
Barbara says
Hi Sherri, I am so sorry the oven temperature is 225°F and bake for 45 minutes. I just transferred to a new recipe maker and I missed the temperature for this cookie.