Lemon Meringue Cookies

Soft and chewy sugar cookies topped with tangy lemon curd and toasted meringue!

Mix: In a small pan, stir together egg, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice.
Cook until thickened: Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens into a gel-like consistency, about 7-10 minutes. When you drag a spatula through the lemon curd, it should part and slowly come back together after a few seconds.
Stir in butter: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, one cube at a time, until they've all melted into the lemon curd.
Strain: Push the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of cooked egg or lemon seeds. Set aside at room temperature or in the fridge to cool completely.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Dry mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Wet mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
Combine dry and wet mixtures: Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Fold together with a spatula until just combined into a soft dough.
Scoop: Use a large (3 or 4-tablespoon) cookie scooper to scoop the cookie dough. Release the cookie dough balls onto your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" in between each cookie dough ball for spreading.
Bake: Bake cookies for about 11-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the middles are still soft and puffy.
Press: Immediately after taking them out of the oven, press the back of a spoon in the middle of each cookie to make a depression for the lemon curd to sit in. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until they're firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Create a double boiler: In a small pot, bring about 1" of water to a boil. To a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits on top of the pot perfectly without touching the water, add the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Heat mixture: When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and place the mixing bowl on top of the pot. Gently heat the mixture, stirring often, until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm. If you rub a bit of the mixture in between your fingers, it should feel smooth without any grittiness.
Beat until stiff peaks: Remove the bowl from the pot, being careful not to get any water in the bowl. Use an electric hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the mixture on low-medium speed until it becomes foamy. Increase to medium-high speed and continue beating until the mixture becomes opaque white and stiff peaks that curl over slightly at the tips.
Assemble cookies: Warm the lemon curd in the microwave for 5-10 seconds if it has firmed up from being in the fridge. Add a spoonful of lemon curd on top of each cookie. Smear a dollop of meringue on top of each cookie.
Toast meringue: Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue until golden brown.

Nutrition

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