Lemon Bar Butter Cookies

Whisk together the sugar, eggs, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.

Once smooth and well combined, whisk in the lemon zest and juice.

Cook over medium heat until thickened, occasionally stirring (with a rubber spatula) at the beginning but constantly mixing near the end. It should take about 8-10 minutes on a gas stovetop and about 20 minutes on an electric.

Remove from heat and toss in the butter. Stir until melted and combined.

Pour the curd into a wide and shallow heat proof container. Cover the container and let it chill while we make the cookie dough.

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat on medium-high heat until smooth and lump-free. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it another good mix.

With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly pour in the sugar. Then increase the speed to medium-high and let it run for about a minute.

Once well combined, mix in the eggs and extracts. Scrape down the bowl and give it another good mix. It should be fairly thin at this point.

Pour in the dry ingredients and mix to combine, careful not to over mix.

Remove the bowl from the stand and use a rubber spatula to mix in any dry bits that may have sunk to the bottom of the bowl. The dough should now be thick but sticky.

Fill a small bowl with the powdered sugar.

Using a large cookie scoop (roughly 3 tablespoons) scoop a cookie dough ball directly into the powdered sugar and toss to coat. The powdered sugar will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

Place 5 coated cookie dough balls on your large baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Using the back of a rounded tablespoon, or using your thumb, press into the center of each ball to create a round indent.

Fill each cookie with a full teaspoon of the lemon curd.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies have flattened and the curd is pale and bubbly.

The curd will look very pale when it’s right out of the oven, but will turn more vibrant as the cookies cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Continue baking the rest of the cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill. This helps the curd to fully set.

Dust the edges of each cookie with any powdered sugar that’s leftover in the dish, allowing the curd in the center to peak through. Now enjoy!