These homemade lemon meringue cookies are soft, buttery and full of fresh lemon flavour, with crunchy meringue pieces adding the perfect finishing touch. An easy cookie recipe inspired by the much-loved dessert.
If you can’t decide between lemon meringue pie and a buttery cookie, these lemon meringue cookies bring together the best of both. Lemon desserts have a way of feeling light and uplifting, and these cookies are no exception. Packed with bright citrus flavour, they strike the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, while crunchy meringue pieces add a delicate crispness that’s a subtle nod to the classic dessert that inspired them.
If you’re looking for something a little different from a traditional lemon cookie, this recipe delivers all those familiar lemon meringue flavours in a simple, satisfying bake that’s sure to become a favourite.
Star Ingredient
When lemons take centre stage, using fresh ones makes all the difference. Fresh, unwaxed lemons are ideal, as both the zest and juice are used to give these cookies their unmistakable lemon flavour.
The zest adds fragrant citrus oils that bring plenty of fresh lemon flavour, while the juice provides a gentle tang and helps create a softer, more tender cookie. Lemon curd adds another layer of citrus, giving the cookies an even fuller lemon flavour without overwhelming their buttery sweetness.
Using lemons in three different ways creates a depth of flavour that you simply wouldn’t get from juice alone. It’s this combination of zest, juice and curd that gives these lemon meringue cookies their fresh, vibrant taste.
How to Purchase Ingredients to be Conscious to the Planet
The base ingredients for cookies are easy to find in refill shops. Picking up items like the leavening agents at them can avoid the plastic tubs that they tend to come in. Salt is another one like this. Reusing glass jars can be easy options for these items.
As always, I recommend picking up your lemons loose. Citrus fruits are some of the easiest ones to find loose. Net bags can be used to help keep them together if you prefer to keep them contained within your shopping bag.
Utilising chocolate chips are the easiest option for cookies, as you can just pop them in. however, buttons or bars can be chopped into smaller pieces. All these options can be found without plastic. Chips and buttons are purchasable from zero waste shops. Chocolate bars with paper packaging can also be stocked in food halls and in the odd supermarket.
Meringue pieces were a pleasant find when I discovered them in a refill shop when visiting a friend – Refill Town. If you can find them (my local one doesn’t have them), you can always make your own. Meringues are simply eggs and sugar which both are purchasable without plastic.
Ingredients you can buy Plastic Free
- Caster Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Lemons
- Plain Flour
- Baking Powder
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Salt
- White Chocolate Chips
- Lemon Curd
- Mini Meringue Pieces
Equipment You Will Need
- Freestanding Mixer or Bowl with Handheld Mixer
- Micro Zester
- Spatula
- Measuring Spoon
- Small Bowl
- Scales
- Teaspoon
- Baking Dish
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mat or Baking Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
Tips and Tricks when Making Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
My Cookie Dough is Very Sticky
With the addition of the lemon juice, it will make the cookie dough stickier to handle, especially when shaping. However, it is the juice that helps create the softer finish to the overall cookies. The process of chilling the dough will reduce the stickiness for when placing onto the baking lined baking sheets.
Trying to keep your hands cooler, by running under cold water. Make sure that you hands are not to wet though when handling the dough.
How Much Meringue?
Well, this can be personal preference. I would suggest bit 3-5 pieces. However, if you want more you can add as many as you like. Within the ingredients, I account for 4 pieces per cookie.
Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
Equipment
- Freestanding Mixer or Bowl with Handheld mixer
- Micro Zester
- Spatula
- Measuring Spoon
- Small Bowl
- Scales
- Teaspoon
- Baking Dish
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mat or Baking Parchment Paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 125 g Butter / Plant Butter / Margarine
- 100 g Light Brown Sugar
- 75 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoon of Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- Pinch of Salt
- 150 g White Choc Chips / White Chocolate Buttons chopped
- Lemon Curd
- 52 Mini Meringue Pieces
Instructions
- In a bowl add in the butter, sugars and lemon zest.
- Beat together until pale, scrapping the sides as required.
- Add in the egg and lemon juices juice and then beat well.
- Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and beat to combine.
- Add the white chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
- Using an electronic scale weigh out 13 portions of about 62g of the dough.
- Roll and then flatten out each ball, and then add in about half a teaspoon of lemon curd into the middle.
- Carefully bring the edge together to seal the lemon curd in and then gently roll into a ball.
- Place the cookies into a baking dish and then into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven 180 degrees.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and pop onto the lined baking sheets, making sure they are spaced out as the cookies will spread slightly.
- Bake for about 12 -14 minutes until golden on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and push meringue pieces onto the top of each cookie.
- Leave to cool for about 30 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Bake the second batch as required.
- Store in an airtight container like a cake tin.
Other Lemon Meringue Recipes you may be Interested in
Other Lemon Meringue Cookies / Biscuits you may be Interested in
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