Lemon Spritz Cookies (from Cookie Press Gun)
This Lemon Spritz Cookie Recipe is a fun and simple baking project for kids. Load that Cookie Press Gun, and let’em at it!
Why We Love A Spritz Cookie Gun
When I was a little girl, there were very few things I liked doing more than baking with my mom.
On the weekends, we would crowd in the kitchen to either replicate one of grandma’s precious recipes or dream up something new. I particularly liked baking when “special equipment” was involved.
Things like bundt pans, cookie cutters, or the utmost favorite kitchen tool… the cookie press, made our baking projects even more exciting.
My mom would load the Spritz cookie press with brightly colored dough and let us take turns shooting the cookie sheets. We would change the disks periodically so the cookies came out in all sorts of shapes. Yet the very best part of making pressed cookies is how tiny they are. Little cookies in a child’s mind, means more cookies.
Instead of eating one to two large cookies, we could gobble them by the handful.
Sigh… those were the days.
Cookie Press Gun – Perfect For Baking with Kids
It’s no surprise that my children love to use the cookie press gun just as much as I did. Their eyes twinkle as they move the guns over the cookie sheets, feeling in control and very professional.
When we made this lemon cookie recipe, Ava told me, “Mom it’s like we have our own little cookie factory. They all come out so perfect!”
Not only is the shape perfect, this lemon spritz cookie recipe is pretty spot-on as well.
Lemon Spritz Cookies
Some pressed cookie doughs tend to get tough, but not this one. They bake up tender with a vibrant lemon flavor, yet are not overpowering.
The lemon frosting sandwiched between these spritz cookies is thick and just sweet enough. It is meant to act as a glue more than a filling, but still provides that creamy tang that makes these lemon cookies pop!
Oh, to have the metabolism of a kid again. I would still eat these lemon spritz cookies by the handful.
Ingredients Checklist
For the Lemon Spritz Cookies:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon curd – store-bought or homemade
- Zest of 1 lemon
- All-purpose flour
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- Yellow decorating sugar (optional)
For the Lemon Frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon curd
More Lemon Dessert Recipes
- Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies
- Limonada Recipe (Brazilian Lemonade)
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- The Best Lemon Bars Recipe
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars ~ Chocolate Chocolate and More Chocolate
- Meyer Lemon Mug Cakes ~ All Day I Dream About Food
- Lemon Cheesecake Mousse ~ Miss in the Kitchen
Lemon Spritz Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cookies Dough:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon curd
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 drops yellow food coloring optional
- Yellow decorating sugar optional
For the Lemon Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Then beat in the salt, egg, vanilla, lemon curd, lemon zest and food coloring. Scrape the bowl and beat again to combine. Slowly add the flour until just combined.
- Scoop the dough into a cookie press gun. Press the cookies onto ungreased baking sheets (no parchment paper.) Bake for 8-10 minutes. If using decorating sugar, sprinkle it on the cookies immediately as they come out of the oven. Cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheets before moving.
- Using a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon curd together for the frosting. Place it in a piping bag (or use a zip bag and snip off the corner).
- Then flip half the cookies over and pipe a dollop of frosting on the bottoms. Top each frosting dollop with a second cookie and press gently. Store the cookies in an airtight container until ready to serve. Makes 60 cookies, 30 sandwich cookies.
This recipe is great! The cookies are lemony buttery. We didn’t make little sandwiches but instead drizzled a lemon glaze and pink hibiscus sugar over them. Sooo pretty!
While they softened a little bit in the container once we left them on the serving platter they hardened back up.
This will be my go-to lemon spritz cookie. Thank you for the recipe
These cookies are so tender and beautiful! One question, what type of zester do you use? The zest kept clogging my cookie press disks.
Can I skip the sandwich part of this and the filling? Are they good just like they are straight off the pan?
Hi Kerri,
Sure! The cookies are still delicious, even without the filling. :)
Sommer, thanks so much for the tip – it worked! I’m trying a sample batch before the big event. The cookies are very tasty and look pretty with the design from my drinking glass.
THANKS
My icing was fine. But all of my cookies flattened out :( I don’t know why! Did you use real lemon curd? Perhaps there was too much of it or not enough powdered sugar :)