These cute little lemon cookies are filled with a zesty lemon curd and a sweet vanilla icing. Bright, citrusy and made with natural ingredients, they’re a cheerful treat for any occasion!
Key Ingredients
- Almond flour. It gives a light texture to the cookies.
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Flour. I have only used this brand but I think it can be substituted with another brand of all purpose gluten free flour that contains xanthum gum.
- Tapioca starch. It gives a crisp texture to the cookies.
- Agave syrup. I like to use light agave syrup. It keeps the cookies a light color. Maple syrup will make the cookies slightly darker.
- Coconut oil. Use melted coconut oil.
- Lemon zest. It gives the cookies and the curd a bright and zesty lemon flavor. Use organic lemons if possible.
- Turmeric. This gives a natural bright yellow color to the cookies and the curd.
- Matcha. This is what colors the leaves. Use a high grade matcha powder that is a vibrant green color.
The Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is one of my all time favorite things! I love a tart and zesty curd, especially for these cookies that have a sweet vanilla icing. It’s made with fresh lemon juice and zest for a bright flavor and colored with turmeric for a gorgeous natural bright yellow. I like to make the curd first so that it has time to cool in the fridge while I work on the cookies.
How To Make The Cookies
For these cookies I like to make one batch of the lemon cookies and a half batch of matcha cookies for the leaves. I have made the matcha leaves by taking some of the lemon cookie batter and adding matcha, but the color is dull and not as green. To save time I like to measure out the ingredients for both cookies at the same time. One large bowl for the lemon cookies and one small bowl for the matcha cookies. There will be leftover matcha dough which can be cut out as cookies. They taste great with lemon curd as well! Here are the basic steps:
- Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet. Stir and form into a ball.
- Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment. Cut out the cookies and transfer them to a cookie sheet. For the matcha leaves I used a pairing knife to free hand cut them out since I didn’t have a cookie cutter small enough.
- Place the leaves onto half of the lemon cookies and gently press down.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and let cool.
Assembling The Cookies
Once the lemon curd and the cookies are cooled it’s time to assemble the cookie sandwiches! Pipe the icing to make a border around the edges of the bottom cookies. Make sure to flip the cookies upside down when doing this. Dollop a spoonful of the lemon curd into the center. Place the top cookie and gently press down.
Why You Will Love These Sandwich Cookies
✓ Bright and fresh
✓ Sweet and zesty
✓ Naturally colored
✓ Fun for entertaining
✓ Allergy friendly
✓ Vegan and gluten free
Looking For More Lemon Recipes?
- Ginger Lemonade Popsicles
- Blueberry Lemon Donuts
- Lemon Tarts
- Lemon Coconut Donuts With Mini Easter Eggs
- Vegan Lemon Curd
Or More Cookie Recipes?
- Easy Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Earl Grey Stained Glass Floral Cookies
- Double Chocolate Tahini Cookies
- Cardamom Rose Easter Egg Floral Cookies
- Orange Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
- Gingerbread Stained Glass Cookies
I hope that you enjoy this recipe and if you make it, your feedback is always appreciated! Please leave a comment and star rating below. If you have questions please ask me in the comment section and I will get back to you ASAP. Thank you so much for stopping by and happy eating always!
Lemon Sandwich Cookies With Lemon Curd (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Lemon curd
- zest of 2 organic lemons
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 large lemons
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- pinch turmeric powder, for color
Lemon Cookies
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup Bob Red's Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, for color
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 7 tablespoons coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons agave syrup, *see notes
- zest of 1 organic lemon
Matcha leaf cookies
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 6 tablespoons Bob Red's Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour
- 1 teaspoon matcha, sifted
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Icing
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons almond milk, as needed to thin
Instructions
Lemon curd
- Start by making the lemon curd so it has time to cool in the fridge. In a small pot add the lemon zest, lemon juice, water, sugar and cornstarch. Whisk until combined. Turn the heat to medium, whisking periodically. Once it starts to bubble the mixture will thicken. Turn off the heat and add the almond milk and coconut oil. Whisk until combined. Add just a pinch of turmeric and whisk. The color will darken as it sits. Transfer it to a container and place in the fridge to cool. Stir it periodically to help it cool down quicker. In the meantime, start on the cookies.
Lemon cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the dry ingredients – almond flour, Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour, tapioca starch, turmeric, lemon zest and sea salt. Stir until there are no clumps.
- Add the melted coconut oil and agave directly into the dry ingredients. Stir and use your hands to form the dough into a ball. It should stick together without any dryness. If the dough is too soft to roll out place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper until the dough is 1/4" thick. Cut out the cookies with your cutter. Use an offset spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheet. Form the leftover dough into a ball and roll out again until all the dough is used. Set the cookies aside while you make the matcha dough. If it is very warm you may want to place the cookies in the fridge.
Matcha leaf cookies
- These are essentially half a batch of the lemon cookie dough without the turmeric and lemon zest. In a small bowl mix the dry ingredients – almond flour, Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour, tapioca starch and sifted matcha. Stir until there are no clumps. Add the melted coconut oil and agave straight into the dry ingredients and mix. The dough should be sticky and hold together. If the dough is too soft to roll out place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper until the dough is 1/4" thick. I used a small pairing knife to cut out the leaves since I didn't have a cookie cutter small enough (see photo in post). You can gently smooth out the leaves with your fingers to shape them how you would like. Place them onto the lemon cookies and gently press down. You will have leftover matcha dough which can be cut out and baked as cookies (they also taste great with lemon curd). If the dough gets warm and is too soft to roll out place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't brown too much. They should be a light golden brown around the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Vanilla Icing
- In a medium sized bowl add the room temperature butter and beat with a hand mixture. Sift in the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat. Next add the vanilla extract and almond milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until a smooth and pipeable consistency is reached.
Assembly
- Once the cookies and lemon curd are cooled start to assemble the cookies. Place the icing into a piping bag or use a ziplock bag and cut the tip. Flip th bottom cookies upside down and pipe the icing around the outer edges to make a border (see photo in post). Add a spoonful of the lemon curd in the middle. Place the top cookie and gently press down. They are best eaten the same day. Keep them stored in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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