Lemon Butter Curls Recipe (2024)

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated Dec. 20, 2023

Lemon Butter Curls Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes, plus at least 45 minutes’ chilling and setting
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes, plus at least 45 minutes’ chilling and setting
Rating
4(467)
Notes
Read community notes

Delicate but sturdy, these lemon butter shortbreads are perfect for a casual afternoon treat or relaxed holiday cookie. A combination of butter, egg yolks and a bit of cornstarch ensures a texture that melts in your mouth. Lemon zest adds a bright sparkle, and a light glaze of lemon juice and powdered sugar lends a tart finish. Make these into curls as shown or pipe them into any shape you prefer: Rings, squiggle or pushing the dough through a cookie press can all be fun. You also can roll and shape the dough by hand instead of piping or pressing it.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 36 cookies

    For the Cookies

    • 1cup/225 grams salted butter, softened
    • ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • 2egg yolks, at room temperature
    • 1lemon
    • 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
    • 2tablespoons cornstarch
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1tablespoon heavy cream

    For the Glaze

    • 3cups/306 grams sifted powdered sugar
    • 6tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)

128 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 57 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Lemon Butter Curls Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, and set a wire rack inside a third.

  2. Step

    2

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Add the egg yolks. Zest the lemon directly into the bowl. Combine on low speed until the yolks are incorporated and scrape down the bowl again.

  3. Step

    3

    Whisk flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once. Mix on low until just combined. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until it becomes a dough, about 30 seconds.

  4. Step

    4

    Fit a sturdy piping bag with a star tip (preferably with a ¼- to ½-inch opening) and fill with just enough dough to comfortably wrap your hand around the bag. (You can always refill it when you run out.) Pipe S-shaped hooks, about 2 inches long, onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between them. If the dough feels soft, place the baking sheet of piped cookies in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before baking.

  5. Step

    5

    Bake until cookies are a nice golden brown at the edges, turning halfway through, 14 to 16 minutes. Once out of the oven, allow cookies to set on the baking sheet, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  6. Step

    6

    As the cookies bake, make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add enough lemon juice that the glaze runs steadily off the spoon when lifted.

  7. Step

    7

    Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon to pour enough glaze to cover the surface of the cookies and drip down the sides. If using sanding sugar, allow the glaze to set slightly before sprinkling the sugar on. Let set completely (at least 30 minutes) before serving. Baked, glazed cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Ratings

4

out of 5

467

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Kate

These are delicious. I made them with a lemon that had been hanging around my fridge for a while and they were still good. Will be even better with fresher lemon. For ease, I rolled the dough into log, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for about 2 hours, then I sliced and baked them. Not as pretty as the curls but easier!

Foote Notes

I have never won an argument with a piping bag and won. Instead I rolled these out into a slab, sliced and baked. delicious! Love lemon desserts, and this is the least finnicky lemon cookie I can find. For extra lemony vibes, rub the lemon peel into the sugar then add to the butter.

Hannah

Made this on Saturday, they are absolutely delish! I opted out of the piping bag after a couple attempts. Dough is just way too thick. I instead made little balls and pressed a thumbprint into each. They turned out very uniform and the thumb depression held the icing very well. I think you would need a cookie press to really get these consistent. I also think they would be really good as a slice and bake if you rolled into a log, refrigerated and then sliced.

BethB

I'm going to make these because.....lemon. But not a fan of having to buy a container of heavy cream just for 1 tablespoon. And then it says to "pour in the heavy cream" which wouldn't seem to be the right way to describe the process if it's truly just 1 tablespoon. Makes me wonder if the ingredient list has the wrong amount.

Henry

This recipe is nearly identical to a half batch of my mother’s butter cookies which were shaped through an old fashioned cookie press. Much easier than free hand piping bag, particularly for those of use with arthritis.

BenR

I’m not adept at using a pastry bag and piping out cookies. Would this work with using a small cookie scoop or two teaspoons and then baking and glazing with the final sprinkling of the sanding sugar? Might not look as pretty, but once you pop them in your mouth perhaps your tastebuds will forgive the lack of artistic flair ?🤷🏾‍♂️

Ron

Scraping the bag with the bench scraper, metal end, not recommended. This will puncture the bag. Please use the opposite handle-end or a plastic scraper to push cookie dough down towards the tip as one bags cookies out. I look forward to making this cookie.

Kerstin

Taste is lovely! But yes hand piping was super hard and ripped my piping bag, I had to use so much pressure. Even after it got the dough much softer with my hands. Definitely using a metal cookie press next time. Had to freestyle the shape of the second half of the dough. Formed little blobs with two teaspoons and did 8 minutes baking time. Turned out great too.

Babs in WI

I'm SO glad I read the tip about using a cookie press. I usually bake 22-25 kinds of cookies, double and triple batches, but I'm cutting back this year. I added this to my "reduced" list of 12 times. I'll post again after I've made them. (Yes, I gave away 90% of those thousands of cookies)

tracy

I had no luck using a pastry bag. Sad because I liked the shape. I did a test run with some cookies formed into balls and then flattened. They turned out good. Nice crumbly texture. I think 3 cups of powdered sugar is way too much for the glaze. I’d be swimming in glaze so I plan to reduce those amounts. The dough was easy to make.

Lydia Sugarman

Really? One tablespoon of heavy cream? Think I'll just use whole milk or half-and-half, whatever I have on hand. Could it really make a discernible difference?

Shine

I hate cleaning dough out of my pastry bag, so I plan to roll this out to 1/4-1/3 inch between 2 sheets of parchment and cut with a leaf-shaped cutter. I can't wait to make these!

JanBE

I’m so glad I read the comments! I skipped the piping bag a made small thumbprint cookies. I also halved the glaze and dipped the tops in the glaze. Delicious little cookie!

Jim Ball

This looks wonderful! Thanks for a Christmas cookie for Lemon Lovers!!

KS

Made these last night, and they have a nice delicate lemon flavor without the glaze - definitely make the glaze for more lemon. I ended up recruiting my husband to pipe the swirls because I simply do not have the strength for it with this dough. For a person who has never touched a piping bag before, he did a good job! Next time, I'm going to roll them into balls and use a cookie stamp to give them some flair. I also used unsalted butter because that was all I had, so I'll make that change, too.

Lindsey

I wanted a tasty cookie and a way to keep my five year old engaged in a baking activity, so, forgive me Yewande, I made these into SpongeBob cookies. Used a pastry cutter to shape rolled dough into squares, added food coloring to the glaze, and used some leftover store-bought cookie icing to decorate. I must say, they look so dumb and taste so good. Everyone is happy.

Alison

These cookies are delicious! I made them using the slice and bake method. Not as pretty as the piping method but much easier and the cookies can be as crispy as you want them to be (by changing the slice width). I substituted a T of fat free half and half for the heavy cream since I didn’t have any cream on hand. I skipped the icing. This recipe will make it into the rotation. Really tasty.

J Lin

I loved how simple this recipe was. Cornstarch for cookies is a game-changer.A few things I swapped: coconut milk for heavy cream—oat milk worked too. Used unsalted butter, just upped the salt. And instead of a piping bag, I rolled this into a log in plastic wrap, refrigerated overnight, and sliced into individual cookies. Be sure to rotate the log as you slice, if you care about perfectly round cookies. From frozen, thaw the entire log in fridge overnight before slicing and baking.

maggie

scrumptious

Angela

I just made these and they’re very dangerous if you like lemon. Can’t just eat one! You have been warned, LOL !

RCook2009

Everyone loved these. If you like lemon, these cookies are for you. It was definitely difficult to pipe the dough but once I switched to a bigger tip, it was easier and result was delish

Hally

I added two extra tablespoons of cream in order to soften the dough enough to maneuver it through the pastry bag. The result looked like swans or musical notes and it held the shapes well when baking. The cookies were beautiful and tasty and I recommend the effort.

Cali

The flavor is rich and full! Loved this recipe. I rolled into a log, chilled, and then sliced rather than attempting the piping.

Amanda

Delicious but skip the piping bag. Don’t even try a cookie press. The dough is thick and sticky. Just use your hands.

Elizabeth L.

This is the 5th cookie from cookie week that I made. Like many before me, I too decided not to bother with the piping bag. I didn’t even opt to use my cookie press. I figured the suggestion from another reader to roll the dough into balls and press in a thumbprint was good enough for me. The cookies turned out just fine and they’re delicious! I even like them without the icing. Just the right amount of lemon and sugar.

Zack

Having bought all the ingredients, I was out of town far from a store and had not read the instructions so I did not have a piping bag or oven paper. On the advice of a more experienced baker I cut a hole in a baggie and tried that, with varying success. Despite the cookies breaking when I tried to remove them from the baking sheet, everyone loved them. Next time I’ll forget about the S shape.

Dale

After reading the comments and considering that I was baking with a six year old, we made rounded balls and flattened them some. The dough was easy to work with that way. I would add more zest to the batter next time. For the glaze, I found about a cup off confectioners sugar to be enough, and stirring in lemon juice made it easy to see when the texture was perfect. Also I delighted the six year old by suggesting a few rainbow sprinkles on top of the glaze. Cookies were very good.

Nancy

Can freeze dough. But, if do, roll dough into balls w a thumbprint depression (too hard to press, otherwise)

cookingmama

If halving the recipe, be sure to keep the original amount of lemon zest (1 lemon). Don't half it!

Decatur Sarah

These are delicious. We did not have the patience for the piping bag, so rolled into little pipes between our palms, shaped them into a slight “S” then scored with a fork for texture. Also added a quarter tsp of turmeric for a deeper yellow color and then tinted the glaze into a light pink. They were very pretty, though not seasonal. Will make again in the spring

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Lemon Butter Curls Recipe (2024)
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