Description
These Lemon Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies are a delightful treat featuring soft, tangy lemon-flavored cookies sandwiched with a creamy cheesecake frosting swirled with strawberry jam and optional freeze-dried strawberries for an extra burst of flavor. Perfect for spring gatherings or as a refreshing dessert, these cookies combine vibrant citrus notes with sweet strawberry accents in a tender, buttery cookie base.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Optional: Yellow food coloring for a vibrant lemon look
Cheesecake Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
- 2–3 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries, powdered (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until fully incorporated. Add yellow food coloring if using to enhance the lemon appearance.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until a smooth dough forms. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Shape and Bake Cookies: Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden but centers remain soft.
- Cool Cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Cheesecake Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and gradually beat in powdered sugar until the frosting is fluffy and spreadable.
- Fold in Strawberry Flavor: Gently fold the strawberry jam and optional powdered freeze-dried strawberries into the frosting to create a marbled effect without fully blending.
- Assemble Cookies: Once cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe a generous dollop of the strawberry cheesecake frosting onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with another to form pairs.
- Chill and Serve: For best texture, refrigerate the assembled sandwich cookies for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting set before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute fresh lemon juice with bottled if fresh is not available but fresh is recommended for best flavor.
- Adding a few drops of yellow food coloring enhances the lemon look but is optional.
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder adds intense flavor and color to the frosting but can be omitted.
- Make sure the cookies are fully cooled before frosting to prevent melting the cream cheese frosting.
- Store sandwich cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
