Lemon Cookies with Blueberry Buttercream

I’ve been off work for a bit and I wanted to make something nice for when I was back on campus. My colleague also had a birthday very recently, so I thought about what she would like. One of her favorites is lemon and blueberries, and that seemed like an excellent combination for cookies. I have made cakes and muffins with that flavor combination, and both lemon cookies and blueberry cookies, but I’ve not made lemon blueberry cookies. Now was the time. I found a lemon sandwich cookie with blueberry filling and that felt perfect.

I ended up using a different lemon cookie recipe than the original blog post, and substituted one that I had made previously. The original cookie recipe didn’t provide a useful yield, which was frustrating. I used the lemon cookie recipe found below and it made 3 dozen cookies, perfect for 18 sandwich cookies. That was great, as sandwich cookies are more substantial and I typically make fewer than other types of cookies. You get two cookies! What is there not to like?

The blueberry buttercream filling I kept to the original, and this was her ode to Maine blueberries, which tend to be smaller. I had several types of blueberries in the freezer, including Maine ones! I used those for this recipe as the smaller blueberry worked better with the buttercream. I had extra buttercream but I am sure I can find something to do with the extra icing! These cookies are substantial, but I think are quickly going to become a favorite. The lemon shines through clearly and the blueberry buttercream is excellent. It’s hard to stop eating after one cookie!

Lemon Cookies with Blueberry Buttercream
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1-1/8 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Yellow food color, if desired
Powdered sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
½ cup frozen blueberries, defrosted

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking pads.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light. Add the egg and yolk and stir to combine. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and food color. The mixture may look curdled but will come together once the flour is added. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into mounds (mine were 17-18 grams) and roll into a ball. Roll the balls in powdered sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies barely begin to brown along the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before assembling the sandwich cookies. It’s helpful to pair the cookies by size at this point, so it doesn’t have to be done later.

Make the filling: in a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, milk, vanilla, and ½ cup powdered sugar. Mix on medium until smooth. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar, stopping and starting the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the thawed (and drained) blueberries and mix on low to combine.

Place the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a larger open tip. Pipe the buttercream onto half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies.

Cookies recipe from Cooking Classy. Buttercream recipe from It’s Simple!