Strawberry Curd Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Say hello to these irresistible strawberry curd lemon crinkle cookies with homemade strawberry curd centers. A simple yet impressive treat that balances sweet, tart, and buttery flavors in every bite.

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Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Curd Lemon Crinkle Cookies

18-20 cookies

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies

Servings: 20 servings

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Lemon crinkle cookies

• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided (200 grams)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ cup softened butter, at room temperature (113 grams)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (303 grams)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup powdered sugar (60 grams)

Strawberry curd

• 8 ounces sliced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small chunks (42 grams)

Instructions

• Prepare cookie dough. Rub ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar with lemon zest to extract the oil. Combine sugar with zest and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add egg and egg yolk, mixing until well combined. Add lemon juice and vanilla, mixing well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring until combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
• Meanwhile, prepare strawberry curd. Combine sliced strawberries and water in a medium sauce pot. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook until strawberries softened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and puree strawberries until smooth. Strain puree, discarding seeds.
• Whisk egg, egg yolk, and sugar in a heat safe bowl. Whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice in a small bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Add cornstarch mixture to egg mixture.
• Slowly add strawberry puree to egg mixture, whisking constantly while adding puree. Pour strawberry mixture back into the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer until curd thickens. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until melted. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the curd. Let cool completely.
• Place remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar in a shallow bowl and powdered sugar in another shallow bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and portion cookies, about 2 tablespoons per cookie. Roll into balls and repeat with remaining dough. Roll each cookie dough in granulated sugar then in the powdered sugar, generously coating them. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, placing them 2 inches apart.
• Press the cookies down halfwfay with a half tablespoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the center. Fill the indent with 1 teaspoon of strawberry curd. Chill cookies in the refridgerator while oven preheats.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cookies one tray at a time for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies have developed a little color on the bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

You can prepare the strawberry curd up to 3 days in advance.

If fresh strawberries are not available, you can use frozen.

This recipe makes extra strawberry curd. You can double or triple the recipe for the cookie dough if you want to use up all the curd.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare cookies

Start by preparing the cookie dough for these incredible strawberry curd lemon crinkle cookies. When I was working as a line cook at a restaurant, my chef taught me a tip that I still follow today. Rub granulated sugar with lemon zest before using it in a baking recipe. This helps release the essential oils in the zest, intensifying the lemon flavor throughout your cookies.

Beat this fragrant sugar mixture with softened butter until light and fluffy, which takes about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the egg and egg yolk, mixing until well combined, followed by lemon juice and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined.

Don't overmix or you'll end up with tough cookies!

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. This chilling step is crucial as it prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and helps develop the flavors.

Step 2: Make strawberry curd

While your dough is chilling, make the strawberry curd filling. I'm a sucker for desserts with fruit curd. Kiwi lime tarts with kiwi curd, braided lemon braid with lemon curd, blackberry lavender chiffon cake with blackberry curd, I want them all.

This time, I'm making a beautiful strawberry curd to add to the list.

Start by simmering sliced strawberries in a covered pot with a tablespoon of water until they soften, about 3-4 minutes. Covering the pot helps the berries soften without losing too much liquid.

Puree these berries until smooth, then strain to remove all the seeds.

In a heat-safe bowl, whisk together an egg, egg yolk, and sugar, then combine cornstarch and lemon juice in a separate small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves completely. Add this cornstarch mixture to your egg mixture, then slowly whisk in the strawberry puree.

Pour everything back into your pot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the curd thickens. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted, then transfer to a bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely before using.

Feel free to make the curd up to 3 days in advance.

Step 3: Bake

When you're ready to bake, prepare two bowls - one with the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar and another with powdered sugar. The granulated sugar creates a base that helps the powdered sugar adhere better and prevents it from melting into the cookie during baking, which helps achieve that perfect crinkled look.

Portion your chilled dough into 2-tablespoon balls. I like to use a mini scooper to help keep the sizes consistent.

Roll each first in granulated sugar and then generously in powdered sugar. If you want to ensure the cookies have that signature crinkled look, roll them twice in powdered sugar.

Place them on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart, giving them space to spread. Then, make an indentation in the center of each cookie with a ½ tablespoon measuring spoon and fill with a teaspoon of your cooled strawberry curd.

As tempting as it is to add more curd, if you add too much, it can spill over while baking.

Chill the filled cookies while your oven preheats to 350°F. This final chilling helps them maintain their shape.

Bake one tray at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are set and the bottoms have a bit of color. The cookies will be very soft, so let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Although it took several tries to nail down this strawberry curd lemon crinkle cookie recipe, I wasn't mad about it because each batch was so delicious. The cookies have a lovely soft texture, almost cake-like, while the strawberry curd balances the lemon flavor, creating the perfect sweet-tart center in every bite. Now off to devour more cookies!

For another delicious lemon treat, check out these lemon cheesecake crumb bars!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the strawberry curd and cookie dough up to 3 days in advance.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them for up to a week.

More strawberry dessert recipes

Looking for more strawberry treats? Try these: