Lemons are always the best way to transition from winter to spring, and one of my personal favorite kinds of lemons is the extra sweet Meyer Lemons. These crisp, buttery cookie sandwiches are similar to Viennese whirls, but instead of the traditional buttercream and jam, I fill these kiss cookies with a perfectly tangy but sweet Meyer lemon curd, and a cream cheese frosting. To make them more festive I like to marble my cookie dough—such an easy way to upscale their look that can make people think you stopped by one of our fantastic bakeries around town.

Meyer Lemons are a hybrid of a lemon and a tangerine, the fruits are typically smaller and smoother than their other citrus cousins. They are a popular ornamental tree in their native China.

Meyer Lemons are sweeter with a more orange flavor than normal lemons. They contain more sugar and are less acidic but can be used in place of any recipe that calls for lemon. Meyer Lemons are a great addition to any sweet or savory dish, especially chicken, fish, and pork.

Their skin is so soft and sweet that you can eat them whole, candied, or preserved.

Twelve cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 1/2 cup flour

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• Yellow food dye (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Meyer Lemon Curd

• 1/2 cup butter, softened and cut into cubes

• 1 1/4 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 cup Meyer lemon juice (about four Meyer-lemons worth), freshly squeezed

• 3 Meyer lemons worth of zest

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• Zest of one Meyer lemon

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Cookies

Sift together flour, corn starch, and salt, and set aside.

With the whisk attachment on your mixer, whip the butter until it is light in color—the softer and more whipped the butter is, the easier it will be to pipe later.

Add half of the flour mixture at a time making sure not to over mix.

While still in your mixing bowl, divide the dough so that you have about a third of the dough on one side. Add seven to ten drops of food coloring and mix into the smaller part of the dough. Once the food coloring is mixed fold the colored dough into the noncolored to create a marble effect. Place the marbled dough into a large piping bag with a decorative tip (I used a round tip).

Pipe twenty-four two-inch circle cookies making sure they are all the same sized so when sandwiched they match and they all cook evenly. If you don’t have a mat with a guide, you can take a round cookie cutter, dip it in flour then tap it onto your cookie sheet for a guide.

Bake at 375˚ for twelve minutes. Remove from oven and fully cool before filling.

Meyer Lemon Curd

 This lemon curd recipe will make three cups of curd. Find more ways of using it at rosauerskitchen.com.

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon juice, zest, eggs, and egg yolk and mix well with a whisk.

Place pan on medium heat, mixing every thirty seconds until the mixture has thickened to a loose pudding consistency.

Take the pot off the heat and add a couple cubes of butter into the curd a couple of cubes, adding more once the first ones melt. Continue until all butter is combined.

Pour curd through a mesh strainer to ensure there are no cooked egg curdles or zest.

Place in the fridge until fully chilled. It should thicken up more to a pudding consistency. You can do this step a day ahead of time, or if you need it to cool, quickly pour the curd into a casserole dish so that it’s a thin layer, then place it in the fridge.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a medium mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl) add the butter and cream cheese and whip together with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until fully combined and light in color.

Quickly mix in the salt and lemon zest.

Add powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until fully mixed and the frosting is thick but pliable. Place in a small piping bag with a decorative tip (I used a star tip).

Assembly

Make pairs of similarly sized cookies.

Pipe a ring of cream cheese frosting around the base cookie.

Fill the center of the frosting ring with about a teaspoon of curd.

Top with the second cookie.