Polish Lemon Sandwich Tea Cookies (Cytrynowe Ciasteczka) Recipe

lemon-tea-sandwich-cookies.jpg
© Barbara Rolek
  • 50 mins
  • Prep: 30 mins,
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yield: 30 cookies (30 servings)
Ratings (31)

By Barbara Rolek

Updated 10/15/17

This recipe for melt-in-your-mouth Polish lemon sandwich tea cookies or cytrynowe ciasteczka do herbaty (sih-trih-NOH-veh chass-TETCH-kah doh err-BAH-tih) calls for a lemon cream filling.

If you want your filling to look sunshine yellow, add a few drops of food coloring. It also will give your guests a hint as to what's inside these delectable confections.

These cookies can be made with any citrus fruit, actually, and are equally yummy made with oranges, tangerines, blood oranges, and even grapefruit.

This pretty cookie is ideal for a tea party, bridal shower, Mother's Day, or anytime a pretty, delicate cookie is the order of the day. The beauty is, they’re easy to make and they store well. 

If made correctly, this recipe will yield 60 cookies or 30 sandwich cookies. 

What You'll Need

  • For the Cookie Dough:
  • 2/3 cup superfine sugar
  • 8 ounces butter (room temperature)
  • 1 large ​egg yolk (lightly beaten, room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • For the Cookie Filling:
  • 1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon milk (more or less as necessary)
  • Garnish: powdered sugar

How to Make It

  1. Place rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, portion dough onto parchment-lined sheet pans, spacing 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in flour, lightly tamp the dough twice to flatten it.
  2. Repeat with remainder of cookies, dipping the glass in more flour, as necessary, so cookies won't stick.
  3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown but still quite light in color overall. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes on sheet pans and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  1. Make the filling: in a medium bowl, cream together 1/3 cup softened butter, 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and reserved 1/2 teaspoon zest. If the mixture is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. This mixture should be thick but smooth.
  2. Assemble the sandwich cookies: you can use a teaspoon to place dollops of filling on, but we prefer to use a piping bag with a plain tip to pipe a spiral of filling onto the flat side of one cookie and then top with another cookie, flat side down, twisting the top cookie a little to make sure it is on securely. Dust the tops with confectioners' sugar.
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
Calories 185
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Unsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 62 mg
Carbohydrates 23 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Protein 3 g
(The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)