Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies
This recipe for light and indulgent Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies are buttery and crisp. These rosemary shortbread cookies are filled with a sweet lemon buttercream for a delightful sandwich cookie!
If you love sandwich cookies as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Homemade Vanilla Oreo Cookies, Homemade Peanut Butter Oreos, Soft Baked Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Sandwich Cookies, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies, or Strawberry Lemonade Sandwich Cookies.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies
- Ready In: 28 minutes
- Makes: 18 sandwich cookies
- Main Ingredients: salted butter, powdered sugar, dried rosemary, lemon
- Flavor Profile: Crisp, buttery rosemary vanilla cookies with silky lemon-cream filling
- Dietary Info: eggless, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: citrusy lemon filling between vanilla rosemary cookies
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Buttery & Crisp: I love sandwich cookies made with shortbreads as they are buttery and crisp, just like Oreos. So, if you love that type of cookie, these organic cookies are sure to be a winner in your house.
- Sweet & Savory: I love the juxtaposition of sweet and savory in baked goods, and this cookie does it so well! You get sweet lemon with the savory undertone of rosemary that is not too powerful. It's the perfect blend in these simple lemon cookies.
- Sophisticated Indulgence: These organic cookies are adult sandwich cookies. This is definitely a sophisticated cookie with the earthy tones of rosemary and the sweet and zesty flavor of lemon.
- No Eggs: These cookies are a buttery shortbread cookie that are egg-free. This makes them perfect for friends with egg allergies or if you just ran out of eggs.
- Simple and Easy: No cookie cutter or rolling pin needed for this recipe, these sandwich cookies are quick and easy!
These Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies are one of my favorite non chocolate desserts! And you know I'm a chocoholic—so dessert has got to be really good for me to sway from my chocolate ways. But, these Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies are something I crave often. They are delightful balance of sweet and savory lemon cookies, you may want to make a double batch!
I served these at my bakery forever and it was such a customer favorite. These rosemary-lemon sandwich cookies are light, sweet, slightly tart, and with hints of rosemary throughout. They are sure to be a favorite of yours too. Check out more bakery favorites like Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies with Homemade Caramel, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodle Biscotti, or Coconut Vanilla Bean Mini Cookies.
Ingredients
- Butter: I use organic salted butter. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer, just add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough. Be sure to check out Best Salted Butter for Baking for my top picks for shortbread.
- Dried Rosemary: This cookie uses dried rosemary as it packs the most flavor.
- Lemon: I use lemon juice and zest in the filling. If you don't have a fresh lemon, you can use 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon extract or lemon flavor and adjust to taste. You may need to add a splash of milk or even water if using extract as there's no lemon juice. Either option works in this recipe, you can do your preference!
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Make sure your butter is really soft. I like to leave butter out at room temperature so it softens naturally. If you're microwaving, only do 10 seconds at a time per half cup, otherwise it will melt portions of the butter — and we do not want that. These cookies highly depend on the butter, soften it properly!
- If you don't have a lemon, you can use lemon extract or lemon flavor. I recommend 1 to 2 teaspoons in the filling. You may need to add a splash of milk or water as there's no lemon juice to get the desired consistency.
- I use a piping bag with no tip, but you could also use a decorating tip to make these cookies look more bougie.
- These need to be stored in a cool dry place so they keep their buttery and crisp texture. Don't put them in an airtight container!
- Gluten Free — Replace the flour with 226 grams (scant 1 ½ cups) gluten free flour blend and 57 grams (½ cup plus 1 tablespoons) coconut flour.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
How to Make Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and you don’t see powdered sugar anymore, there will still be a few chunks of butter but that is okay because it’s very soft.
Add the dry ingredients: flour and rosemary into the butter mixture and mix on low until combined and smooth. The dough should feel like play dough in your hands.
Step 3
Using your hands, shape dough into 30 balls and place them on each parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each one slightly so they are a round disk that's about 1 ¾-inch in diameter. You'll have 15 dough balls per sheet.
Step 4
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheets. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 5
To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest and mix on low until combined. Speed mixer up to high for 1 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Put in a piping bag with no tip.
Step 6
Turn over every other cookie so they are all paired. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each cookie and sandwich them together. Continue with all the remaining cookies.
Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies FAQ's
Yes, but it's subtle and it pairs so well with the lemon!
It's subtle and it pairs really well with the lemon. This recipe was a best seller at my bakery for a reason!
Rosemary adds a savory element to these buttery, sweet lemon cookies so the contrasting flavor pairs so well and gives these cookies a unique umami flavor!
No, dried rosemary has a more potent flavor, which is why I use it here. Using fresh rosemary for the amount here won't give you enough flavor. Plus, using dried rosemary allows these cookies to stay fresh longer.
Yes, just add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the recipe.
You can use a lemon extract or lemon flavor in the frosting instead. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons and taste, adjust as needed. You may need to add a splash of milk or water, as there's no lemon juice, to get the desired consistency.
Yes, they will be soft immediately after coming out of the oven. You need to let them cool completely on the baking sheets so they set correctly before moving them.
Under baking can cause these to be soft instead of crisp. Be sure to bake until the edges are a nice golden brown for the best texture.
Too much liquid or not enough powdered sugar. If your frosting is too soft or runny, you can add powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency.
After the cookies have cooled completely, then you can fill them.
The filling is a buttercream, so it will harden eventually. So if you let the sandwich cookies set until the frosting hardens, it won't squish out the sides. You can pop the tray in the fridge to speed up the process if you want.
You can store them either way, but I prefer to store them filled because it's just easier. If you want to make them ahead of time (without the filling) you can make the filling the following day or something and fill them then, that's okay too.
These are shortbread cookies, so they are best stored in a cool, dry place so they don't get soggy. I like to leave these out on a plate at room temperature as I'm in a dry climate, so they do really well just sitting out. But, an airtight container can make them soft, so that's not ideal. But, if you're in a humid climate, out in open air will make them soft. Storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer is the second best option!
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Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
Dough
- 226 grams salted butter (softened)
- 142 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
Filling
- 226 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 1 large lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and you don’t see powdered sugar anymore, there will still be a few chunks of butter but that is okay because it’s very soft.
- Add the dry ingredients: flour and rosemary into the butter mixture and mix on low until combined and smooth. The dough should feel like play dough in your hands.
- Using your hands, shape dough into 30 balls and place them on each parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each one slightly so they are a round disk that's about 1 ¾-inch in diameter. You'll have 15 dough balls per sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest and mix on low until combined. Speed mixer up to high for 1 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Put in a piping bag with no tip.
- Turn over every other cookie so they are all paired. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each cookie and sandwich them together. Continue with all the remaining cookies.
- Store in a cool dry place for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Make sure your butter is really soft. I like to leave butter out at room temperature so it softens naturally. If you're microwaving, only do 10 seconds at a time per half cup, otherwise it will melt portions of the butter — and we do not want that. These cookies highly depend on the butter, soften it properly!
- If you don't have a lemon, you can use lemon extract or lemon flavor. I recommend 1 teaspoon in the filling.
- I use a piping bag with no tip, but you could also use a decorating tip to make these cookies look more bougie.
- These need to be stored in a cool dry place so they keep their buttery and crisp texture. Don't put them in an airtight container!
- Gluten Free — Replace the flour with 226 grams (scant 1 ½ cups) gluten free flour blend and 57 grams (½ cup plus 1 tablespoons) coconut flour.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
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I love Mimi’s Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies. Nice lemon flavor with amazing frosting. Subtle rosemary adds something extra.
thanks Mary, so glad you’re enjoying!
These cookies are so tasty. There is not one taste that overpowers another. Rather, they subtly compliment each other to make a very tasty treat.
thank you Connie 🙂 so glad you’re enjoying!