Description
These Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies are soft, melt-in-your-mouth treats featuring a tender yeast dough filled with a smooth, tangy lemon cream cheese mixture. Perfect as a delightful dessert or a sweet snack, they combine subtle lemon zest with creamy filling, wrapped in a buttery, golden-brown dough.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Optional Topping
- Sanding sugar for topping
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and salt, ensuring they are well mixed.
- Add wet ingredients and form dough. Add the eggs, warm whole milk, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Mix until a dough begins to form.
- Knead the dough and incorporate butter. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Gradually add softened unsalted butter in increments, continuing to knead until fully incorporated and the dough is soft and pliable.
- First rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a clean cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Prepare cream cheese filling. While the dough rises, in a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, and lemon zest together until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Roll out dough. After the dough has doubled, gently punch it down to release air. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle.
- Spread filling. Evenly spread the lemon cream cheese filling across the surface of the rolled-out dough.
- Shape the dough. Roll up the dough tightly from the long edge to form a log. Using a sharp knife, slice the log lengthwise to create two long strands.
- Twist and place in pan. Twist the two strands together with the filling side facing up and place the twisted dough into a greased loaf pan.
- Second rise. Cover the loaf pan and let the twisted dough rise again for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy.
- Preheat oven and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Optionally, sprinkle sanding sugar on top for a decorative finish. Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool and serve. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing to ensure clean cuts and optimal texture.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure the dough rises properly.
- Make sure the milk is warm but not hot to avoid killing the yeast.
- Allow the dough to rise in a draft-free, warm environment.
- For best results, cool the baked loaf completely before slicing.
- Optional sanding sugar adds an attractive sparkle and a slight crunch on top.
