The Ultimate Lemon Skillet Cookie

For a lemony, delightful dessert, try The Ultimate Lemon Skillet Cookie. It has pockets of lemon curd. Plus, there’s minced candied lemon peel in the batter. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

I was gifted candied lemon peel from Paradise Fruit Company for this post, but all opinions are my own.

This lemon skillet cookie is an oversized cookie baked in a skillet. It is a lemon explosion! The cookie is dense but tender on the inside and crispy around the edges. With a layering of lemon curd in the center, there is gooey, lemony goodness in every bite. Serve warm with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a dollop (or as many as you want!) of vanilla ice cream for an irresistible treat.

For added flavor and textural interest, I use candied lemon peel from Paradise Fruit Company. It’s finely chopped and added to the batter. It provides subtle, tender bites of citrusy sweetness. The candied lemon peel is what makes this cookie unique and extra tasty. Don’t leave it out! By the way, if you love candied fruit, Paradise offers other fruit varieties, such as cherry, pineapple, orange, and more!

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• All-purpose flour—fluff with a fork before measuring for accuracy.
• Butter—I use unsalted butter in my baking. Cool melted butter in this recipe helps to produce a chewier and fudgier rather than a cakier cookie. Plus, it’s easier to mix.
• Granulated sugar— instead of brown sugar to keep the cookie light in color.
• Egg—provides leavening, structure, flavor, and color.
• Candied lemon peel—adds an interesting texture and punches up the sweetness and citrus flavor.
• Lemon curd—use store-bought or homemade. It produces gooey and lemony pockets in the cookie.
• Baking soda and baking powder—used as leavening.
• Salt—rounds out the flavor profile. Without salt, cookies taste sweet but flat.
• Almond extract—provides a slight hint of almond, which pairs great with the lemon.
• A lemon—the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of juice is used as a flavor enhancer.
• Lemon extract—punches up the lemon flavor that using lemon zest and juice can’t provide
• Yellow food coloring—this is optional. The cookie looks a little pale without it. Add to enhance the yellow tone.
• Confectioners’ sugar—for dusting the cookie before serving.
• Vanilla ice cream—optional topping, but I highly recommend it! Whipped cream can also be added along with or in lieu of the ice cream.

Recipe highlights:

• Grate lemon zest. Chop candied lemon peel.
• Combine dry ingredients.

• Whisk melted butter, sugar, egg, and food coloring (optional). Add lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, almond extract, and candied lemon peel. Mix.
• Add dry ingredients to wet in increments. Mix to combine.

• Layer half of the dough onto the bottom of a cast iron pan.
• Dollop lemon curd over the dough. Top with chunks of the remaining dough. Spread as evenly as you can.
• Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Refer to the recipe card below for detailed instructions. 

How to store the cookie:

This cookie is best consumed immediately. However, leftovers can be stored to enjoy at a later time.

• Room temperature—store in an airtight container for 1-2 days on the countertop.
• Refrigerate—store in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
• Freeze—store wrapped in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Helpful tips:

This cookie is really easy to make. It’s all hand-mixed. Even so, below are a few helpful hints for the perfect cookie at the very first try:

• Allow the melted butter to cool slightly before use. This is to avoid curdling the egg.
• Use a cast iron skillet. It retains heat extremely well and allows the edges to crisp up evenly. In a pinch, you can use a l10-inch size, but the cookie texture will be affected by the shallowness of the cookie. Also, it will bake more quickly, so be sure to reduce bake time. I recommend sticking to the 8-inch skillet for best results.
• To prevent a dried-out cookie, do not overbake. Check the cookie at the lower range of the cooking time. If it looks crisp around the edges and pulls slightly away from the side of the pan, it’s done. It will continue to cook a tad from carryover cooking.
• If your lemon curd is not yellow enough, mix in a few drops of yellow food coloring prior to layering it on the cookie dough. Please note that the curd will thin out a bit.

If you’re looking for a lemony dessert, this skillet cookie provides the ultimate lemon cookie experience. It’s sweet, citrusy…perfect for summer. It’s best served warm with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar and a scoop(s) of vanilla ice cream. A warm, gooey cookie and cold ice cream are always a delight to the palate!

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• An 8-inch skillet—cast iron skillet is the best tool for baking the cookie in. It retains heat greatly and allows the exterior of the cookie to be crisp. I have this one and it comes pre-seasoned.
• Use a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, or a Danish Dough Whisk to mix the batter. I have been using a Danish Dough Whisk a lot. It mixes efficiently and scrapes the bowl easily, which helps prevent over-mixing.
• Mixing bowls for prepping the batter.
• Zester for grating the lemon peel.
• Citrus reamer for juicing the lemon.

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The Ultimate Lemon Skillet Cookie

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:American Courses:Dessert Recipe Keys: Mixing B Baking

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 15 minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 Servings

Description

For a lemony, delightful dessert, try The Ultimate Lemon Skillet Cookie. It has pockets of lemon curd. Plus, there’s minced candied lemon peel in the batter. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (need all the zest and 1 tablespoon of juice )
• 1/4 generous teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 rounded cup Paradise candied Lemon Peel
• 1/4 cup lemon curd
• yellow gel food coloring (optional)
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
• Vanilla ice cream topping, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Use a zester to zest and a reamer to juice the lemon. You will need all of the zest and 1 tablespoon of the juice. Set aside. Use a chef’s knife to mince the candied lemon peel. Set aside.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, sugar, egg, and food coloring (optional, about a scant 1/4 teaspoon). Mix with a wooden spoon, spatula, or hand whisk until smooth and bubbly. Add lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, lemon extract, almond extract, and candied lemon peel. Mix well to incorporate thoroughly.
5. Add the dry ingredients, a third at a time, to the wet ingredients. Mix until just barely incorporated before adding the next portion of the dry ingredients. After the last addition, mix until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Lightly coat an 8-inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray or a neutral oil. Using half of the cookie dough, add dollops onto the skillet. Use fingers to spread evenly to cover the bottom of the skillet.
7. If your lemon curd is not yellow, stir in a few drops of food coloring (optional). Evenly drop dollops of lemon curd onto the dough. You don’t need to cover the entire surface.
8. Top with dollops of the remaining cookie dough. Use your fingers and a rubber spatula to gently press and spread the dough evenly around and over the lemon curd. It is fine if you can’t cover all of the lemon curd with the cookie dough.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookie is done when the edges look crisp and pull away from the pan. Remove oven. Allow to cool slightly.
10. It is best served warm with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar and a scoop(s) of vanilla ice cream.
11. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Video

Note

• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days, refrigerated for 4-5 days, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Keywords:Lemon Cookie, Skillet Cookie, Lemon Skillet Cookie, Candied Lemon Peel

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