If you love lemon meringue pie but cannot be bothered with pastry, rolling pins, blind baking and the inevitable “will this slice neatly?” stress, these Lemon Meringue Shortbread Sandwiches are for you. They have all the best bits: buttery, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread, sharp lemon curd and a little swirl of toasted meringue — but in a much cuter, grab-and-go biscuit form.
They’re the sort of bake that looks as though it came from a fancy bakery window, yet they are genuinely simple to make at home. And yes, they are absolutely perfect with a cup of tea.
Lemon, meringue and buttery shortbread are a classic combination, with plenty of established recipes pairing sharp lemon flavours with a crisp, rich biscuit base
Why You’ll Love These
I am very much a believer that lemon desserts need to be properly lemony. None of this vaguely yellow, overly sweet business. The lemon curd brings that gorgeous sharpness, while the mascarpone makes the filling soft, creamy and easy to pipe or spread.
Then there’s the meringue. You can make it beautifully swirly and dramatic, give it a quick blast with a kitchen blowtorch and suddenly a humble biscuit turns into something that looks very impressive indeed.
These are ideal for:
• Afternoon tea with friends
• Mother’s Day, Easter or spring baking
• A summer picnic treat
• Taking round to someone’s house when you want to look organised
• A lovely little dessert after Sunday lunch
• A TikTok or Instagram bake because the cross-section is so pretty
Lemon Meringue Shortbread Sandwiches Recipe
Makes: 10 sandwich biscuits
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus chilling
Bake time: 10–12 minutes
Ingredients
For the lemon shortbread
• 125g salted butter, softened
• 60g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 190g plain flour
• 25g cornflour
For the creamy lemon filling
• 150g lemon curd
• 100g mascarpone or full-fat cream cheese
For the toasted meringue
• 2 egg whites
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar, or ½ tsp lemon juice
Optional finishing touches
• Extra lemon zest
• Icing sugar
• A little extra lemon curd for drizzling
Method
- Make the shortbread dough.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan / 190°C conventional. Line one or two baking trays with baking paper. - Add the softened butter, caster sugar and lemon zest to a mixing bowl. Beat together until pale, creamy and fluffy. This is where the lovely lemony scent starts, and it already feels promising.
- Add the plain flour and cornflour. Mix gently until the mixture starts to clump together into a soft dough. Try not to overwork it — shortbread loves a light touch.
- Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap or cover it, then chill in the fridge for around 20 minutes. This makes it much easier to roll and helps the biscuits keep their shape in the oven.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to roughly 5mm thick. Cut out 20 circles using a round biscuit cutter. Transfer to the lined baking trays, leaving a little space between each biscuit.
- Prick each biscuit lightly with a fork. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just turning pale golden. You do not want dark shortbread here — the softer golden colour is part of the charm.
- Leave the biscuits on the tray for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not rush this bit; warm biscuits plus lemon filling equals a bit of a slippery situation.
- Make the lemon filling.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon curd and mascarpone or cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Taste it. If you like a sharper filling, add a little extra lemon curd. If you like it softer and creamier, add a touch more mascarpone. - Make the meringue.
Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl. Whisk until foamy, then add the cream of tartar or lemon juice. Continue whisking and gradually add the caster sugar, one spoonful at a time. - Keep whisking until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk, the meringue should stand proudly rather than flop over sadly.
- Assemble the biscuits.
Pipe or spoon the lemon filling onto the flat side of 10 shortbread biscuits. Add a swirl of meringue on top of the lemon filling. - Lightly toast the meringue using a kitchen blowtorch. Keep the flame moving so it gets those golden toasted patches without catching. If you do not have a blowtorch, you can leave the meringue white and fluffy — they will still taste gorgeous.
- Carefully place the remaining shortbread biscuits on top. Finish with a little grated lemon zest, a dusting of icing sugar or a tiny drizzle of lemon curd if you fancy.
- Eat straight away, preferably with a strong cup of tea and absolutely no intention of sharing more than one.
A Few Handy Tips
• Use room-temperature butter: It creams more easily with the sugar, giving you tender rather than tough shortbread.
• Chill the dough: It stops the biscuits spreading too much and helps them stay neat and round.
• Cool the biscuits completely: The creamy lemon filling will soften and slide if the shortbread is still warm.
• Use a blowtorch carefully: A quick, moving flame gives the meringue that proper lemon-meringue-pie look.
• No piping bag? Simply spoon the filling and meringue on instead. Rustic is still pretty.
• Want a shortcut? Shop-bought lemon curd works brilliantly here, making these much easier for a last-minute bake.
Storing Your Sandwich Biscuits
Because these contain mascarpone or cream cheese and meringue, they are best eaten on the day they are made. Keep them in the fridge if needed, but bring them out 15–20 minutes before serving so the shortbread is not too firm and the filling has time to soften slightly.
If you are preparing ahead, bake the shortbread biscuits a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight tin at room temperature. Make the filling, meringue and assemble on the day you plan to serve them.
The Perfect Little Lemon Bake
These Lemon Meringue Shortbread Sandwiches are bright, buttery, tangy and just the right amount of indulgent. They feel special enough for an afternoon tea table, but easy enough to make because you fancy something sweet on a Saturday afternoon.
The sharp lemon curd cuts through the richness of the buttery biscuit, and the toasted meringue adds that soft, sweet cloud-like finish. It is everything you love about lemon meringue pie — only much easier to eat with one hand while holding a cup of tea in the other.
If you make them, I would love to know: are you having yours with tea, coffee, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream?
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