The more time goes by the more I appreciate desserts with simple combinations and fruity flavors. These lemon tea cookies fit that bill and have the bright taste of lemon and orange in every bite. These little tea cookies are delicate shortbreads from a vintage recipe with a creamy filling that’s sunny and citrus-y as well as being a little rich and indulgent.

You can serve these at tea of course, but they make a great snack or treat for just about any occasion!

To get the shape of the cookies in these photos I used the largest square from a set of pie decorating cutters. Any mini cookie or dough cutter will work for this and you can often find minis for sale individually if you don’t want to invest in a whole set.

Roll this dough out very thinly so that the cookies don’t end up too thick.

For the filling we’re using a creamy frosting that sets to a soft texture. For a firmer texture that’s better for travel omit the cream cheese in the frosting ingredients.

In this mixture is some lemon extract and juice, some orange zest, and a few drops of yellow food coloring. I suggest using the dried orange zest that you find in the baking aisle (with the spices) since the pieces will be uniformly small and easy to use with a piping bag. Alternately you could also spread each cookie base with a butter or frosting knife and avoid the issue altogether.

As written this recipe makes around 40 sandwich cookies, but you can make these open-face if you like, too. This is a great option if you need to double the number of cookies you’re making with no increased effort!