Lemony Lemon Curd

I was talking to my mom the other night and there is a cookie recipe that she has asked me to help her work on and one of the key ingredients is lemon curd. When she told me I could make my own lemon curd I was sort of intimidated and skeptical. I thought back to when I worked at William-Sonoma and how expensive a jar of their lemon curd was, $14 dollars, yes that is right $14 for a 12.5 oz. jar of lemon curd and thought there is no way I can make this delicate curd myself. But after a pep talk from my mom, I decided to take on the task.

What I love about lemon curd is that it has a custard feel to it but is made with all natural ingredients and there is no thickening agent like cornstarch or flour used. It has such a tart, light lemony taste to it, perfect for spring. What can you use Lemon curd for? For lots of good stuff. It is the filling my mom uses for her lemon poppy-seed wedding cakes, you can use it as a filling for a tarte, or spread it on some toast or use your left over egg whites and make Pavlova with a lemon curd filling.

Lemon Curd Recipe
2 cups sugar
12 large egg yolks (this is not a typo, 12 egg yolks it is)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1 cup unsalted butter room temp
2 Tbs. grated lemon peel


For this recipe since it requires you to be constantly stirring, make sure you have all your ingredients ready and on hand. Start off by combining the sugar and eggs in a medium sauce pan (save the egg whites which can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week).

Gradually add in the fresh lemon juice, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon, a little tip from my mom is, once you take the spoon out of the mixture and you can run your finger down the back of the wooden spoon and the line stays, it's done. It's important not to let the mixture boil. *Note that it will also thicken a great deal as it cools.

Take off heat and stir mixture to cool it down slightly. Then whisk in 1 Tbs. of butter at a time until all butter is incorporated. Stir in lemon zest. Cool and enjoy. This makes a large amount and will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.

So easy to make and so much cheaper than buying it. Enjoy!