If you’ve never tried Melting Moments, you’re in for a treat right now. These cookies are sweet and dainty, airy yet buttery, delicate and melt in the mouth.

Once you have one, you may not be able to stop. Sorry, not sorry.

A melting moment broken in half to show the inside texture

These melting moments biscuits are a take on my Melting Moments Cookies with Raspberry Buttercream and I also used the same base recipe for these Vanilla Shortbread Cookies with Passionfruit Icing.

They’re incredibly easy to make and you may be wondering why there is thyme in these photos. Well this particular batch, whilst totally optional and not at all traditional, I added just a little fresh thyme too.

You don’t need to but it is a nice twist on a classic.

A lemon melting moment biscuit in the centre with others in the background, on in the foreground, on a white cloth

What are melting moments?

Melting moments are similar to a shortbread, but instead of using rice flour, they use corn flour (cornstarch). This results in a similar dry and crisp texture like shortbread, but they are much more melt in the mouth.

Traditional melting moments are super buttery and are two cookies joined together with a buttercream filling. The classic flavour is lemon, as in these ones, but they are often found in vanilla flavour too.

The buttercream filling in melting moments is typically a dry-ish filling as well, making these a cookie you eat with a cup of tea or coffee in hand. The perfect dainty, afternoon tea cookie.

Are melting moments and yoyos the same?

No, but they are very similar. Originating in Australia, Yoyo biscuits (named for their shape) are made using custard powder which can be found easily in Aussie and UK supermarkets or online.

Melting moments, also an Aussie classic, are made using corn flour (cornstarch).

How to make the best lemon melting moments recipe

  1. Cream together butter and sugar, before adding the dry ingredients
  2. Use a very small cookie scoop to scoop the dough and place them on a lined baking tray.
  3. Use the back of a fork, dipped in flour, to gently flatten them slightly and leave indents in the top.
  4. Bake until just turning golden on the edges.

Collage of 2 photos showing cookies spread out on a tray while being filled with buttercream

To make the easy lemon buttercream

  1. The buttercream is just a simple case of mixing everything together and piping it onto your cookies.
  2. Sandwich the cookies together and serve.

Tips for perfect melting moments

  • They should be small – a traditional melting moment is just a dainty little biscuit. I use a size 60 cookie scoop which is equivalent to about 3 level teaspoons in volume.
  • The shape is always round with the marks of fork tines in the top
  • Dip the fork in flour before pressing down on the cookies to stop them sticking.
  • Make sure to bake them until JUST turning golden.
  • A dusting of icing sugar over the top once finished makes them look beautiful too.

5 Lemon Melting Moments cookies surrounded by thyme

As with many cookie recipes, melting moments are incredibly easy to make which will make you very happy indeed.

Do melting moments need to be refrigerated

No. Store them in an airtight container in a cool place for 4-5 days.

Can you freeze lemon melting moments biscuits

Yes, you can. Most biscuits and cookies freeze well. They can be placed in an airtight container or zip lock bag and frozen for 2-3 months.

To thaw, leave them at room temperature for half an hour.

Substitutions

The lemon can be substituted with the same amount of orange or left out completely to make these a vanilla flavour. You could also add a little cocoa powder (say 2 tablespoons, in place of the same amount of flour.

Additions: You could add some pistachios to the dough to make these lemon and pistachios (I’ve done that and they’re delicious). You could also add a small amount of herbs (the cookies in these pictures have had 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme added).

Closeup of a hand holding a melting moment biscuit

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5 Lemon Melting Moments cookies surrounded by thyme

Lemon Melting Moments Biscuits

Yield: 32 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
4.7 from 14 ratings
These Lemon Melting Moments are the traditional sweet, buttery, melt in the mouth biscuits that you'll love with a cuppa. Dainty and delicate, this recipe is similar to shortbread and only 6 ingredients.

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Ingredients

FOR THE MELTING MOMENTS BISCUITS

  • 226 g (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 70 g (1/2 cup) icing (powdered / confectioners) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 260 g (9.1oz / 2 cups) plain (all-purp) flour
  • 70 g (2.5oz / 1/2 cup) corn flour (cornstarch)

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

  • 113 g (1/2 cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (280g) icing (powdered / confectioners) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest notes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice notes
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

FOR THE MELTING MOMENTS BISCUITS

  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  • Beat together the butter and sugar until lightened and creamy (notes). Add the vanilla and beat just to combine.
  • Sift the flour and cornflour over the butter then mix just enough to combine. (notes)
  • Use a mini cookie scoop (noteto scoop little balls of dough onto the baking trays at least 1 inch apart.
  • Dip the tines of a fork in flour, then gently press down on top of each cookie to flatten slightly and give an indent of the fork tines.
  • Bake for around 12 minutes or until just golden around the edges, turning the trays halfway. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

  • Add all ingredients to a bowl and beat until light and creamy (notes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  • Spread or pipe some buttercream onto the flat side of half of the cookies, then top with another cookie.
  • Sprinkle the biscuits with a little icing sugar to serve.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. Beating the butter: You can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment, handheld beater or by hand. The machines will take 4-5 minutes while by hand the time is up to your arm strength.
  3. Adding the flour: Don’t overbeat at this stage or you risk getting tough cookies instead of melt in the mouth cookies.
  4. Cookie scoop: I use a size 60 cookie scoop which is equivalent to 3 level teaspoons.
  5. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).

FOR MORE COOKIE RECIPES, CLICK HERE!

Calories: 147kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, High Tea, Sweets
Cuisine: Australian
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.