Melting moments are a favourite Australian biscuit! They are made with soft, buttery shortbread filled with a tangy, creamy lemon buttercream. This version is the Aussie classic you remember but is completely egg free, dairy free, and vegan. That means everyone can enjoy these delicate, melt-in-your-mouth treats without missing out!
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is THE BEST bake I have made in a while, I have friends and family asking me to make more and more! I used the vanilla option for my filling. Coming up to 10 years vegan but these are EXACTLY as I remember! Thank you! – Ashlie
Melting moments are soft, buttery, delicate shortbread cookies sandwiched together with a sweet filling. While you can find variations in flavours, the lemon-filled version is the classic Australian favourite, and the one I grew up eating.
If you grew up in Australia, you likely encountered these at morning teas, school events, or community gatherings. They’re simple to make, always a crowd pleaser, and perfect for any occasion.
I love this recipe for many reasons but a big one is that unlike many other cookie recipes it makes a relatively small batch with only 10 cookies total making it a great option when you want to bake something but don’t want to have to deal with a tonne of leftovers. If you need more though, feel free to double the recipe.
What is the difference between melting moments and yo yos?
Yo yo biscuits are another classic Australian treat that is named as such due to the shape resembling an old school yoyo toy. While they are very similar to melting moments, the key difference is that yo yos are made with custard powder (which is a common ingredient in both Australia and the UK) to achieve a really creamy textured cookie.
Melting moments instead are made using cornflour, also known as cornstarch in the US.
Key Ingredients
You’ll only need a total of 6 ingredients to make this melting moments recipe.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy-free butter – use a good quality dairy free butter for the best flavour in this recipe as it’s a key ingredient in both the biscuit and the filling. I always use Nuttelex Buttery as it is vegan and gives a ‘buttery’ flavour without being greasy. As this is an Australian product, the closest US alternative I believe is Earth Balance.
- Vanilla – to flavour the biscuits. Make sure to use vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla for the best taste.
- Icing sugar – using powdered sugar in place of regular sugar in the cookie ensures a soft and delicate texture. You’ll also need extra to make the filling.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour
- Cornflour – or cornstarch depending on where you live. This again is going to help create a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie texture. It really is the key ingredient.
- Lemon – We’re using both lemon zest and lemon juice to flavour the filling, but if you wanted to you could skip this and do a vanilla filling instead.
Step-By-Step Instructions
These cookies are quite simple to make and equipment wise you’ll just need a large bowl and an electric mixer and a baking tray. I’ve used my stand mixer but you could also use a hand-held mixer.
👉Tip! Make sure to preheat your oven and then start maxing the biscuit dough.
Step 1: Beat together the dairy free butter, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. You want the dairy free butter to be still cold as it’s spreadable from the fridge and allowing it to come to room temperature like regular butter will make it too warm and result in your cookies spreading.
Step 2: Add the flour and cornflour and beat to combine until a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Scoop out the dough into 20 small balls and place evenly on a baking sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle then place the dough into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
Step 4: Using a fork that’s been lightly floured, gently press down into the dough to create the pattern and slightly flatten them out. You want all of the cookies to be relatively evenly sized in both height and width.
Step 5: Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked – you want the bottoms slightly golden but the tops still quite pale, so look at the part of the cookie touching the tray to determine. Like most cookies, these are better under baked than overbaked. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
Step 6: Beat together the dairy-free butter, icing sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth and creamy and place the frosting covered with plastic wrap in the fridge to cool until ready to use.
💡Variation: The filling is a smaller batch of my vegan lemon buttercream which is the traditional flavour for these cookies, but you can easily just add vanilla instead of lemon if you wanted to keep them a vanilla cookie.
Step 7: Once the cookies are completely cool, use a knife or a piping bag to place the filling on half of the cookies and gently sandwich together with the remaining cookies (you should be left with 10 full cookies).
Recipe FAQs
If your cookies are overspreading in the oven then your butter is too warm. Pop the cookie dough in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes before baking.
Also make sure to always preheat the oven before adding the cookies to make sure they cook evenly.
These cookies store well in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More Aussie classic biscuits:
Easy Milo Biscuits (Dairy-Free)
Homemade Tim Tams (Vegan)
ANZAC Biscuits
Classic Ginger Snap Biscuits
Melting Moments
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
- ⅔ cup (160 grams) dairy free butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 cup plain flour/all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornflour/cornstarch
For the filling:
- ¼ cup (60 grams) dairy free butter
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the dairy free butter, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add in the flour and cornflour and continue to mix until a smooth dough forms.
- If the dough is feeling too sticky, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make it easier to handle. Roll tablespoons of dough until you have 20 total, and place evenly spaced 2 cm apart on the baking tray. Using a lightly floured fork, gently press the dough. You want to make sure that they are fairly evenly shaped.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges around the bottom are slightly golden, you want the tops to still be quite pale. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
- While the cookies are baking, make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer) beat together the dairy free butter, icing sugar and lemon zest and juice until smooth and creamy. Place the frosting covered with plastic wrap in the fridge to cool until ready to use.
- Using a knife or a piping bag to place the filling on half of the cookies and sandwich together with the remaining cookies (you should be left with 10 full cookies).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated with new photos and content. The recipe remains the same!
milo nyash says
love this! dog ate a few then fell flat on the floor.. silly sod!!! but all good after he had the runs…. great recipe love these melting moments. 👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿 keep it up. #BLM 🏳️🌈 big up the gays.
Lydia says
I used gluten free flour and rice flour and these worked really well. I’m making more again today
Sally says
That’s great to hear they worked well gluten free! Thanks Lydia 🙂
Ashlie says
This is THE BEST bake I have made in a while, I have friends and family asking me to make more and more! I used the vanilla option for my filling. Coming up to 10 years vegan but these are EXACTLY as I remember! Thank you!
Sally says
Amazing! So glad you loved these Ashlie! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Joanne says
Will these freeze well? I want to make them ahead of time for a party?
Sally says
Hi Joanne! I haven’t tried freezing them but if you did I would recommend just freezing the biscuits for as long as you need (without the filling) and then piping the filling the day before the party and storing them in the fridge.
Allison says
Super easy to make and delicious.
Sally says
Thanks Allison!
Kyo says
I was reminiscing about my mother’s melting moments from when I was a child. It sent me on the hunt for a vegan version! Your recipe hit the spot! Easy to make, and very yummy. I also just noticed i have printed out quite a number of your recipes… thank you, clearly I love ya work!
Sally says
Thank you, comments like yours mean so much! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Robyn says
These look so delicious, and I LOVE the sound of that lemon filling. Cannot wait to try baking them!
Sally says
Thanks Robyn, hope you enjoy them!
Daryna says
Hi. Can I make this recipe with Westfield butter instead?
Gavin Sutherland says
Where have these been all my life? These are insanely good and what’s more pretty simple to make too. I whipped up a batch with my 4yr old the other day and lets just say there weren’t too many left by the time my wife got home from work 😉
Sally says
What a great thing to share with your daughter! And I don’t blame you, they never last very long in my house either!
Poot says
Amazing
Sylvie says
Oh my I wish I could bite through one (or 5) right now – they look so light and refreshing with the lemon filling!!
Sally says
It’s hard to stop at one!
Andrea says
Such a pretty and delicious recipe. Melting moments are one of my favourite recipes to make (and eat!). I love the lemon buttercream in this one, it adds a little extra something special!
Sally says
Thanks Andrea, they are such an easy and delicious cookie!