Meyer Lemons make me happy. They are like little balls of sunshine, so this recipe is actually a “two-fer”…. it’s a recipe for Meyer Lemon Curb and a recipe for Lemon Sugar Sandwich Cookies. You could wimp out, and I won’t hold it against you, and just buy and use the store bough lemon curd. That’s fine too. But if you are so inclined, making your own is delish. And it adds sunshine to any February!
Ingredients
for the lemon curd
6 egg yolks
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 stick of butter, cut into small cubes
You will also need: 4 (1/2-pint) Mason-type jars, sterilized
for the cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
You will also need: If you want to make a pattern on the cookies, an imprinting rolling pin or a cookie stamp (not required, but they are pretty)
Directions
First, make your Meyer Lemon Curd. It should sit for a few days to first up some. This recipe actually makes 4 jars of curb, so you have a “two for one” recipe here. Alternatively, you can just use store-bought lemon curd, but what’s the fun in that?
Combine the egg yolks, juice, zest and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk together until smooth (this will help avoid chunky bits of cooked egg yolk). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 8-9 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter, one cube at a time, making sure that the butter melts completely before adding the next piece.
Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium work bowl. This will catch any big zest and any bit of unsightly thickened eggs. Then, pour finished lemon curd into clean containers and either continue your usual canning process, or cover with a layer of plastic wrap that’s been placed directly on the surface of the curd. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 months. You’ll only need about 1/2 cup (or one of the jars) for these cookies.
Next up, the cookies. in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together unsalted butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, baking powder, salt, orange juice and lemon extract until smooth and well combined. Chill in refrigerator 2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled.
Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper. This is not the one that you will use for baking, but for chilling.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. For the last roll, use the imprinting rolling pin. Cut with a round cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet; you can place the cookies close together, or even a double layer with wax paper in between as you will be chilling the cookies for 30-60 minutes before baking. Cut out all cookies from the chilled doughs, then chill cut outs in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Spread lemon curd on the bottom of one cookie, and top with another cookie (pretty sides facing outward, of course. Repeat with remaining cookies. You should have about 40 sandwich cookies in total.
