I am obsessed with lemon as is most of my family. We got together for a birthday celebration/pool party, so I decided to make these bite sized lemon cookies! I have used the shortbread recipe to make these little “tarts” a couple times, but this is the first time I filled them with lemon. These would also be super cute for a bridal or baby shower.
Ingredients
Shortbread Ingredients:
1 c sugar
16 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp water (added halfway through stirring)
Lemon Filling Ingredients:
1 ½ c sugar
6 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
½ c freshly squeezed lemon juice (at least 3 lemons)
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tbsp butter
1 ½ cups boiling water
2-3 tbsp lemon zest (3 if you like it more lemon-y)
Directions
For the shortbread:
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
2. Add vanilla, giving a quick mix.
3. Finally add salt and a little bit of flour at a time, mixing until smooth. About halfway through I added the water to help mix it all together nicely.
4. Shape dough into 2 equal discs, wrapping separately in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile prepare lemon filling:
1. In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Then, add in the lemon juice and cook over medium low heat until smooth.
2. Add the egg yolks and butter. You might get a little nervous about the consistency at this point, but it will turn out. Just keep stirring constantly until it thickens more and comes together.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. The mixture will thicken a lot.
4. Make sure there are not “scrambled egg bits” in the mixture. You can either put it through a strainer or use a spoon to scoop them out. I only had a few little pieces.
5. Stir in the lemon zest.
Cookie Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a mini cupcake pan.
3. Roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. I like the more decorated appearance so I used a 2 ½ inch flower cookie cutter; you could also just use a round one. After you have used up all the dough, gently press cut out dough flowers into greased cupcake pan. Fork each throughout on the bottom and sides to prevent them from puffing out too much. Then transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes before putting in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Fill each cup ¾ full with lemon filling. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool until completely set. Store chilled.
5. When ready to serve, sprinkle with optional powdered sugar.
