Blueberry and Strawberry Jam Sandwiches with Lemon Icing

Fairly easy cookies, definitely delicious, I will most likely make these again. 

I got this recipe from the Modern Baker by: Nick Malgieri. 

My Review - 

I love this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have 'the basics'. This book offers 150 classic and contemporary recipes. It's great for a novice because before each chapter, for example, cakes, it lists cake technique with the batter, the actual cake, frosting, cake wash, etc! and it's great for the more experienced baker because, if you're like me, I like to go back and re-read to remind myself of some things, not saying I am at all experienced. 

If you want to read more about this book review go to my BOOK REVIEW page

Ok! Onto the recipe!

What you will need:

For the cookies dough:

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Lemon Extract

2 large Egg Yolks

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 jar Seedless Preserves

For the Lemon Icing:

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tbsp Water

2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans lined with parchment paper or foil

What you will need to do:

For the dough, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon extract and mix. Beat about 3 minutes.

Beat in yolks, one at a time. Slowly add in the flour, while still mixing. 

Place some plastic wrap on a cookie sheet. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and cover with more wrap. Press the dough with the palm of your hand to make it about 1/2 inch thick. 

Place cookie sheet in the fridge until firm, 1-2 hours or up to 3 days.

When you are ready to bake, place the oven racks to the upper an lower slots of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Take out your dough and cut off 1/3 of the dough, placing the rest back in the fridge.

Sorry, I didn't take pictures of the next part. Roll our your dough on a floured surface, if it's too firm add in a pinch of water and mix. Roll out to a 9 inch square. Use a 3 inch fluted round cutter to cut into disks, lifting them with a cookie spatula and placing them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Place left over scraps in the fridge. Repeat with 2/3's and the 3/3's and with the cookie scraps.

Bake the cookies until they are no longer shiny about 15- 20 min. After 7 minutes, place the pan from the lower rack to the upper and vice verse, turning pans back to front at the same time. 

While your cookies are baking, get the lemon icing ready. Simply mix all ingredients together, make sure there are no clumps! The book says to leave it in a bowl and use a spoon to ice them, but I poured mine into a bottle.  

The book says to heat the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, letting them simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken, but I didn't do that.

I let my jam sit out to get to room temp, because it's already pretty thick. And I had leftover pie filling from my Sweetie Pies, so I used some of that for the filling in these cookies as well.

Once the cookies are cooled, spread your jam on those bad boys and place another cookie on top.

They're looking delicious already!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

I had to steal a bite... it was so tempting! 

This recipe is linked to THESE awesome linky parties!

Lemon Cream Tart with Sour Cream Glaze

This is a simple, elegant, dessert that could go great with some lightly sugared berries. 

What You Need:

For the filling:

16 oz Cream Cheese, softened to room temp

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Lemon, fully zested and juiced

2 large Eggs

2 large Egg Yolks

1 cup Sour Cream

One 1 inch Tart Crust, Recipe HERE

for the Sour-cream Glaze:

1 cup Sour Cream

3 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

What you need to do:

Set a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 325.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Beat for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides.

Add vanilla, lemon zest and juice and one of the eggs. Scrape down. Add another egg.

scrape down again. follow same procedure with egg yolks.

Beat in the sour cream until smooth.

Scrape the filling into the crust, smoothing the top.

Bake the tart until the crust is baked through and the filling is set and is no longer wobbly in the center, about 30-40 minutes.

While the tart is baking, prepare the glaze.

Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla until just combined. 

Remove the tart from the oven and immediately scrape the sour cream mix over the top. Use a small offset metal spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the tart.

Return the tart to the oven and bake 10 minutes longer. 

Cool tart on rack.

Unmold the tart and slide it from the metal tart pan base onto the platter. Serve wedges of the tart.

Keep the tart at a cool room temp on the day it's baked. Wrap loosely in plastic and refrigerate leftovers. 

VARIATION: 

Omit the lemon zest ans juice. Add 5 oz bittersweet (Not unsweetened) chocolate, melted and cooled to the cream cheese mix along with the first egg.

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Lemon Brownies

Borrowed from: Newlyweds

What you need:

1 1/2 cup Flour

1 1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp salt

2 sticks of butter

4 Eggs

1 Lemon (you'll need all the juice and all the zest)

1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 Lemon (Juice and zest, again)

What to do:

Mix in flour, sugar and salt to let lose any lumps

Add in butter and lemon juice.

Add in your eggs, lastly.

Start zesting away and add what you can.

You can make this in a pan or cupcake pan.

Grease your pan and place wax paper and grease that as well. Then place your mix.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Let cool.

Meanwhile, Make your glaze.

Mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice and zest again. If you feel like it's still to thick, and you're out of lemons you can add in some store bought Lemon Juice, it'll make it a bit more tart I think, which adds a lot to the brownies!

Enjoy!

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Citrus Cookies with White Chocolate

These are so easy to do and great tasting!

What you'll need:

• 1 pouch sugar cookie mix
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (or orange for more orange flavor)
• 1 tbsp Orange juice
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 large egg
• White chocolate
• Edible glitter

How to make it:
Preheat your oven to 375*. In a mixer or in a large bowl mix your cookie mix to let free any clumps. Add in mascarpone cheese and butter until well mixed. Add lemon zest, orange juice, pumpkin spice, egg until smooth.

I used a small cookie scoop to make the good sized cookie.

Bake for 11 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a cookie rack. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, melt your white chocolate. I poured a small bit of milk so it wouldn't burn, whisking often.

Dip each cookie halfway into the white chocolate. Let excess dip off.

Placed on waxed paper and sprinkle glitter if you'd like. Let cool on waxed paper.

To store, place wax paper in container. When stacking place wax paper in between.

Linked to:
Sweets for a Saturday 
Sweet Tooth Friday
Made It on Monday