Lemon & Fir Tip Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Buttery lemon cookies filled with a bright & zesty lemon curd. Fir tip-infused sugar flavors the curd and gives the cookies a delicate crunchy coating.
Servings: 28 cookies
Ingredients
Fir tip sugar:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup fresh fir tips or spruce tips
Lemon fir tip curd:
- ½ cup tightly packed fir tip sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter diced
Cookies:
- 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter soft room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the fir tip sugar: In a food processor, blend ¾ cup sugar with ¾ cup fresh fir tips until well combined, 3-4 minutes. Fir tips should be broken into very fine bits and sugar will be bright green and fragrant.Measure out ½ cup tightly packed fir tip sugar, setting the rest aside in a bowl to roll cookies in later.
- Make the lemon curd: Whisk together the ½ cup fir tip sugar with 3 egg yolks and ¼ cup lemon juice in a large heat-proof bowl. Place this bowl on top of a pot filled with about two inches of water. Bring water to a low simmer and cook the curd gently, whisking often, until thick and opaque, about 8-11 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon (it'll set up further as it cools).Remove from heat and whisk in 2 oz diced butter, stirring until blended. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and pour into a bowl. Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator, placing plastic wrap directly on top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Make the cookie dough: Beat 8 oz butter until soft and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add ⅔ cup sugar and the lemon zest, mixing until well combined and fluffy. Add egg yolk, blending until incorporated, then follow with 1 Tbsp lemon juice.In a separate bowl, sift together 2 ¼ cups flour with 2 tsp cornstarch and ½ tsp salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture until it comes together to form a thick dough.
- Scoop cookies: Scoop cookie dough into roughly 1 tablespoon pieces, then roll them between your hands into smooth balls.
- Roll in fir tip sugar: Roll cookie dough balls in the bowl of fir tip sugar you set aside in Step 1 (optional - you can skip this step if you'd like), tossing to coat all sides. Use your thumb or the back of a teaspoon to make an indent in the centers.
- Chill: Chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° F when the cookies are almost done chilling.
- Bake: Place cookies an inch or two apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until bottoms are golden and cookies are set, about 10-15 minutes.As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press down the center of each one again to refresh the indent.
- Fill: Allow cookies to cool completely, then fill indents to the top with cooled lemon fir tip curd.Store cookies in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken and continue to set as the cookies cool.