Tuesday 19 August 2014

Lemonade Poppy Seed Linzer Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange


The Creative Cookie Exchange theme this month is Creative uses for summer bounty well in my case it's winter. We have a lemonade tree growing in our back garden and at this time of the year it's full with lemonades. The lemonade tree is hybrid citrus fruit  found in Australia and New Zealand. A cross between a navel orange and a lemon. So with this in mind I wanted to use the lemonade curd I make every year in some way for this months cookie challenge.


LEMON CURD FILLING
Lemonade Butter
180gm chopped butter
2 cups caster sugar
3/4 cup lemonade juice
4 eggs beaten and strained
 a bit of corn flour to help thicken
Fill the bottom part of a double boiler with water halfway & bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
Fill a large bowl with water & ice, set aside.
Whisk together the egg, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice & salt in the top part of the double boiler, making sure the top doesn’t touch the water. Whisk constantly until the curd reaches 170 F. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat , add butter, & whisk until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. place the bowl into the cold water bath until it cools & thickens. Set aside until ready to be used.


POPPY SEED SHORTBREAD COOKIES
140 gms butter, softened (6 oz.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar, (confectioners’) plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 Plain cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds


Preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F). Place parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets & set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter, sugar, icing (confectioners’) sugar & vanilla on medium speed until light & fluffy. Reduce the speed to low & slowly add the flour & salt. Mix until incorporated. Add the poppy seeds & mix for one minute more.
Remove the dough from the mixer & place it between 2 large sheets of baking  paper. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top layer of paper & cut cookies with a 2″ cutter round cutter. Take half the rounds & cut a 1/2 inch circle in the center, to make the tops of the cookies. There should be an equal amount of tops & bottoms. Take the bottom baking paper with the cut cookies on it & place it on a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for about 1 hour.
Take the cookies out of the freezer, pop them off the paper & place them 1/2″ apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with fresh baking paper. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden around edges. (they should not be browned or have too much color) Cool completely on are racks. Dust the tops of the cookies (the ones with the holes) with confectioners’ sugar. Spread about a teaspoon of lemon curd onto the cookie base. Take the top cookies & gently sandwich with the cookie top.


I received 3 Kitchen Executive baking mats to review them. And I can tell you the are great to use,  the cookies came out nice and crisp and didn't stick to the mats, but I did need to leave the the oven for a minute or two longer. They were very easy to clean just a quick wipe off. I can see they will have plenty of use in my kitchen in the future.  


The theme this month is Creative Uses for the Summer Bounty! Why should cookies be left out from the summer harvest? They shouldn’t! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.
You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Facebook page, our Pinterest Board, and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:


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23 comments:

  1. I spy what I'm baking with the poppy seeds I have in my pantry.

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  2. Oh, a lemonade tree, how wonderful! I've never heard of that type of hybrid and know that I am missing out. your curd and cookies look beautiful and the poppy seeds must add a special touch.

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  3. I wonder if an equal mix of orange and lemon juice comes close to lemonade? I have never heard of this hybrid, it sounds just lovely. Your cookies look delicious, too. Sadly I am always on a diet.....

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  4. Of all the cookies I have on my list to bake, Linzer cookies top the list. Yours look outstanding. and Wow What an interesting tree.. the lemonade tree. Love it.

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  5. They sound so delicious. I've never seen a lemonade before and am not sure if they are grown here but ever since I read about them on your blog I always look for them!

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  6. Oh now they look delicious! My sort of tea time treat. Xxxx

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  7. First I am totally jealous of your tree. Second, I thought we were having a language issue lol--I wondered do they call lemons lemonades in Australia?? Ha! I have not seen those here and am intrigued. Last, OMG those look good! I LOVE lemon desserts year round, although of course they are technically winter here.

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  8. PINNING these right now!!!!! Oh how I love Linzer cookies and I love lemon and put them together and this looks like heaven on a plate to me! How wonderful that you were able to use your own harvest for these yummies! Thank you for passing this one on!!!! Nicole xoxo

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  9. I love the colour of your. 'Lemonade' curd! The biscuits look so lovely, I think poppy seeds in biscuits are The best! X

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  10. I have never heard of the lemonade tree, but I can imagine that the curd tastes delicious!!! Your biscuits look very pretty and tasty! xx

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  11. Lemonade butter sounds amazing ! I cannot wait to make these cookies.

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  12. Lemonades? I'm jealous!! Your cookies are so pretty!!!

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  13. Okay ... I think I may have just died and gone to heaven!

    I love all things lemon ... and that filling looks like it's bursting with lemony goodness! And the cookies? I'm afraid to make them as I might eat the whole batch!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Lemons.. yum. These cookie look down right tasty! I have to pin these so I can make up a batch!

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  15. Yum, they sound scrumptious! Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I'll be able to play along on the scavenger hunt this month :)

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  16. They look delicious! Even though I've travelled in Australia and New Zealand, I didn't know about lemonades! Clearly it's time I went back and had a proper look (she says on a rainy English Tuesday morning).

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  17. These turned out great! I'd so love a bite!

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  18. These recipes look yummy, Jill! I bet you're looking forward to spring ~ It's getting very fall like here in Colorado. I'm back from my travels and on-line now. Just wanted to give you a heads up that I'll be back in the scavenger hunt with September's list. I hope all is well with you and your family!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I always enjoy reading what you have to say.