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:

• Nectarine Drop Cookies from A Baker's House
• Blueberry Pecan Rugelach from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Zucchini and Almond from The Spiced Life
• Cherry Viennese Sandwich Cookies from Magnolia Days
• Jammy Gooseberry Oatmeal Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Blueberry Cookies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Blackberry Thumbprints from Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
• Damson and Clove Cookies from baking in pyjamas
• Breskvice -(Jam Filled, Peach Shaped Cookies) from Spiceroots
• Rhubarb Shortcake Cookies from Rhubarb and Honey
• Lemonade Poppy Seed Linzer Cookie from Made with Love
• Raspberry Crumble Cookie Bars from from gate to plate