Lemon Pie Cookies

Can I tell you how much I hate laundry? The remembering to do it, the remembering to change it.

The putting away.

There are three people in my family. My husband, me, and my daughter.

For the three of us, we do an amazing number of loads a week. At least five, usually six or seven. More in the winter, because jeans take up more space than shorts. It's insane. How do you families of four or five or six do it? I feel like it's all I ever do (that and wash dishes). In fact, I have a load in the washer right now that needs to go in the dryer.

For some reason, I associate lemon with laundry. I mean, I think of lots of things when I think of lemon, like Spring and yellow, but laundry always pops to mind too.

It just so happened that, the day I found out that the theme for the Improv Challenge this month was lemon and sour cream, a friend of mine gave me a big bag of gorgeous lemons. What to make?

I remembered a recipe I had for lemon curd that I wanted to try. So I made some. It was good.  But that didn't solve the challenge problem; I needed sour cream.

As soon as I had made the lemon curd I thought about these cookies. I was going to use a store-bought pie crust, but that also didn't solve the sour cream problem. So I tried changing my pie crust recipe to add sour cream, and you know what? It worked! The result was a tasty, soft crust. Perfect to pair with the lemon curd.

Once you have your crust made, I like to use this tip I found at Our Best Bites. Before I refrigerate the dough, I roll it out between two sheets of wax paper, then pop it into the fridge, still between the paper. It chills fast and there is no mess. (The tip actually came with a sugar cookie recipe. It's how I made my sugar cookies at Christmas. No flour. No clean-up. Genius!)

Spread the lemon curd all over your crust. (Use a store bought kind if you want, I won't tell!)

Roll it up, wrap in plastic and chill until firm. Then slice and bake. So easy!

I also glazed my cookies with a little powdered sugar glaze. A little sweet to go with the tartness of the curd.

For someone who isn't a huge lemon fan (but is fast becoming one), these cookies are addicting. I ate the whole batch a few.

I can't wait to see what other lemon and sour cream creations the blogosphere comes up with today. Enjoy looking along with me!

Lemon Pie Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons butter, diced and cold

¼ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon vanilla, divided

2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought or see recipe below)

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1.       Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add sour cream and ¼ teaspoon vanilla and pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball. Place dough ball on a sheet of waxed paper and cover with a second sheet of waxed paper. Roll to ¼” thick. Chill at least 30 minutes.

2.       Removed rolled out crust from refrigerator. Spread lemon curd in an even layer and roll up crust. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3.       Once the roll is chilled, preheat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice roll in ½” thick slices and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

4.       Make the glaze by stirring powdered sugar and remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla. Dip tops of cookies in glaze, or you can pour glaze over cookies. Let set before stacking.

Yield: about 1 ½ dozen cookies

Lemon Curd

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon zest

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons water

6 egg yolks, lightly beaten

½ cup butter, cut up

Directions:

Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in zest, lemon juice, and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. (It will be quick.) Whisk half the lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks, then add entire mixture back to the saucepan. Cook and stir until it comes to a gentle boil, then cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in butter until it melts. Transfer to a bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour. (Will last for 2 weeks in refrigerator.)

Yield: 2 cups

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