Orange Curd Filled Linzer Cookies
February, while short in days, has the tendency to feel like an ever-lasting cold snap. So far for 2019, February is doing a great job of maintaining its icy reputation. The sun shines during the day, which is swell, but the temperature drops quickly in the evenings, leaving streets, lots, and sidewalks all donned in an invisibility cloak of ice.
I think it’s safe to say that we’re all looking forward to warmer days ahead. Until then, we continue on, steadfastly, looking for or manifesting our own little bits of sunshine to get us through.
For me, February brings three key players the “surviving the chill” game:
Garden planning (we’ll talk more about this later!)
Valentine’s Day
Citrus season
This week on the blog, I want to help you warm up your grey days with a delicious, citrusy treat for you and your Valentine. Prepare to have your taste buds explode! Drrrrrrrrrrrum-roll, please!
Say hello to sunshine for your mouth, Orange Curd Linzer Cookies! Crisp sugar cookies with a window of smooth, tangy orange curd, dipped in chocolate and dazzled with Valentine sprinkles. These cookies will have your sweetheart begging for more!
Frankly, you could only make the orange curd and have your household go wild, but there’s something special about heart-adorned sugar cookies that make the season bright.
In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add one egg yolk at a time and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla and orange extract and beat again.
Add flour and mix until dough forms.
Please note: You can definitely do all of the mixing by hand, using a wooden spoon, or your hands if you prefer.
Form the dough into a ball and flatten slightly into a disc. Wrap and chill for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough until it’s about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. For the Linzer effect, you’ll want to cut one larger shape and use a smaller cookie cutter for the “window.” As you can see, I used a mason jar ring to make circles and a small heart cookie cutter to make the windows.
Bake the cookies for around 8 minutes, making sure to keep an eye on them. They should be slightly golden when removed from the oven. Put them on a cooling rack immediately and don’t touch them until they’ve cooled completely.
Orange Curd Filling:
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh squeeze orange juice
2 tablespoons orange extract, I used homemade (Recipe is here!)
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup fine sugar (I blended my regular grain sugar until it was fine)
1/2 stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into about 12 cubes
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Warm the orange and lemon juice in a pan, do not boil. In the top of a double boiler, or a glass bowl if you’re like me, whisk the egg yolks, egg, sugar, salt, cornstarch and zest until fully incorporated. You want it to be light, sort of fluffy and more importantly, you want the sugar to be nearly dissolved.
Add the warm juice and extract mixture to temper the egg mix, whisking as you add the liquids. This will prevent your eggs from scrambling.
Put on the double-boiler and stir on medium/low for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove the curd from the heat and gently whisk in the butter, a cube or two at a time. You’ll continue to do this until all of the butter cubes are fully incorporated into the curd. It will thicken as it cools.
Once the butter is mixed in, you’ll want to store the curd in glass container (or something else that’s non-reactive) and keep refrigerated. I let the curd sit in the fridge for about an hour before using in the cookies. It will last about a week in the fridge, but once you’ve tasted it, it probably won’t stand a chance.
Assemble the Cookies:
Drop about a teaspoon and a half of curd into the middle of one of the whole cookies. Gently press one of the toppers with a cut out “window” over the curd. As you press, the curd will expend to the edge of the cookies.
If you have time, let the cookies rest in a container in a single layer in the refrigerator over night. If you don’t have time, toss them in the freezer (in a single layer), for about 20-30 minutes.
In a double-boiler, or if you’re like me and rock the glass bowl over a pan of boiling water method, melt your dipping chocolate of choice. Once the chocolate is melted, gently spoon it over the outer edge of one side of the cookie sandwiches, being careful to seal the outer edge of the cookie.
Decorate with your favorite Valentine sprinkles, set on wax paper and let cool immediately. You may even want to refrigerate them in a single layer, until you’re ready to serve them to the lucky recipient.
These cookies were a show stopper for my family and friends. The lightly sweet cookie with the citrusy, cream center makes a perfect cookie for tea parties and Sunday afternoons. But gussied up with a tidbit of chocolate decadence and sweet heart-shaped sprinkles, makes them the perfect Valentine’s treat.
Don’t feel like making cookies? I urge you to make orange curd while sweet, tasty oranges are in season. It’s fabulous on toast, swirled in oatmeal, on vanilla ice cream, or on a slice of warm ginger-spiced bread.
We don’t all rely on the same things to pass the time or make our own sunshine in the winter months. I find joy in watching others doing their own thing, too!, Take Gus for instance. She loves to watch the birds and I love leaning in close and quietly asking her what she’s up to. She often replies with a fun little bit of chattering!
