A cookie doesn’t have to be attractive to taste wonderful. That’s what I keep trying to convince myself of. It’s true, but I want all of my cookies to look their best, and I don’t respond nicely when they decide not to live up to my expectations. I baked these cookies on Tuesday evening after a long day of work, where nothing seemed to go my way. The fact that these cookies even survived is a miracle in itself. Thankfully they taste crazy yummy goody salty sour and sweet, because they sure aren’t much to look at. So why the birthday candle? I made these for my neighbor’s birthday, and I figured a birthday candle could just about make anything more festive and appealing. Especially if you wish for exactly the precise thing. Right about now that thing just happens to be winning the lottery so that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, followed closely by a cookie that’s actually pretty to look at.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- Lemon Curd (Approximately 6-oz)
- Pink Sea Salt
Directions:
- Cream butter, sugar, and salt together for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add vanilla, and mix for an additional 1 minute.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour one cup at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls, and then place them on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Make an indentation in the middle of each dough ball with your thumb, and then fill the indentation with lemon curd.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, before removing to a baking rack to cool completely.
- Sprinkle the top of each cookie with pink sea salt.
Suggestions:
- Place the lemon curd in a large Ziploc bag, and then snip off the corner to fill each cookie indentation. It’s slightly less messy than using a teaspoon to fill the cookies.
- I used Lemon Curd from our recent visit to Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. You can purchase lemon curd at most markets or make your own homemade version.
- This Australian Murray River Salt is what I used to sprinkle on top of these cookies. You can purchase it in store or online from Seasons Olive Oil & Vinegar Taproom, or substitute any version of pink sea salt you happen to have on hand.
- This recipe will yield approximately 2 dozen cookies.
Improvements:
- Top cookies with toasted slivered almonds.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
