Lemon Curd Cookies

Finely zest the lemons into a small mixing bowl using a microplane grater. Massage the zest together with a small amount of granulated sugar.

Juice zested lemons using a citrus juicer; you’ll probably need about 2 large juicy lemons to give you 1/3 cup of juice.

Place lemon juice, egg yolk and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (double boiler) and cook the curd over medium-high heat whisking constantly. After about 8-10 minutes, the mixture starts to thicken like a custard (at this point the curd will reach around 80C /176F).

Remove it from heat, and pour the cooked curd through a sieve.

With a rubber spatula, mix in room temperature butter in small chunks one by one, making sure each chunk is fully incorporated before adding the next. Hand blend, if desired. Fold the zest in at this point.

Pour curd into a jar and place plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents skin forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge.

Let it chill refrigerated while preparing the cookies.

Zest 1 large organic lemon and massage the zest into the granulated sugar.

With an electric hand mixer, cream room temperature butter with the lemon sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Mix in the oil, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, just until combined.

Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together, then add the mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold together with the help of a rubber spatula.

Prepare 2 baking pans with parchment paper.

Scoop the cookie dough into the baking sheets - it will be about 16-18 balls using a cookie or ice cream scooper that holds about one tablespoon. Let the dough rest for about an hour refrigerated.

Pre-heat oven to 165 C / 330°F (no fan).

Place the granulated sugar onto a plate and the powdered sugar onto a separate large plate. Roll the dough balls first in the granulated sugar and then in the powdered sugar. Make sure that the powdered sugar part is very generous; you should cover the entire cookie dough ball with a thick layer of powdered sugar. Place the coated cookie balls on the baking sheets, leaving enough space between them to be able to spread

Bake the cookies for at 165 C / 330°F (no fan) for about 15 minutes.

Immediately use the back of a rounded teaspoon measuring spoon to make a rounded indentation within the center of each cookie.

Then, let the cookies come to room temperature and fill each cookie with about one teaspoon of lemon curd.

Store the lemon curd cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for about a week.