Thus Baked Zarathustra

I made sweet tea cupcakes with lemon buttercream a couple of weeks ago (forgot to take pictures, so no post, sorry!), and I had a couple of lemons left over. The weather was beautiful and springy and wonderful (you learn to appreciate sunshine a lot when you're in Chicago), and so I also wanted to make something that tasted like spring and sunshine. Therefore, I made these cute lemon thumbprint tea cookies. The dough made a simple butter cookie that flakes wonderfully when you bite into it, and the homemade filling tasted really tart and fresh. Pretty awesome. I made over 70 for a house meeting, and the people who live in my dorm ate them in about ten minutes. Those who came in late were sorely disappointed (if you want delicious cookies, you cannot be late).

1. 1 c. butter or margarine, softened
2. 1/3 c. powdered sugar
3. 1 tsp. vanilla
4. 1 2/3 c. AP flour

1. 2/3 c. sugar
2. 2-3 tsp lemon peel
3. 3 tbsp. lemon juice
4. 1 tsp. corn starch
5. 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
6. 1 beaten egg
7. 1/4 tsp. salt

Step 4, like so.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Using an electric mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until well mixed and fluffy.
3. Gradually mix in flour until a nice thick dough forms.
4. If the dough is a little sticky, stick in in the refrigerator or freezer for a while. When it's workable, roll the dough into 1-in. balls, and you know, like thumbprint cookies, press your thumb into them.
5. Now we want to get started on the lemon filling. This is super easy. Mix all the ingredients pretty well.
6. Put them all in a pot and heat them (low heat) on a stove. Stir often. You want it to start to thicken and become all congealed.
7. Remove the pot from heat, and let the mixture thicken and solidify more.

8. Step 6, like so. Ignore the one-handled pot.

   Spoon the thickened filling into the cookie thumbprints.
9. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
10. Put the cookies on a cooling rack.
11. Garnish with powdered sugar once cooled.

 

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 7 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix butter and sugar using a mixer until well combined.
3. Add in flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.
4. Add in wet ingredients (egg yolks, vanilla, milk) and mix.
5. Pour into muffin cups about halfway.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes (toothpick test!).

• 1/2 c. butter (room temperature)
• 3.5 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 clementines

1. Peel clementines and chop/crush them up.
2. Mix butter and powdered sugar until creamy.
3. Add in milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Add in the clementines. Mix again.