Recipe for Citrus Shortbread Sandwiches Filled with Mixed Citrus Curd
This curd recipe makes about 3 cups, and you probably won't need all of it for the sandwich cookies. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for a week or two, and I am sure you'll find lots of other ways to use it...this post from Katie has some great ideas.
Servings: 0 Makes about 50 small shortbreads or 25 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
For the citrus curd:
- *1/2 cup 1 stick organic, unsalted butter
- *1 cup organic confectioner's powdered sugar
- *6 whole eggs plus 6 egg yolks preferably organic and free-range (I used eggs from my backyard chickens)
- *1 cup fresh squeezed mixed citrus juice I used the juice of 1 grapefruit, 2 blood oranges, and 3 Meyer lemons
- *1/2 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest plus 1/2 tablespoon blood orange zest I didn't zest the pink grapefruit because mine wasn't organic; you can double the zest if you enjoy lots of zest in your curd
- *tiny pinch of sea salt
For the shortbread:
- *1 cup 2 sticks organic, unsalted butter, softened
- *3/4 cup organic confectioner's sugar
- *1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- *2 cups organic all-purpose flour
- *2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons blood orange zest feel free to use more, if you like
- *1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
Instructions
For the citrus curd:
- 1. In the bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes.
- 2. On low speed, beat in the whole eggs and the egg yolks. Beat on low for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and beat until mostly combined. Don't worry if it's not smooth (or if it looks curdled).
- 3. Pour the butter/sugar/eggs/lemon juice into a heavy saucepan and heat over low-medium heat. As you stir with a wooden spoon, you will notice the curd starting to smooth out and thicken. Keeping the heat at low-medium and stirring frequently (do not let it come to a boil), cook for another 5 minutes or so. A candy thermometer inserted at this point should read 165-170 degrees F.
- 4. Remove pan from the heat to cool. Stir in the lemon zest. Spoon curd into clean jar(s) and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
For the shortbread:
- 1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
- 2. Cream butter with confectioner's sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract.
- 3. Whisk flour with salt and citrus zest in a medium bowl, then add to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together (be careful not to overmix).
- 4. Divide dough into two equal portions, and form into two logs, flattening out the sides if you want your cookies to be square. Wrap in plastic or parchment, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- 5. Cut into thin slices (somewhere between 1/8-1/4 inch thick) and gently press one side of each cookie into raw/organic sugar. Place sugar side up on parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet(s). Bake for 17- 20 minutes, or until they are just starting to brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack, then spread half of the non-sugared sides with the citrus curd, and sandwich the cookies together with the remaining shortbread.