Honestly, I have never made lemon curd. But when looking for a recipe to use for my cookies, I had one requirement "LEMON." No wimpy lemon curd for me I wanted in your face punch of color and that fantastic perfect lemon taste.
I went on a lemon curd recipe search, and I found one that I adore. This recipe is from the website Allrecipes.com Perfect Lemon Curd Recipe
I purchased the jar at A.C. Moore, and it was just the right size for displaying my lemon curd. Making the lemon curd and putting it into a decorative glass jar makes an ideal gift. It just screams summer!
Since I wanted the lemon curd to shine in this week's cookies finding a cookie that would not compete with the taste was challenging. Meringue is like eating air if it is not flavored, so I thought this would be perfect. But this meant that I would have to make a small indent to put the lemon curd in after the meringue baked.
Meringue cookies with lemon curd are cookies that you add the lemon curd and then serve right away. You can also have the cookies out with the lemon curd and a small spoon; let your guests add as much as they like. I prefer the latter, giving the guests control on how much lemon taste they want.
My thought is, no matter how you serve these meringue cookies, friends, family, and guests will keep coming back for more.
Recipe
Perfect Meringue with Lemon Curd Cookies
Barbara HallIngredients
LEMON CURD
- ¾ cup Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- ¾ cup Sugar white
- ½ cup Butter unsalted cubed
- 3 Eggs room tempature
MERINGUE COOKIES
- 4 Egg whites at room tempature
- ½ teaspoon Cream of tarter
- 1 cup Sugar white 198 g
Instructions
LEMON CURD
- Add the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and butter into a 2-quart saucepan. Start to heat over low heat. I took the eggs and whisked them in a bowl, and added them to the pan. You want all the ingredients to come to the same temperature simultaneously, or you will end up with scrambled eggs. So I stirred almost the whole time. Please don't confuse the zest for cooked eggs; as long as you gradually bring the temperature up, it will be fine.
- I turned the heat up just a little, and it still took about 10 minutes for it to start to thicken. Take it off the stove and let it cool before putting it into a glass jar. I used plastic wrap and laid it right on top of the curd; this helps not to form a crust. Then put it into the refrigerator to cool completely. My jar is a small mason jar which I replaced the plastic wrap with the jar lid.
MERINGUE COOKIES
- Add your four egg whites to a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed till it is frothy. At least a couple of minutes add the cream of tartar and turn the mixer on high. Important step! Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. You want the sugar to incorporate with the egg whites. After all the sugar has been added, continue to beat the egg whites on high speed for at least 10 minutes you want a stiff peak with these egg whites.
- Using a piping bag with a large open star will give you the swirl you need for the cookies. I have a measuring spoon that has a rounded end that was perfect for making the well that will hold the lemon curd.
- Line 2 cookie baking pans with parchment paper. I do not use silicone liners for meringues simply because I do not like how they turn out. I pipe the meringue cookies about 1 inch apart (they do not spread). Taking the round end of my measuring spoon, I make a well into the middle of each cookie. I had room on two baking sheets for three dozen and baked them in the oven side by side. I had to lift one side of the pan and put under the edge of the other (they overlap about 1 inch), but these cookies do not move once they are on the parchment paper. Bake at 225° for 45 minutes
- Once they baked for 45 minutes, turn the oven off and leave in the oven for one hour. Store in an air-tight container. Serve with the lemon curd spooned into the well or on the side and let your friends, family, or guests add their own.
Notes
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Sherri
What is the oven temperature?
Barbara
Hi Sherri, I am so sorry the oven temperature is 225° and bake for 45 minutes. I just transferred to a new recipe maker and I missed the temperature for this cookie.