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These festive sandwich
cookies are well worth the extra time and effort...even without
the creamy orange curd filling, they are great tasting cookies!
Cranberry-Clementine
Cookie Sandwiches
- Clementine Curd:
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup clementine juice (see shopping note below)*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated clementine zest (see shopping note)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
- Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon freshly grated clementine zest*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- To make the clementine curd: In a heatproof
bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
- In a small heavy saucepan, combine the
cornstarch with just enough clementine juice to make a thin paste.
Stir until well blended.
- Add remaining clementine and lemon juices,
sugar, the 1 tablespoon zest, butter and salt to pan. Over medium-low
heat, bring to a simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until it
just starts to thicken.
- Whisking vigorously, add a small amount
of the hot juice mixture to the egg yolks. Continue adding small
amounts of juice in intervals, whisking until incorporated and
all the juice is added.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan, and,
over low heat, whisk or stir gently until the mixture starts
to thicken enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface
with plastic wrap, and chill while making cookies, preferably
overnight.
- To make the cookies: Sift together the
flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl.
Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, cream together until
light and fluffy. Add egg, zest, and vanilla, and then add the
dry ingredients in three batches, mixing in between. Stir in
cranberries. Divide dough in half, and place each on plastic
wrap, flattening into disks. Chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or leave ungreased).
- Remove one disc of dough at a time from
the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface.
With a floured rolling pin, roll dough to about 1/4-inch thick
and cut with a floured 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Re-chill
dough if it becomes too soft to cut or lift from surface.
- Place the cookies on a cool baking sheet,
and bake until edges turn light golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer
cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To fill cookie sandwiches: Fill a pastry
bag (or a heavy plastic zip-top bag with a 1/8-inch hole cut
in corner) with chilled clementine curd.
- Pipe about 1/2 teaspoon curd onto half
the cookies. Cover with the other half of the cookies and sprinkle
tops with confectioners’ sugar using a sifter or sieve.
Makes about 2 dozen.
* Be sure to grate the
celmentine zest, before juicing the fruit, and reserve 1 tablespoon
of zest for the cookies.
Shopping Note: You will
need 6 to 8 medium-sized clementines to get enough juice and
zest for both the curd and cookies. (Substitute with tangerines
or oranges if you cannot find clementines in your area.)
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy
of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.
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