Lemon Raspberry Squares

I can't truly take credit for this recipe.  The base recipe was given to me by the one and only Liz Young. I merely tweaked it for the Christmas season.  Lemon squares are tart and sweet and adding raspberry jam adds a layer of tanginess to this recipe that makes it fresh and fun.

Lemon squares are incredibly easy to make as long as you have the right pan and you make a good crust.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
1 cup Cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup Seedless raspberry jam

Lemon Curd:
4 Large eggs
2 cups Sugar
1/3 cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Thoroughly grease the sides and bottom of a 9x13 glass pan.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the flour and confectioners sugar.  Add the butter 1 cube at a time to the mixture.  The mixture will become crumbly. Do not overmix and form a solid dough.

2.  Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and all the way to the edges.  Pat the crust down until it becomes a more solid dough.  Make sure you get the crust all the way to the edge of the pan. Attempt to have it bond with the glass pan.  Place dough in oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crust turns a golden brown color.  Set aside, let it cool.

3.  When the crust has cooled, warm the half cup of jam in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Spread the jam evenly over the crust.

4.  In the bowl of a mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until fully combined.  Add the flour and baking powder.  Whisk until fully combined, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Pour the lemon curd over the crust.  Make sure it is spread evenly across the crust.

5.  Place lemon squares in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until curd sets.  Allow squares to cool overnight before trying to depan.

Nutritional info based on 48 squares from a 9x13 pan

107 calories

16.5 g carbs

4.3 g fat

1.2 g protein

A Weekend Baking Extravaganza

Christmas cookies are a big deal to me.  I bake around 500 cookies to give away to family, friends, clients and neighbors.  Although I should probably start picking my favorites and making them again each year, thus far, I change it up every year.

This year began with 5 cookies in mind.  A quick facebook poll landed me on:
Lemon Pistachio Shortbread
Lemon Raspberry Squares
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Brownies
Oreo Truffles
Amaretto Truffles

I ultimately scrapped the last cookie because I was so tired already, but nonetheless, I still ended up making nearly 500 cookies.  From now until Christmas, I'll post a recipe a day for each cookie.  Today, we'll start with Lemon Pistachio Shortbread.  Shortbread itself is not an overwhelmingly sweet cookie.  The pistachios and lemon in this cookie make the flavor more complex than traditional shortbread.  This cookie is great with coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

For Cookies:
1 1/2 cups Butter (3 sticks), softened
1/2 cup (heaping) Confectioners sugar
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 cups Flour
1 cup Ground pistachio
1/2 tsp Salt

For Glaze:
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup Confectioners sugar

Method:
1.  If for times sake, you need to make these in one day, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.   If you are just making the dough today and baking tomorrow,  skip to step 2.
2.  In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract
3.  With the mixer running on low, add in pistachio, flour and salt and mix until fully combined.  Do not overmix or the dough will get hard.

...as an aside.  Normally with shortbread I will knead and roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to finish these.  For Christmas cookies, I always want to go the easiest, fastest way, which is the roll and slice method.

4.  If you are baking today, take small sections of dough and roll into a log, about a 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter, depending on how big you want your cookie.  As you finish each section, place it in the freezer to let it harden up a little while you work on the other sections. If you are baking another day, wrap the log in saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator to cool overnight.
5. After the dough is a little bit firmer, slice the dough into circular cookies.  A batch should yield at least 40 cookies, depending on how big you made the diameter of the log.
6. Bake on a lined cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges get slightly golden.
7.  Cool the cookies fully to room temperature.  To make the glaze, mix lemon juice and confectioners sugar.  Drizzle over cookies.

Nutritional info:
118 calories
9.5 g carbs
8.3 g fat
1.675 g protein