Fresh Lemon Curd

Love lemons as much I do? Wanna put them on everything you make? Whip up a batch of lemon curd and pour it on all your citrus-lacking food! It's fairly easy to make, as long as you remember patience is  the key.

You will need:
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp. butter (softened)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla

To start:
1. Put the lemon zest and sugar in a food processor together and finely mince them together. You may need to stop the processor and shuffle the mixture around to avoid clumpy lemon-sugar.
2. Next, thoroughly  cream together the butter, vanilla, egg & yolks, and lemon-sugar.
3. Now, stir the lemon juice into the creamy mixture. It won't want to combine and will look curdled, but this is normal.
4. Pour the mixture into a medium sauce pan and turn your stove to low heat. Constantly stir the pot until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
5. Next, turn up the heat to medium. Continue to stir as it thickens. Once it has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Pour the curd into a jar or container and allow to cool completely before putting a lid on it or serving it.

After making fresh lemon curd for the first time, I've realized it's very important to make this on a regular basis. I used it with panna cotta and a blueberry Dutch baby pancake (recipes to be posted soon!), but you could use it for practically anything! It would be good in crepes or to serve with scones. Many people like to use lemon curd to top blueberry pies! If you love lemons, you don't really need a reason to make this! Just whip up a batch to keep in your fridge for whenever you get a citrus craving! I hope you found this recipe to be helpful and delicious!

Happy Cooking!

Peach-Strawberry Jam

This was my first time making jam and it turned out so well! This recipe doesn't call for any gelatin base products: just fruit and sugar!

You will need:
A small saucepan
2 large peaches
5-6 ripe strawberries
2/3 cup brown sugar
Juice from one lemon

To start:
1. Peel, pit, and cut the peaches into small chunks.
2. Cut the tops of the strawberries off. Cut the strawberries into smaller bits as well.
NOTE: The smaller you cut the fruit, the better. This will help you avoid overly chunky jam.
3. Put the cut up fruit and lemon juice in the sauce pan and stir so the juice is evenly distributed.
4. Turn the stove up to high heat and place the pan on the burner.
5. Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the pan and stir as it melts. Use your spoon to slightly mash the fruit. I used a potato masher to make the fruit a bit softer.
6. Add the remaining brown sugar and let it melt in the pan. Once it's melted and no longer grainy, let the mixture sit on the heat and simmer. Stir the pan occasionally to keep it from burning.
7. Once the jam has taken on a thick consistency, pour it into a jar and let it cool completely before adding the lid.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

This jam is simple to make and so delicious! It's great for gifts or to keep for yourself.  You can try it on toast, pancakes, crepes, or as cake filling. Not a strawberry or peach fan? This works with blueberries, plums, raspberries, or blackberries as well!  I hope you have fun with this recipe and enjoy the jam!

Happy cooking!

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

My family was needing a little comfort food tonight, and these cookies were the perfect fix.  They're tangy and sweet and so addictive.  They're soft, chewy, and melt in your mouth!! I frosted mine with Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my newest obsession!)  This icing complements these sweet little cookies perfectly and I strongly suggest using it with this recipe!

Yields 36-48 cookies

You will need:
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond meal (sifted)
5/6 cup (1/2 plus 1/3 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

To begin:
1. Your cream cheese needs to set out for 25 to 30 minutes before being used.  If it's not soft enough, it will cause the batter to be clumpy. Pre-heat oven to 325 F and line two 9x13 cookie sheets with parchment.
2.  Once the cream cheese is soft enough, cream it together with the sugar, lemon juice, and egg.  Mix well until there are no clumps.
3.  In another bowl, combine the sifted almond meal, flour, baking soda, and confectioners sugar. Add a quarter of the dry mixture to the wet mixture at a time.
4.  Drop dough balls 1 1/2 inch away from each other. The dough should be a little runny, so once it hits the cookie sheet, it will spread itself out.  Bake for 20-23 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges.
5.  Let the cookies cool before removing them from the parchment. If you try to take them off too soon, the bottoms will fall out of them.
6.  Once the cookies are completely cool, ice them with the Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  This icing is extremely sensitive to heat, so make sure you've allowed your cookies enough time to sit.

I love these cookies! They're fun to personalize and decorate, not to mention soooo tasty! I hope you found this recipe helpful and simple!! Happy baking!