Melting moments

By cuznvin

Ingredients

• 250 g butter (softened)
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 310 g flour
• 1 organic lemon (finely grated zest)
• raspberry jam (for filling)
• Meringue butter cream
• 80 g sugar
• 1 egg white
• 80 g butter (softened)

Preparation

Step 1

Mix the butter, the powdered sugar and the lemon zest until creamy.
Add the egg yolks first, and then, when they're well absorbed, gradually stir in the sifted flour.
Put a pastry bag with 8 mm star tip into a tall glass and fill it up (only up to 1/2). Twist the top of the bag to push the dough down and then fold it and holding the bag with both your hands form rosettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silkmat.

Melting moments Melting moments

You can bake them immediately, but they will keep their shape slightly better if first chilled (together with the baking sheet) for 10-15 minutes.
Bake the cookies in an oven preheated to 180°C for 10-12 minutes (they should stay light colored).
Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling them. When making cookies like these, greasy because they contain lots of butter, I like to put some kitchen paper on the cooling rack so that it absorbs some of the fat while the cookies are cooling.
For the buttercream, prepare the sugar syrup first. Put 60 g of sugar into a small saucepan, add 1 TBspoon water and stir on low heat until all the sugar's dissolved. Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat again and let the syrup simmer for 3-5 minutes.
In the meantime beat the eggwhite with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, add the remaining 20 g of sugar and continue mixing until really stiff and shiny. Start pouring the syrup in a tiny streak, being careful that you pour it between the whisks and the bowl. Continue mixing until the meringure is completely cold.
At this point start mixing in the softened butter, little at a time. Chill the cream in the fridge and then fill the cookies.
Put a little jam (1/2 teaspoon) on the bottom side of one cookie, and a little butter cream on another cookie. Sandwich them.

Melting moments

If you don't have seedles raspberry jam, strain it through a fine mash sieve to remove the seeds, they'd ruin the pleasure of eating these cookies.
These cookies have a really nice, melting crumb even when they're just baked, but if you leave the sandwiched cookies rest overnight, they'll absorb the jam and become real meltaways.
If preparing the buttercream is too much work for you, just know they are perfect if filled with jam only. My daughters definitely prefer them that way.
For another idea (should I say Nutella?!!), check my old post.