BOOK/A TABLE - Lemon Sandwich Pie Cookies

 

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself...

So famously begins Virginia Woolf’s visionary novel Mrs. Dalloway, about a single day (in June!) in the life of a woman as she plans a party and falls into memories of a love from long ago. 

But what if Mrs. Dalloway BAKED the flowers herself? That might be a very different story indeed—and the flowers might be a blooming bunch of these Lemon Sandwich Pie cookies that look like daisies and taste like little lemon meringue pies.

Whenever I’m visiting my family in New Hampshire, I like to pick up a copy of fresh magazine at Hannaford, the New England chain of supermarkets. There’s alway something delicious to be found in the pages such as quiche or cassoulet, or these cookies! Perhaps we can call them Dalloways?

Lemon Sandwich Pie Cookies

Adapted from fresh magazine

Makes 12 to 14

Ingredients
All-purpose flour, as needed
1 (15 oz) package rolled pie crust, at room temperature
½ cup marshmallow fluff
¼  cup store-bought lemon curd
2 TB confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly dust work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Gently roll one pie crust, soothing out any creases. Using a 2” flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 to 14 cookies. Repeat with second pie crust.

2. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a round cookie cutter ( 3/4” or smaller), cut out the centers from half of the cookies. Bake until cookies are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.

3. Spread 2 teaspoons marshmallow fluff into an even layer on each whole cookie. Add ½ teaspoon lemon curd to center a fluff on each cookie. Top with remaining cut out cookies. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

MY SUGGESTION: Using a sifter, sift confectioners’ sugar over top cookie layer before placing them on each bottom whole cookie.

God bless Mrs. Dalloway—and Hannaford as well! Happy June, everybody!

The Artist's Way (Of Eating) - Scott Parkinson's Cookie Trio

Surely these cookies may be enjoyed year 'round! Maybe not the Christmas trees. Scott writes:

"While I am normally suspicious of traditions and rituals, around the holidays I find myself shamelessly giving over to them, taking comfort in the continuity and meaning they provide. One of our family traditions is the Christmas cookie. Out of the many kinds my mother has made over the years (and in recent years my sister has often taken up the baking mantle when we get together), three kinds stand out as yearly favorites: the Gingersnaps, the Peanut Blossoms, and the Christmas tree-shaped “Spritz butter cookies”. The family planned to get together at my parents’ house in North Carolina for the holiday, but my sister and I would not be arriving until late on Christmas Eve. On the morning of December 23rd I called up my Dad and asked if Mom had made them. He said that she had not made any this year, which led to a split-second decision to make the cookies myself. With my sister’s supervision and the last-minute assistance from the Safeway down the street, I was able to make a batch of each of our favorite cookies before we headed out of town the following afternoon (the only substitution was a Chinese Five Spice replacing the ginger in the Gingersnaps, which were quickly dubbed “Ginger-less Snaps”). The making of the cookies helped me get more into the spirit this year and the cookies were enjoyed by all! Here are the recipes, complete with instructions from Mom (we substituted butter this year wherever shortening appears)."

Gingersnaps
Ingredients
¾ cup shortening 1 cup sugar
¼ cup molasses (dark or light will do)
1 egg
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger

Method
Cream shortening and sugar, add molasses and egg and beat well. Blend dry ingredients and add to egg mixture slowly while blending well. Roll into balls and then roll in sugar (teaspoon size balls). Make sure you have enough flour in mix for good form – dough will pull away from the bowl into one large ball. Place cookie ball on greased cookie sheet and bake. (original recipe calls for 8- 10 minutes @ 375 – I made a note of 9-10 minutes @ 350. I like to remove them while soft).
Watch carefully and remove from oven while light colored. Cool till just slightly warm – then I place them in Tupperware with sheet of wax paper in-between layers. Store while still slightly warm.

Peanut Blossoms
Ingredients
Cream:
½ cup sugar
½ cup shortening
½ cup packed brown sugar
Blend in:
½ cup peanut butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Work in:
1 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Method
Chill dough, roll into balls and bake in 350 oven for about 9 mins. Remove from oven while light tan color. Push a candy kiss in center while still warm. Cool completely before storing.

Spritz Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup of butter or margarine (I always used butter)
2/3 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp PURE almond extract (I put a little bit extra)
1/8 tsp salt
2 ½ cups flour
Cream butter and sugar then add extract and egg. Mix thoroughly. Blend sifted dry ingredients together. Add to cream mixture slowly (you will probably have to blend the last amount by hand unless you have a really powerful mixer). Pack dough into cookie press and make shapes on ungreased sheet. I lightly grease the sheets. Bake @ 400 for 8-10 minutes. You can sprinkle color sprinkles on before you bake them. Or you can melt 1 bag of red or green candy melts (found in the baking section of a grocery or party store) – I set a glass pyrex bowl of about ½ the bag of candies on a pot of boiled water (remove the hot water from stove then place the bowl into the hot water) over heating is not good. Stir the candies until they melt. I dip ½ side of the cooled trees into the candy mix and then put them on cooling racks until the candy sets up.