Lemon Curd Shortbread Biscuits
At a certain point the time comes for you to come up with a different way of eating lemon curd than just with a spoon, from the jar, straight from the fridge. Which, can I just add - I will continue to do so. No one can take that from me! But while I pondered this thought, spoon still hanging from my mouth, it hit me - shortbread!
And with this thought bouncing around in my head, off I went to the chookyard! The basis of any lemon curd worth remembering is good, fresh eggs. Straight from the chook if you’re lucky enough. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t lucky enough. My collection of 25+ hens and I have been at an impassable standstill on the subject of “bumnuts” ever since the first leaf on the cedar tree got the smallest of a yellow tinge.
The freshest of hay, their favourite food in bulk and the cleanest water can’t convince them that those egg laying urges they’re feeling aren't just indigestion from scoffing 3kgs+ of corn.
So there I was, the audacity of me to have even considered bringing the egg basket. I haven’t needed it now for a good 2 months and yet that childlike sense of hope for a bounty of eggs still gets pulverised every time I peer into their towering palazzo of nests. Which of course, is still not up to snuff. Or so the girls’ aggressive side eyes would suggest this every time I leave their shed.
In one final act of self preservation, I politely tell the girls to sally forth before sneaking into mum’s house to steal her last dozen of eggs from the fridge. Admittedly they are still home grown but fresh-? It’s taken us three weeks to collect this dozen so I’ll leave that for you to decide.
And with that there really isn’t that much more to say about these little golden eggs of satisfaction. The crumbly and buttery shortbread biscuit pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy lemon curd filling. Every bite is a burst of lemony goodness, leaving a refreshing and satisfying aftertaste.
They’re entirely moreish and extraordinary easy to whip up. In fact, you could double the curd recipe, freeze a batch and use it when you feel the need. Or for those months when you and your chooks are feeling particularly hostile towards each other.
Lemon Curd Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100g caster sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large egg yolks - room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 60ml of lemon juice
- 55g butter - room temperature
- 170g unsalted butter - room temperature
- 60g icing sugar
- 55 custard powder
- 170g plain flour
- 30g demerara sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl rub together the lemon zest and sugar using your fingertips.
- To this, add the egg yolks and salt. Beat together with a spatula until light and fluffy.
- Microwave the lemon juice on high in 10 second intervals until it's steaming and starting to simmer. Slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the yolk mixture, stirring constantly until all the juice had been added and mixed through.
- Pour mixture into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir curd constantly with a spatula until it's thick and you can briefly see the bottom of the saucepan when you pass the spatula through the mixture.
- Remove curd from heat and stir through the butter. Strain mixture into a medium bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap in contact with the surface of the curd. Allow to cool slightly before placing into the fridge to chill.
- Pre-heat oven to 180℃ and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
- Cream butter and icing sugar together until pale and creamy. Measure custard powder and plain flour into a sifter and sift together into the butter mixture. Beat until just combined.
- Roll a heaped teaspoon of mixture into a ball before pressing it into a small bowl filled with demerara sugar to evenly coat the outside. Place on baking sheet with 1 inch spaces between each biscuit.
- Once all the mixture is rolled and evenly spaced on the baking sheet, use a 1/2 teaspoon to gently press indents into the middle of each ball. Fill each cavity with a small amount of lemon curd.
- Bake each tray separately for 8 minutes or until the curd is slightly puffed and the bottom edges of the biscuits are starting to brown. Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to set completely.
Notes
The curd can easily be made the day or two before using. Just store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the biscuits.
Store the lemon curd shortbreads in an airtight container at a cool room temperature or in the fridge. Storing in the fridge tends to make the lemon flavour 'pop' and is one of my favourite ways of eating them.