i'd rather be baking

It’s turned off especially cold here the last few days, and we’re supposed to get some snow this weekend! I’m feeling more and more ready and excited for Christmas. Gingerbread is such a classic Christmas flavor, and I love its spicy kick in the mouth. I also love lemons more than anyone should, and this week I found out that they go wonderfully together.

Have you ever made lemon curd? It used to intimidate me, but honestly, it’s super simple. Whatever you do, don’t shell out six or seven dollars for a jar of it at the specialty foods store. Silly. All you need to do is zest and juice some lemons and add butter, sugar, and eggs. Easy! And so delicious.

You could stop there – lemon curd would make a lovely gift on its own. Put it in a pretty jar and tie it with a ribbon. Serve it over ice cream or on your favorite breads. Or you can add powdered sugar to make a frosting out of it, and smother it with two gingerbread cookies. It’s up to you!

Gingerbread Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from Petite Kitchenesse

Makes about 30 3-inch cookies (15 sandwich cookies)

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl, then beat in egg and molasses. Add flour, spices, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well-combined. If dough seems soft, place in the freezer for about five minutes.

Roll dough out on a well-floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes or until set and barely crisp around the edges. Remove cookies from the oven and let rest on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the dough. Let cookies cool completely and then frost.

Lemon Curd:

Makes about 3 cups (more than you need for frosting – enjoy the leftovers!)

Zest of 3 lemons
1 cup lemon juice (juice your zested lemons and add more juice if necessary)
1 stick butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 eggs + 3 yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Powdered sugar as needed

Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar in the top of a double boiler. Cook in the double boiler over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about thirty minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Combine 1/4 cup lemon curd with about 1 cup of powdered sugar, and mix or stir until well combined. Add a bit more curd or sugar until you reach a thick but spreadable consistency. Spread a bit onto one cookie and top with another!