The white chocolate–lemon tart created by the James Beard Award–winning pastry chef Dolester Miles, who worked for many years at the acclaimed Highlands Bar and Grill and Chez Fonfon restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, inspired these charming Linzer cookies. Phyllis ordered the tart whenever it was on their menus. Where’s the white chocolate, you might ask? Why, it’s in the lemon curd filling.
White Chocolate–Lemon Linzer Cookies
Makes 24
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- White Chocolate–Lemon Curd (recipe follows)
- Garnish: confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar, beating until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla extract until just combined. Beat in flours and salt until combined.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat to 325°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Let dough sit at room temperature until soft enough to roll out, approximately 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a scant ¼-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch butterfly-shaped cutter dipped in flour, cut 24 cookies from dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Using a small teardrop-shaped cutter or a ½-inch round piping tip end, make symmetrically placed decorative cutouts in wings of 12 cookies. Using an offset spatula, place whole cookies at least ½-inch apart on one prepared baking sheet and decorative cookies on the other prepared baking sheet. Freeze cookies until firm, approximately 15 minutes.
- Bake, one pan at a time, until edges of cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking time. Let cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container with layers separated by parchment paper and serve within 2 days.
- Just before serving, transfer White Chocolate–Lemon Curd to a piping bag, and cut a ¼-inch opening in tip. Pipe an even layer of curd onto flat side of whole cookies, leaving a ⅛-inch border. Garnish decorative cookies with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before placing on top of curd layer of whole cookies.
White Chocolate–Lemon Curd
Makes approximately 1 cup
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 ounces chopped white chocolate
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, egg, egg yolks, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt until smooth. Add lemon juice, whisking until mixture is smooth. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and registers 170° on a food thermometer, at least 1 minute.
- Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk in butter, a cube at a time, until well combined and smooth. Whisk in white chocolate until melted and smooth. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled completely. Use within 3 days.
