Lemon Poppy Seed Sandwich Cookies

Name: Lemon Poppy Seed Sandwich Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 26 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 12-18 sssandwich cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh cranberries; 1/4 cup water (orange juice fine too); 1/4 cup sugar (plus 2 tablespoons); 15 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; 4 -5 lemons, freshly grated zest (about 5 tablespoons); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon poppy seed, plus more for sprinkling; 2 3/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling as needed; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Submitted by Busters friend

"A nice slice & bake cookie that caught my eye for the cranberry filling. From The Washington Post. Uncooked logs can be frozen for a month, baked unassembled cookies can be frozen 2 weeks & the assembled cookies keep in an airtight container for 3 days. Lemon, poppy seed, cranberry jam... what's not to like? Lime or grapefruit juice can be substituted for the lemon juice. Adapted from Tiffany MacIsaac, pastry chef at Birch & Barley in Northwest Washington."

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photo by Kilvroch

Ready In:: 56mins
Ingredients:: 10
Yields:: 12-18 sssandwich cookies

ingredients

For the filling
2 cups fresh cranberries
¹⁄₄ cup water (orange juice fine too)
¹⁄₄ cup sugar (plus 2 tablespoons)
For the cookies
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¹⁄₂ cup confectioners' sugar
4 -5 lemons, freshly grated zest (about 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy seed, plus more for sprinkling
2 ³⁄₄ cups flour, plus more for rolling as needed
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

directions

For the filling: Combine the cranberries, water or juice and the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Once the liquid has come to a boil and the berries have popped, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender or bowl of a food processor; let cool for 10 minutes, then puree until almost smooth. Strain out or remove any whole bits, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the cookies: Combine the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed to blend, then on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, then add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and the tablespoon of poppy seeds, beating to incorporate.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl or on a sheet of wax paper. Add to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on low speed just until a dough forms into large clumps (on the way to becoming a ball).
Divide in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Lightly flour a work surface, or place the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Divide each portion in half (again, to form quarters of dough). Working with one quarter at a time, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/16 inch (or as thin as possible). Use a 3- to 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out 12 cookies, or a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out 18 cookies, transferring them to the baking sheets with an offset spatula. It's best to re-roll the dough only once.
Sprinkle the cut-out cookies lightly with poppy seeds. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until just set but not browned. Let cool on the baking sheet while you roll and cut out the remaining portion of dough, using the same-size cookie cutter to make 12 large or 18 medium cookies. If desired, use a smaller cookie cutter to create a center "window" in each of these cookies so the filling will show through. (Bake the mini rounds as well.) Sprinkle the cookies lightly with poppy seeds. Repeat the baking and cooling steps.
At this point, the cookies can be frozen until they are assembled into sandwiches.
Spread the first batch of cookies with a thin layer of homemade or store-bought cranberry jam, leaving a narrow margin at the edges. Top with the cooled cookies from the second batch, pressing together gently to form cookie sandwiches. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Reviews

lovely rich shortbread biscuit with tart cranberry filling - very rich but not too sweet

Kilvroch

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Busters friend

Pleasure Island, 73

First about Buster: Buster moved onto whatever comes next on February 26, 2008. He was just shy of five years old. I miss him terribly. He came into our lives when he ran out in front of my car late one night as I was driving home. A just under 4 pound ball of kitten fluff, complete with an ostrich boa tail that stayed straight up as he assessed his new domain. He became a 19 pound longhaired beast who guarded our house (he followed any new guests or servicepeople the entire time they are on the property) & even killed copperheads (among other things with his hunting buddy, Fergus the short-tailed)! Friends never saw his formidible side as he smiled at them & uttered the most incongruent kitten-like mews as he threaded legs! He liked to ride in the car & came to the beach. There are Buster-approved recipes in my offerings - however, HE decided which he wanted to consider - Buster demonstrated he liked pumpkin anything - ALOT -LOL!!! Copperhead count 2006 - Buster 2 (10 inchers w/yellow tails) 2007 - Buster & Roxie 1 (a 24 incher!) Buster woken from beauty sleep - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0335.JPG Big whiskers - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0333.JPG For those of you who gave kind condolences - thank you so very much. http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=250301 I love to cook & incorporate techniques from Southern/Mid Atlantic roots (grits, eastern NC BBQ shoulders, Brunswick stew, steamed crabs & shrimp & shellfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, greens, shad roe, scrapple) with Pacific Rim foods & techniques aquired while living in Pacific Northwest, fish & game recipes learned while living in Rocky Mountain region & foods/techniques learned travelling to the Big Island & up into BC & Alberta & into the Caribbean. The Middle Eastern/African likes I have are remnants of my parents who lived for many years in North Africa & Mediterranean before I was thought of. Makes for wide open cooking! Since moving back east we try to go annually in the deep winter to Montreal (Old Montreal auberges & La Reine) & Quebec City (Winter Carnival & Chateau Frontenac)- for unctuous foie gras & real cheeses, French & Canadian meals prepared & served exquisitely, fantastic music & wonderful people - with the cold helping burn off some of the calories! I love putting in our aluminum jonboat & heading across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to the barrier islands for foraging & exploring! Bodysurfing is a lifelong sport for me - one that a person's body never seems to forget how to do, once the knack is learned (thank goodness!) I especially miss cool summers & foggy/drizzly days & fall mushroom foraging/anytime of year hot springing in WA, OR, MT, ID, BC & Alberta.

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