Live... Bake... Love...: Passion Fruit Curd Shortbread Cookies #creativecookieexchange

Monday, February 15, 2016

Passion Fruit Curd Shortbread Cookies #creativecookieexchange

I am in love with sandy beaches, tropical drinks, warm island breezes and this Passion Fruit Curd! How about you?

I originally shared the recipe as a filling for a Vanilla Cake, but for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange, the theme was "Tropical Cookie Take Me Away" and this amazing Passion Fruit Curd immediately came to mind.

Passion Fruit Curd paired with shortbread cookies is sweet, tropical perfection.

Passion Fruit Curd Shortbread Cookies
Makes approx. 20 cookies
** The curd recipe makes approx. 2 cups of curd. You will have leftover curd which should be stored in the fridge.

Curd Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup passion fruit puree
4 tablespoons room temp butter, cubed
pinch of salt

Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar (or granulated sugar)
1 egg yolk
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/14 cups all purpose flour

Curd Directions:
Combine the egg yolks, sugar and passion fruit puree in a saucepan. Cook over med-low heat whisking constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (this takes approx. 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat add a pinch of salt and gradually whisk in the butter until completely melted. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl or jar. Cool completely then refrigerate.

Cookie Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes) scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the egg yolk, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix just until combined.

Add the flour and salt mixture and mix on low speed just until big clumps start to form. Using your hand, form the mixture into a ball.

Shape into 1" balls and place onto prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb, create a well in the center of each cookie large enough to hold about a tablespoon of curd.

Bake approx. 15-18 minutes or until just lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from oven and fill each well with curd. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to allow the curd to set.

Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve the same day.

To make ahead, bake the cookies but do not fill with curd. Fill each cookie with curd and sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Enjoy!!

It’s that time of year again, the time when many of us want to daydream about being somewhere else. A tropical treat is just the ticket! The Creative Cookie Exchange is going all tropical this February, and that could mean anything from fruit to spices to cut-out cookies. We’ve got you covered!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made: