Lemon Buttercups
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
powdered sugar
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using your fingers, combine the
flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch
the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. In a mixer fitted with a
paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), mix the sour cream and egg yolk until
very smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. The
dough may feel a little dry. Form into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill
at least 4 hours or overnight. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, egg, sugar,
vanilla and lemon zest.
On a work surface thickly dusted with confectioners sugar, roll out the pastry
to a squarish or rectangular shape, 1/8-inch thick. Using the tip of a sharp
knife or a pizza cutter, cut into 3 by 3-inch squares. Place a teaspoon of
filling in the center of each square. Lift up one square, gathering the center
of the square around the filling into a cup. Hold it in the fingers of one hand.
Use the fingers of your other hand to gently push the midpoints of the sides
inward, so that the 4 corners become the points of the petals. The cookie will
look like a flower that is opening. Place the cookie in a mini muffin cup.
Repeat with the remaining squares and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375�F.
Bake until light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in
the pan on a wire rack.
Yield: About 24 cookies |