Lemon Buttercups Recipes

LEMON BUTTERCUPS

Steps:

• In a mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. In a bowl, combine the sour cream and egg yolk until very smooth. Add to 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 mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, cream the cream cheese. Add the egg, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.
• On a work surface thickly dusted with powdered sugar, roll out the pastry to a squarish or rectangular shape, 1/8-inch thick. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut into 3-inch squares. Place a teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each square. Lift up 1 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 four corners become the points of the petals. The cookie will look like an opening flower. Place the cookie in a cup of a mini muffin pan. Repeat with the remaining squares and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the lemon buttercups until light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

LEMON ICING

Steps:

• Combine the butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add more confectioner's sugar, or lemon juice to adjust the consistency as needed.

LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 30 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
• Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.
• To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON BAR COOKIE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in dry ingredients until combined.
• Roll into 1" sized balls and place in muffin tin.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Press the insides of the cookies down with the backside of a spoon to make an indent for filling; let cool.
• To make the filling, cream together 6 Tablespoons softened butter with 1 cup sugar.
• Mix in 2 eggs and just the yolks from the other 2 eggs, and beat until well combined.
• Add lemon juice and mix until combined, there will still be some lumps.
• Pour filling mixture into a saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until smooth and thickened.
• Remove lemon curd from heat and let cool for 2-3 minutes.
• Carefully spoon a teaspoon of lemon curd into each cookie cup.
• Top cookie cups with lemon zest of one lemon, and place in fridge for 30 minutes, or until lemon curd has set up.
• Remove cookie cups from pan using a butter knife and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.