Lemon Meringue Thumbprint Cookies

Lemon Curd:

• 5 egg yolks 
• 140gr granulated sugar
• 200gr lemon juice
• 1tbsp cornstarch
• 100gr butter
• 1tsp vanilla

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Thumbprint cookies:

•  225gr softened butter
• 130gr powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1tbsp vanilla
• Zest from one lemon
• 1/2tsp salt
• 270gr all-purpose flour
• 25gr almond flour

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Italian Meringue:

• 50gr egg whites (about 1 large egg white)
• 10gr powdered sugar
• 80gr sugar
• 20gr water
• Vanilla

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Lemon Curd

1. Add all the ingredients except the butter to a medium saucepan and whisk until it is all combined
2. Pop the pan over medium-low heat and bring it to a gentle boil while constantly stirring. Make sure you keep stirring so the eggs don’t curdle
3. Once the mixture has come to a boil, increase the heat slightly and keep stirring until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon without dripping off
4. Strain the hot mixture through a sieve
5. Add your butter and blend with a stick blender until smooth
6. Set aside to cool completely

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Thumbprint cookies:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. To make the cookies, start by beating your butter & sugar until pale and fluffy. About 3 minutes
3. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and mix till combined
4. Add your salt, flour and almond flour and fold this in until just incorporated. You are left with a relatively sticky dough, that’s normal!
5. Make 1 tbsp or 30-35gr dough balls and place them on your prepared baking sheet, about 2-3cm apart from each other. This will yield about 20 cookies
6. Lightly flour the back of a teaspoon and press in the middle of your cookie dough balls to flatten your cookies and create a well in the middle
7. Chill your cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour to overnight. This will allow the butter to set again and will prevent the cookies from spreading too much
8. While the cookies are resting, preheat your oven to 180C 
9. Bake your chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. While the cookies are still hot, gently press the centres again to make sure the well is deep enough to hold your lemon curd. 
10. Let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a tray to cool completely
11. Dust your chilled cookies with powdered sugar and fill the centres with a tablespoon of lemon curd

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Italian Meringue

12. In a medium saucepan, add your water & sugar and pop over medium heat
13. In a stand mixer, add your egg whites to a clean and grease-free bowl and whisk until soft peaks form
14. Once you’ve reached the soft peaks stage, add in the powdered sugar and stop mixing once it is combined
15. Go back to your sugar & water and check the temperature. Once the temperature has reached 118C, turn the mixer back on a low speed
16. Once the sugar mixture has reached 121C, take it off the heat and slowly pour it into your egg whites
17. Once all the sugar syrup has been added to the egg whites, increase the speed to high and whip for 10-12 minutes or until the bowl is at room temperature to touch
18. Lastly, mix in your vanilla to flavour your meringue
19. Use meringue immediately by piping it onto your cookies and toasting the meringue with a blowtorch

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