Last Day of Cookie Week, Lemon Shortbread Cookie Cups, and Giveaway Winners!

So…I know the suspense has been dreadful to find out the winner of the wonderful cookbooks! I’ve been so excited for the giveaway, and I won’t leave you in suspense any longer!  Drum roll please…..

Congrats to you both, and I truly hope that you enjoy your new cookbooks!  

Now onto the last cookie recipe of the week!  I have definitely saved the best for last.  I am very proud of this recipe, because I thought it up in my own brain and created it from scratch!  And I was very surprised that it turned out even better than I imagined it to.  I LOVE lemon bars. Really, anything lemon is on my good side, but lemon bars..ooh…the mix between the butter shortbread and the tart gooey lemon filling and don’t forget that layer of powdered sugar. Yum! So, I really wanted to make it into some sort of cookie, instead of a bar.  This is what I came up with.  Modeled after the Twisted Peanut Butter Cups that I made a while back, I made a shortbread crust and molded it into mini muffin tins.  I baked those off and than filled them with delicious lemon filling.  I did end up adjusting the recipe a bit so that when you make them, you have enough filling to fill the middles more than I did.  They should be filled to the top of the cup.  My husband even got wide eyed when he tasted them, AND went in for seconds..and thirds!  Let me tell you, that is not like my husband.  He told me that they reminded him of mini lemon meringue pies.  So, I was worried that you guys wouldn’t really consider these a “cookie”.  But they felt like a cookie to me.  So they went on the list.  And they definitely won as my favorite.  I hope you try them and fall in love with them.  Make them for a dinner party, and people will be so impressed with you!  

Thanks for all the nice comments this week, and most of all thanks for your entries in the giveaway.  It was so fun reading all of the comments and hearing everyones favorite cookie. I’m pretty sure the all time favorite was the chocolate chip cookie!  Sometimes simple really is best!  I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!  

recipe by Stephanie

makes 24 mini cookie cups

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

8 tablespoons cold butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/8 cup whole milk

To Complete:

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting the tops

1. Using a food processor if possible (it will work best, but if you don’t have one, just use a mixer) process the flour and butter until they resemble course crumbs.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  

2. Divide dough into 24 equal balls and place in greased mini muffin tins.  Push down on the bottom and sculpt the dough up the sides to the rim of the cup.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden.  

3. Make filling – Cream together the eggs and the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well blended and smooth. Fill each cup with filling until it reaches the rim of the cup. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set.  Let cool slightly. Remove cups from muffin tins and let cool completely.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar.