Lemon Christmas cookies

The third place winner of Cityline's 2016 Cookie Swap is a fun twist on a classic lemon cookie with graham wafer crumbs, chocolate chips and dried cranberries!

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Icing

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cream the softened butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until nice and fluffy. Add in the egg and beat until completely mixed in. Now add in the lemon zest to the creamed mixture and beat another minute.
  3. Next, in a separate bow,  combine the flour, graham wafer crumbs, baking soda and salt. Add the walnuts, dried cranberries and chocolate chips to the dry mix and combine thoroughly.
  4. Slowly add the dry mix into the creamed mixture until all is nicely mixed.
  5. Chill the dough in the fridge for 5 minutes. Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll the dough into approximately one inch balls and flatten into small disks that are approximately ½ inch thick. Place each flattened disk onto prepared cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 10 -12 minutes in the centre of the oven until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then move to wire racks to cool completely.
  7. Now make up the lemon icing to pipe on the cookies:
  8. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into 1½ to 2 cups of icing sugar (approx.) and mix the two ingredients to a smooth piping consistency.
  9. Pipe the icing on the cookies in a swirly, “s” like pattern with a piping bag.

For a nice variation you can add a ½ cup of shredded coconut to this recipe if you like.

Recipe by: Lis Leach

Crème Brulee

Satisfy your sweet tooth with crème brulée!

Indulge yourself with this fruit topped creamy and caramelized dessert.

METHOD

  1. Combine heavy cream and coffee beans. Seal and infuse together in the fridge overnight.
  2. The next day – Preheat oven to 300 F and heat some water in a kettle.
  3. In a saucepan, strain heavy cream, reweigh and top back up to 400 g. Combine innards of vanilla bean, and the pod.
  4. While this comes to a simmer, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and sea salt.
  5. When the cream comes to a gentle simmer, remove the vanilla pod and slowly start to pour it into the yolk mixture while constantly whisking. Please do this slowly so not to cook the egg yolks.
  6. Pass mixture through a mesh sieve into a large pouring vessel. You may use a large glass measuring cup.
  7. Place ramekins into a larger, rimmed baking pan.
  8. Fill the pan with hot water so it reaches about ¾ – 1” up the ramekins. Fill ramekins with cream mix.
  9. To eliminate any bubbles, use blow torch very lightly over the cream mix. It will pop all the surface bubbles.
  10. Bake for 45-50 mins. Custard will be set but they will jiggle in the middle. Do not over bake as the custard will lose the creaminess we want. If the whole ramekin jiggles, leave in the oven a while longer.
  11. Remove tray from oven, and then carefully remove the ramekins. Let them cool to room temp, and then place them in the fridge overnight. You can do this process 3-4 days ahead of time.
  12. When you’re ready to serve, coat with a thick layer of icing sugar and toast with a blow torch.
  13. Top with berries and serve.