I love, love, love these cookies! This recipe requires lemon curd. You can buy it at the store, but I strongly suggest that you make it. I bought it once at the store and decided to make it the second time I needed it. I will never, ever go back to store bought! I’ve included the recipe for it at the end of this post. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Blackberry Lemon Dainties
yields about 16 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
Extra granulated sugar
1/3 cup blackberry jam
3 tablespoons lemon curd

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
2. Add the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and salt. Beat until well combined, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.
3. Beat in the lemon peel and vanilla.
4. Beat in the flour, a half cup at a time. If your mixer starts to strain, turn it off and do this by hand!
5. Wrap the dough and chill it for an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F while the dough is chilling.
7. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls (you will need an even number of them). Place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in the extra granulated sugar to press the cookie into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Use a glass with a patterned bottom for a cookie with a design!
8. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes or until the edges or just browned. Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool.
9. Spread about a teaspoon of blackberry jam on the flat side of one cookie and a teaspoon of lemon curd on the flat side of another cookie. Gently press the cookies together to form a sandwich. Be careful – these cookies are extremely delicate and crumble easily.

Lemon curd
yields 1 cup

2 1/2 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 stick of butter, cut into pats and chilled

1. Bring an inch of water in a medium saucepan up to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl that fits on the top of the saucepan without touching the water. Mix until smooth, about a minute.
3. Measure out 1/3 cup of the lemon juice. If needed, use water to reach 1/3 cup.
4. Add the lemon juice and zest to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Once the water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place metal bowl on top of the saucepan.
6. Whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. It will be light yellow and will coat the back of a spoon.
7. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a pat at a time, allowing each one to melt before adding the next. Refrigerate until use.

You will probably have a ton of lemon curd leftover unless you make a lot of these dainties; I suggest that you try these lemon curd bars!