Lemon Thumbprints

The original recipe is for Orange Thumbprints. But when I went to buy the ingredints the oranges didn't look so good but the lemons were great. So I took them instead. I was pretty satisfied with the end result.
Other then the Orange Thumbprints the filling for the Lemon Thumbprints is a lot paler.
I found the filling a little dull. So I changed the recipe to intensify the lemon taste and make it a little sourer.
The cookies were good when they were fresh but I liked them a lot more the next day. So it's a good recipe to make beforehand.

When I was visiting my family I made them the Orange Thumbprints. Mostly because they had some oranges lying around and all the other ingredients are of the kind that you always have at home. I started rather late and then I stalled for longer and longer to finish the cookies, until it was almost evening. And I really wasn't in the mood anymore. So I finished them the next morning. The dough was still great. 

I liked both the Orange and the Lemon Thumbprints. I want to try it with limes next time, see how that works out.

_____________________________________________________

Lemon Thumbprints

Dough

225 g butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks size L, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

1. Mix the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer until it's light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla extract and mix it for about 1 minute.
3. Slowly add the flour and the salt. Mix the batter until it is entirely incorporated.
4. Form the dough into a 1-2 cm thick square sheet and wrap it in plastic wrap.
5. Store the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour. The dough can stay there for up to 24 hours.

Filling

1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 egg size L, room temperature
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp lemon extract, optional
1 pinch citric acid, optional

1. Whisk the egg with a fork.
2. Add the sugar and flour and whisk everything together.
3. Add the lemon zest, the juice, the salt and possibly the lemon extract and citric acid. Whisk it all together.

To Assemble

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
2. Put baking parchment on a baking sheet.
3. Take the dough out of the fridge. Cut it into even squares, each should be the size of about 2 tsp dough.
4. Form balls out of the squares. Place them on the baking sheet, leave about 2 cm between the balls.
5. Use the end of the handle of a wooden spoon or something similar, it should be round and flat, and carefully press it into the dough balls to make small wells. Try not to break the sides, better to leave them a little shallow.
6. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.
7. Use the spoon again to make the wells deeper.
8. Carefully fill the wells to the top.
9. Bake the cookies for another 10 minutes, the edges should be a light brown.
10. Leave the cookies on a cooling rack to cool down.

Bon appétit!!