the sun is out in washington, making it a perfect day for lemon linzer cookies! these bright and sunny cookies containing punchy lemon flavor are suitable for spring, and would be lovely on a small platter as an easter day dessert!

for these particular cookies, i love the dough from dessert for two, paired with a homemade lemon curd. my favorite version below cuts the straight lemon juice with a little orange and lime for a less tart final product.

homemade lemon-y curd:

| ingredients |

1 1/4 cups sugar
6 egg yolks*
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

*i usually plan to make this curd around the same time i'm making macarons to utilize the leftover egg whites.

| method |

in a small saucepan, add the sugar, egg yolks, zest and juice. heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. once steaming, turn the heat to medium low. add the butter pieces in a few at a time, still stirring constantly until they are fully dissolved, before adding more.

continue to whisk and over medium-low heat, until all of the butter is added, and the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

transfer to a small bowl and let cool, pressing plastic wrap on top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. once at room temperature, transfer to a mason jar or other airtight container and let chill in the fridge overnight. the mixture will firm up a bit when chilled.

spread on linzer cookies, croissants, pound cake, english muffins, etc. etc. etc.