Dan Lepard's Lemon Curd Cookies

I don't usually bake two things in a row with the same flavour, but the lemon-lime curd I made before Christmas was reaching the end of it's storage life in the fridge. We've also had lots of chocolate and other goodies such as stollen to eat over the Christmas and New Year period, so lemon is still a welcome flavour for a refreshing change.

This Dan Lepard recipe has been published both in his book Short and Sweet, and in his weekly Guardian column. The lemon flavoured biscuits are spread with a mixture of cream, rolled oats and lemon curd, which gives a rich, chewy topping when baked - a lovely contrast to the crisp shortbread. Both the biscuit base and the topping have quite a delicate flavour, but the topping lifts the biscuits out of being plain or ordinary, without having to do anything too fiddly, or adding decorations after baking. Although my curd was made using both lemons and limes, the lemon flavour was predominant, so I have no hesitation in keeping the original name.

Another advantage is that it's not a huge recipe either - very important at this time of year, when we often feel as if we have over-eaten, and don't need the pressure of a huge cake or batch of brownies to finish within a few days. The recipe makes 10 cookies, which isn't an unrealistic amount for three people to eat over a weekend.

The top photo was taken in fading light, so I apologise for the bad quality, although the colour looks more realistic than in the second photo!.

The first challenge of the year for Tea Time Treats, is to wake up our jaded taste buds with a burst of citrus flavour on the tea-table, so I'm entering these cookies. Tea Time Treats is hosted alternately by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked. Karen is the host for January, and is accepting entries via a linky on her website. She will also write a round-up post at the end of the month.