Strawberry-Lime Sandwiches

Notice anything different?

Why yes, my blog is wearing something new! And I'd like to thank Steph Anne, of Yellow & Savvy, for designing the fabulous fresh, spring look. Up until now, I've always used premade templates (and I loved each and every one!), but I wanted something that was unique and crisp, and "mine." :-)

Seriously, If you're looking for an affordable blog makeover, I highly...highly, recommend Steph. She somehow managed to piece together a design from my scattered, indecisive mind. Sheer magic!

Thank you Steph! XO

To all the moms out there, Happy early Mother's Day!

Chocolate, olives, strawberries, basil, pears, and warm cups of milk and honey, always make me think of my mom.

And tomorrow, instead of my vintage lopsided chocolate cake, I'm going to make a batch of strawberry-filled, buttery, crumbly, basil-lime shortbread cookies.

(Not much has changed. Even as a baby, I was already worried about something...will that beet stain ever come off my favourite bib?)

I'll admit, these cookies were a bit of a hassle. The original recipe left the dough far too soft to be able to roll out, and I spent a good part of the afternoon scraping bits and pieces of it off the well-floured counter top.

After a few tweaks, the recipe finally came together, and I think these cookies may be right up at the top of my list of favourites. The cornstarch gives the cookie a softer, lighter, texture, while the lime and basil keep the flavour assertive and perky. [Next time, I would add a pinch more basil.] The filling is simple and flexible. If you would rather use raspberry, blueberry, or peach preserves, go for it! Lime is cordial, it gets along well with others.

Have a gorgeous, mom-lovin' weekend, everyone! ♥

Strawberry-Lime Sandwiches
yields about 18-20 sandwich cookies

for the cookies
1/2 cup almond flour
2/3 cup all-purposed flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Zest of 2 limes (3 if they're small)
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon basil (if using fresh, chop until fine)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

for the filling
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup strawberry preserves (feel free to use your favourite kind!)

method
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt; Set aside.
In stand-mixer bowl (or any large mixing bowl, if you're using a hand-held mixer), combine the sugar and lime zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes fragrant and moist. Add the butter, basil and confectioners' sugar. Beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). On low speed, slowly begin adding the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Form the dough into a disc and cover well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and two sheets of parchment paper, roll the cold dough out until it's about 1/8-inches thick. Don't worry if it's a circle or a square, or a wonky rectangle. :)
[Note: My dough was too soft to actually "roll," so divided it into 4 parts and gently "patted" each part out with floured hands until it was the right thickness.] Once all the dough has been rolled (or patted) out, use the parchment paper to transfer it onto a cookie sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes. Freezing the dough before baking will help the cookies maintain their shape as they bake.
Remove the dough from the freezer. Use fluted, or plain round cookie cutters (about 1 1/2-inches in diameter) to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before adding the filling.
Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, combine the lime juice and preserves. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Place a small dollop of preserves onto half of the cooled cookies, and cover with the remaining "nude" halves. Place the cookie sandwiches into a covered container, and refrigerate until the filling has set. [If you serve them right away, the top cookie layer may slide around the slippery filling.]

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Lime Chiffon Cake

So far winter has been on the mild side. I haven't had the usual angst-ridden longings for sunnier weather. (Watch what happens as a result of writing that down.)

Even though I haven't felt the urge to bury myself under 300 blankets while inhaling Meyer lemons for the next two months, I still crave the warm, summer-drenched ambiance of citrus. Any form of citrus. Yes, even a tangerine-vanilla martini (or two).

almond lime glacier cookies

Is there anything more lovely than the fragrant marriage between almonds & limes? Maybe; especially if you're a chocolate fan. But sometimes you need something refreshing, perky and light. These cookies are fluffy, edible pillows of bliss. They receive their almond love via a healthy dose of extract, but the next time I make this recipe (and there shall be a next time!) I might use almond meal in place of cake flour. Whilst preparing the cookies, the limes spoke to me in their adorable limey way; they said they'd fallen madly in love with almonds + wished to see more of them in the future.

Who am I to deny a cookie, or true love?

If you are craving a little bit of summer in the middle of the holiday rush, I think you will adore these spritely cookies. (It goes without saying that I could live on limes and lemons all year round.)

Lemon Chess Tart

Why do some drivers insist on keeping their cars 10-inches away from the rear of mine, as though we're caught in some cosmic, magnetic force field. Can't they see the gigantic tank going 10 miles under the speed limit that's right in front of me?

I'm the Jan Brady of the road. It seems like I'm almost always sandwiched between a slow driver and a speedaholic. But maybe we all think of ourselves this way...as good drivers who run into not-so-good drivers. I'm sure if I struck up a conversation with the tortoise and the hare, both would complain about each other, and me for being in the way of their unspoken feud.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

It's been almost two years since this blog posted it's first little blurb! I think it was about a cup of hot cocoa on a grey January day. The photo was terrible, the writing was dull, and it was a hot mess of run-on sentences and misplaced commas. Since then I've learned that good things happen when you turn off the camera flash and allow yourself to write as though you're having a conversation at a food-filled table surrounded by friends. I still throw commas around like confetti, so that hasn't changed. But even though those pesky little technical details of writing have not flourished (much) in two years, my culinary skills certainly have, and I owe a huge part of that to being a member of Tuesdays with Dorie.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Strawberry-Lime Crisp

Sarah, of the lovely blog, Teapots and Cake Stands, chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. And even though a lot of us searched everywhere for rhubarb (I even called a few stores, which, for someone who hates looking up numbers and talking to random people on the phone, is saying a lot) only a lucky handful were able to find the elusive stalks. However, TWD bakers have never let a rogue ingredient foil our obsessive love for baking ...especially when there are strawberries involved and it's early Spring. Big surprise, I turned to citrus. Limes and strawberries make me think of warm weather cocktails, sand-covered sandals, and windy afternoons trying to recover from both. I can't wait for summer! :)

Tuesdays with Dorie: Cranberry-Lime Galette

♫ Galette, the best a tart can get. ♫ Since joining Tuesdays with Dorie over a year ago, I have had my eye on this recipe. It's no secret that I love limes and all their relatives, but I've been waiting for something to turn me into a cranberry lover, and I think this recipe has done just that.

Lemon Lime Bars

"...so the freshness lives on
in a lemon,
in the sweet-smelling house of the rind,
the proportions, arcane and acerb. " ( Pablo Neruda)

Because I'm in love with the writings of Pablo Neruda and all things citrus, I may be a bit biased when I say that his appreciation of the lemon is nothing short of miraculous brilliance.

Lime-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

Do you ever have inexplicable cravings for things other than sea salt and vinegar kettle chips or dark chocolate? I do. Spontaneous yearnings for citrus can kick in at the drop of a hat.

Key Lime Sablés

My Cinco de Mayo may be spent serving on jury duty this year so I wanted to post about something light, tart, and sunny...just in case. I even have the Tuesdays with Dorie post all set to pop up at the stroke of midnight Tuesday morning.

White Chocolate Lemon Cookies

The other day I bought several lemons that were on sale. I couldn't resist. I quickly realized that I had bought too many and that they may not last long enough for me to bake through them.

Lime Curd & Raspberry Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting

It was my birthday today, so I did what any obsessed baker would do. I baked my own cake. I really need my arm twisted in order to bake anything. Actually, I don't make layer cakes very often. They are so beautiful and they have that wonderful texture that comes with layers of filling sandwiched between layers of cake.