I sprung out of bed this morning to a misty blue sky and lovely, warm weather. My apartment seemed to have captured a few of the sun’s rays and after downing a quick coffee whilst getting ready, I set off ready to start my Sunday.
As some of you may have seen, yesterday I browsed my cookery books and did a little blog planning. I wanted to bake something quick, light and easy. As I was researching cookery ideas, I stumbled upon Lorraine Pascale’s Lemon, Raspberry and Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies. Feeling inspired by the sunshine and signs that brighter Spring days are upon us, I felt this would be the perfect bake.
I received Lorraine Pascale’s A Lighter Way to Bake cookbook for Christmas and this was the first time I had actually sat down and read it through – yes, I know 3 months later – guilty as charged. There are so many other recipes from the book which I’d like to try including the: Extra Bananery Banana Loaf, Strawberry Tart with Lemon and Vanilla Cream, Limoncello Drizzle Cake and the good old, classic Victoria Sponge Cake…
… But they are all for another time.
To make Lorraine’s Lemon, Raspberry & Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies you will need:
- 50g butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 200g plain flour
- The zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
And here’s how you make them…
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, 400°F, gas mark 6) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Next, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, before adding the well beaten eggs
- After beating the eggs into the mixture, add your flour, lemon zest & juice, plus salt and mix again until well combined
- Use damp hands to divide the wet and sticky mixture into balls and place them apart on the baking sheet
- Squish each one down with the palm of your hand and make a thumbrpint in the centre of each cookie
- Once you’ve wiggled your thumbs to create a large enough print, add your berries
- Bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden and cooked through
- Once cooked, remove, leave to cool and add a little extra lemon zest and icing sugar to decorate
The cookies did taste rather different to the usual biscuits I make. The lemon zest and juice really brought the flavours together as without this, it would have been rather bland. I think next time I make these cookies, I’d add a few drops of vanilla essence to give the dough a more sweeter flavour and perhaps a few chocolate-chip chunks.
I also think I’d add some jam or Nutella in the thumbprint for the fruit to rest on. Yes, I know that isn’t exactly a healthy way to bake… but I think it would bring the taste of the cookie together a little bit more and they would be just that little bit extra satisfying.
Besides, it’s always worthwhile to treat yourself to a few dollops of Nutella every once in awhile…
Although they weren’t exactly what I expected, I would bake them again as they were incredibly light. I’m really looking forward to trying out more recipes from Lorraine’s cookbook as I think she is fab and has so many great food ideas.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Unfortunately I didn’t go home for Mother’s Day as my Mum was working, but I did send her a lovely bunch of flowers and a random bowl full of fresh fruit – a surprise indeed!
All credit to Lorraine Pascale for the recipe and method.
Photography is my own.
3 Comments
These look lovely, a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of tea – so pretty!
30th March 2014 at 10:36 pmTheyre great! Love this!
5th April 2014 at 10:25 amThey were so light and fresh – perfect for the brighter (and hopefully warmer) Spring days! 🙂
6th April 2014 at 9:19 pm