Wishing you a peaceful weekend and welcome to Favorite Things #4 , where I share what’s percolating in the remaining gray cells. Today just happens to be my firstborn’s birthday. So happy, happy birthday Jonathan! The big 2-0 is just that… BIG! Remembering that poignant moment so long ago when I first saw that precious baby face. Sniff.

It’s been a good weekend around here and hope it has been at your house too. The sick kids here are on the mend. Charlie’s been competing at the state Destination Imagination competition. The sky is azure. Birds are chirping. I can barely see the dirty little snow patches left in the side yard.

Truth: we had a momentary spring lapse yesterday when it SNOWED two inches. (Thankfully already melted.) But other than that hiccup, spring is definitely springing, even if it hasn’t fully sprung in NH yet.

Here’s what what Hudson and I do on Saturday mornings…

This wooly little lamb Marley thinks he’s a pup! Cute.

FYI, sharing a couple great new finds I recently stumbled across:Loving this GuruNanda Natural Mist diffusing mister. It diffuses essential oils straight up and plugs into the wall or a USB outlet. Right now the fresh scent of lemon grass essential oil is in my entryway. Clean, fresh and springy! All natural and no chemicals, the essential oil bottle screws right onto the mister itself. I’m trying lavendar and rosemary oils next. Genius idea.

And here’s a delicious aroma to lure you out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning: Sugar Dusted Beignet Coffee. Savoring this scrumptious new flavor by Community Coffee. Made with 100% select Arabica coffee beans, get it in 12-ounce bags or single-serve pods. Light and sweet, sipping at my kitchen table like I’m parked in a New Orleans street cafe a thousand miles away…

Book recommendation:  Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope

Amazing read, and true.

“The Nazis murdered their husbands but concentration camp prisoners Priska, Rachel, and Anka would not let evil take their unborn children too—a remarkable true story celebrating three mothers who defied death to give their children life. On the seventieth anniversary of Mauthausen’s liberation from the Nazis by American soldiers, renowned biographer Wendy Holden recounts this extraordinary story of three children united by their mothers’ unbelievable—yet ultimately successful—fight for survival.”

This read is definitely worth your time. Five stars.

Sharing this in honor of my brave, beautiful mom and all the mothers of children with Down syndrome around the globe.

(Hint: grab tissues. I was a faucet.)

I mentioned in my cookie post earlier this week that we’re closing in on finishing the kitchen remodel project. So close! Waiting on just a few more cabinet doors to come in so I can take the snaps.

The project was fun and worth the grief. (I try to be honest here: there was grief involved.)

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough…”  – Melody Beattie

So what are you up to? Wishing you a beautiful weekend, savoring all the little things that make you smile.

XOXO,

Allie

The post Favorite Things #4 appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Here’s a buttery shortbread Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe for cheerful springtime baking! Buttery shortbread cookies nest dollops of delicious puckery sweet and tangy lemon curd.

If you love lemon curd like I do, this is a fun, easy cookie to make! Lemon curd is always a treat, but especially in spring and summer. A tray of these cookies is so pretty at wedding and baby showers.

Make your own curd filling with my easy recipe, or save time and use store bought to make these festive cookies quickly.

It’s been a rough few weeks around here and if some of you have wondered if I’ve been MIA – the answer is a resounding YES! I’m still feeling a bit MIA, but baking these beautiful springy cookies is helping me find ground again.

If you follow along here you know we’ve been doing a kitchen remodel. It’s coming along but we’ve had some long waits for re-ordered cabinets and cabinet doors. The first set was the wrong size. The second set was the wrong size. (Need I say more?)

I’m not necessarily chomping at the bit to finish. In the grand world scheme these days, kitchen cabinet doors are at the bottom of the totem pole. But I was really hoping the kitchen would be finished by Easter.

That didn’t happen. So I couldn’t share the before and after pictures last weekend like I was hoping. Maybe this coming weekend. We’ve also had some serious illness at the house during all of this construction, which has been tough. First there was the stomach virus that visited. Womp womp.

And then Jacob (17) has been pretty sick. After a false negative test two weeks ago, it was discovered he does indeed have mono after all. And with some of the other diagnoses possibilities we were facing, mono is welcome. Though it hasn’t been much fun for Jacob.

Mono can have pretty serious complications and I think he’s gotten every one. It’s taking time to heal and he’s learning patience, among other things. It’s tough for a mama to watch.

So let’s talk cookies!!! These were so easy to make and were a beautiful addition to my Easter dessert table. I mixed up the dough in my KitchenAid stand mixer, then chilled it for an hour.

Use a small cookie scoop to get even dough portions. Then roll those cookie dough scoops in for even, round dough balls.

Use a chapstick tube to make the indentations in the dough. You can also use a cork wine stopper or even a 1/2 teaspoon measure. I don’t suggest your thumb (as the recipe name would suggest) because thumbs aren’t necessarily round.

Then bake for eight minutes at 375°. When the cookies come out of the oven, use the chapstick tube again to deepen the indentations. (So these cookies can hold even more delicious lemon curd!)

After the cookies cool on a rack, fill with delicious lemon curd using a pastry bag. (A small baby spoon works too.)

Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe Tips:

• Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Wrap the dough tightly and chill for an hour before baking.
• Use a small cookie scoop for even dough portions.
• Use a chapstick tube (or other round object like a 1/2 teaspoon measure or cork wine stopper) to make even indentations in your dough balls before baking.
• Use the tube again after they come out of the oven to deepen the indentations so they can hold lots of delicious lemon curd!
• Once cool, use a pastry bag for even filling with lemon curd. Or a small spoon works too. (I like to use a baby spoon.)
• Easily make the cookie shells ahead and freeze. Right before you need them, fill with lemon curd. Yum!
• Use store bought lemon curd to save time, or my easy lemon curd recipe here.

Enjoy these scrumptious cookies!

Print

Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe

Cuisine cookie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup lemon curd store bought or homemade
• Homemade recipe here: https://www.throughherlookingglass.com/easy-classic-lemon-curd/

Instructions

• In a medium size bowl, with an electric stand or hand mixer, cream butter.
• Add white sugar until combined.
• Mix in egg yolks and vanilla until combined.
• Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, baking powder and flour.
• Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing until just combined.
• Cover dough tightly and chill for one hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Use small cookie scoop to get even dough portions.
• Roll cookies into balls and place 2" apart on baking sheet.
• Use your thumb, a 1/2 teaspoon measure, a cork stopper or even a tube of chapstick to make even indentations into the middle of each dough ball.
• Bake for 8 minutes and check.
• (When they are barely beginning to brown on the edges, they are done!)
• Remove from the oven.
• While still hot, make the indentations again with your instrument of choice.
• (The thumb does not work so well on hot cookies!)
• Place cookies on a rack to cool.
• When completely cool, use a piping bag to fill cookies with lemon curd. Or use a spoon.
• Use store bought or homemade lemon curd.
• Homemade recipe here: https://www.throughherlookingglass.com/easy-classic-lemon-curd/
• Serve immediately and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.

Notes

These are a great cookie to freeze ahead. Make the cookie shells, then freeze in an airtight container. Just before serving, fill with lemon curd.

You may also like: Lemon Whipped Cream w/Lemon Curd

The post Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.