Lemon Shortbread with Berry Vanilla Cream – Ladies Kisses

Ok, I just couldn’t resist.  I saw these biscuits on another blog and I have finally succumbed to temptation and made these little babies on the weekend.  They look fantastic and are a tasty little treat.  As the title suggests, they are called Ladies Kisses, but the best way to describe them is that they are a cross between a Melting Moment and the old Monte Carlo from Arnotts.

They are a crumbly, sweet biscuit that goes great with a cup of coffee, and look fabbo sitting in a jar on the kitchen bench.  My husband (after eating about 8 in a row) tried to tell me that they are too sweet, but I suggested that maybe if he stopped at 1 or 2, he would probably be fine! 

Thanks to Karyn for the inspiration http://www.splendiferousthermomix.blogspot.com/

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and prepare baking trays (I line mine with baking paper).  Place sugar, almonds and  lemon rind into Thermomix bowl. Mix for 1 minute at speed 9. 
2.  Add softened butter  and blend for 20 seconds at Speed 5.
3.  Add  corn flour, flour, egg yolk and lemon juice (juice from the same lemon that you removed the rind off). Pulse  for 10-20seconds on Turbo until blended, scraping down bowl as necessary.
4.  Shape dough into 1.5-2cm balls and press gently with a fork.
5.  Bake 12-15 minutes until firm.  Cool on the tray for 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container until you are ready to use them.NB: The undressed biscuits can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

 
120g softened butter

100g fresh berries

510g icing sugar
Berry Vienna Cream:
 

1. Insert butterfly into Thermomix. Place softened butter into Thermomix bowl. Cream for 30 seconds at speed 4.
2. Scrape down bowl. Add fresh berries (I used 40g blueberries & 60g raspberries in the batch for the photos) and 130g icing sugar  then Cream for 30 seconds@ on Speed 4.
3.  Scrape down bowl and add 120g icing sugar.  Cream for 30 seconds at speed 4.
4. Scrape down bowl. Add 130g icing sugar.  Cream 30 seconds at speed 4. 
5. Scrape down bowl. Add the last 130g icing sugar and finally cream for  2 minutes at speed 4. 
6. Allow the Berry Cream to rest for 10-30 minutes until cool and thick then spoon Vienna Cream into piping bag fitted with wide tip.
7.  Pipe Vienna Cream onto Shortbreads and sandwich together.

Hints & Tips

• This is a variation on the traditional Ladies Kisses or Baci Di Dama.
• Like a Melting moment, you can fill with almost anything
• I found the shortbread a bit crumbly and dry by itself, but when put with the Berry Cream it is really special
• Don’t make the shortbread balls too big, otherwise the biscuits just become too bulky and dry to eat