Recently we travelled to Arizona to visit our very dear friends Paul and T at their new home where they plan to spend the winter every year. I always like to arrive with a little thoughtful, but useful gift. Of course, folks our age have everything we could ever want, and if we don’t, we simply go out and get it. So buying a gift for their new home is becoming increasingly more difficult so I usually default to baking. After all, who doesn’t love home baked goods?
Our national grocery chain Loblaws’ private label brand PC (President’s Choice) has many great products in their lineup (you may be familiar with PC Chocolate Chip Cookies — I know that particular product was distributed nationwide in the U.S. Did they capture the market in the UK, Europe and Australia too?) and one particularly wonderful product was a Lemon Sandwich Cookie. Sadly this cookie has not been available for some time now (years, really) and our dear friend Paul LOVES them. Like, he really, really LOVES them. What set this cookie apart was its strong lemony flavour, in both the sugar biscuit and the creamy butter icing, sandwiched in the middle.
My usual MO is to make a couple of baked goods that are favourites below the 49th, but just like my Christmas baking, this list can get out of control over time. Cue JT to roll his eyes.
Now this one came about quite innocently, at least, to me it did (but then again, I can justify virtually anything!). You see, I was at Dollarama, picking up a few little things (never food) and I spotted the Wilton Sandwich Cookie Pan. Oh dear.
- I did not go over and touch it.
- I did not stop to look at it.
- I did not even spend more than a split second thinking about it.
- I simply passed by it and went on my merry way.
Of course, the memory of this specialty cookie pan tucked itself into a far corner of my brain, only to exert itself in the wee hours of the night as I was desperately trying to sleep. By the morning, I had already decided to go back and purchase one. They were only $3 so I got two and that way I could bake in tandem, my logic is that it uses less electricity if I could have a tray ready to go in the oven when the other comes out. You see? That’s justification! Cue JT to roll his eyes, again. But in all honesty, $3 is really quite reasonable for a quality Wilton product, particularly when it’s on their website for $8.99!
I used the Wilton recipe for the cookie that is on the packaging because I figured it must be tried and true and, for the most part, it worked out well. The only thing I would suggest is to add a bit of lemon zest to the cookie dough and not spray the pan with non-stick spray because the pan is already non-stick and I had no issues with the cookies releasing easily.
Lemony Sandwich Cookies
Makes 24 sandwich cookies.
Lemon Sandwich Sugar biscuit ingredients:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp natural lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- a very small bit of yellow gel food colouring (optional)
Lemon Butter Cream Ingredients:
- 94 g butter, room temperature
- 360 g icing sugar
- 2 tsp natural lemon extract
- 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 lemons, freshly grated zest
- a very small bit of yellow gel food colouring (optional)
Lemon Cookie Batter Directions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the oil and egg and beat until combined.
- Add the extracts, sugar and salt and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the flour a bit at a time, beating well to incorporate.
- Add the colouring a bit at a time until the desired colour is achieved.
- Create little round balls about 8 grams or 1/2 teaspoon each and put into the centre of each form (no need to spray with non-stick spray), press down evenly (I used a press like this cookie stamp without the silicon bit, make sure you press the bottom into flour first! You could also use an espresso tamper).
- Bake for 9 minutes or until no longer soft in the centre but not beginning to brown. Allow cookies to cool in the pan for a few minutes then gently coax out. Cool cookies completely before filling.
Lemon Butter Cream Filling Directions:
- Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the icing sugar a little each time, beating well.
- About half-way through the sugar, add the flavouring and lemon zest.
- Continue to add the sugar and beat until a desired consistency is achieved.
- Freeze unused buttercream in an airtight container. To use, defrost in the refrigerator. When ready to use, whip for a few minutes to ensure it is consistent.
Assembly:
- Using a Wilton #12 tip, fill a piping bag with the creamy filling and pipe onto one cookie at a time about half-way to the edge. Place a similarly sized cookie on top and gently squeeze. Repeat until you have 24 sandwiched cookies. In the unlikely occurrence that they are not consumed in one sitting, store in an airtight container for a day or two, or freeze for longer periods of storage. Frozen cookies have been known to be consumed quite happily, we’re not picky!!!
Saving this for when we get home! I will make these for my birthday. I LOVE lemon as you know and lemon sandwich cookies are an absolute favorite of mine. Never gave thought to making them. Can’t wait! 🙂 xo
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Thank you so much, Eva, for bringing us a ray of sunshine! Your cookies look absolutely gorgeous and I can imagine how happy your friend must have been.
One never has enough of kitchen gadgets! You have no idea how many times I couldn’t fall asleep thinking of some things I wanted to buy (it usually concerns clothes and shoes, but it happens also with kitchen gadgets and tools!).
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I know what you mean about shoes, Sissi, it’s definitely a thing with me. I love kitchen gadgets because they inspire me to cook and bake!
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I’d love these cookies Eva! I’m a big lemon fan. Now I’m trying to think if I’ve seen PC here. I don’t think I have. I wonder where they are sold?
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A quick google shows that they are not in Australia, so I guess that means you’ll have to come back for a taste! Thank you for your lovely words.
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What a deal! Yes, buy it when you see it and you don’t have regrets later. Love the eye roll description. The cookies are just perfect and I am sure delicious. Fun to be inspired to create by a new item.
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Thank you kindly Ruth, these Dollarama’s are crazy with the product range and pricing they offer (they have an entire line-up of Betty Crocker kitchen gadgets which I’ve seen elsewhere for at least twice the money!
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Loblaws? Really? As in Bob Loblaws (Blah blah blahs). I’m an Arrested Development geek and I always thought the name Loblaws (Bob) was a joke they made up and a character they made up. I’ll try and go back and re-read this for the cookies. I promise. GREG
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Hi Greg,
No, I don’t think there is any connection, Loblaws is the name of a chain of grocery stores owned by the Weston family (they are like your Rockefellers). I’ve tried to watch AD a few times but have not been able to get into it. Perhaps I’ll give it another go. Thanks for dropping by.
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I love this. I am coveting.
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Thank you Zsuzsa.
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lol @ all the eye rolling JT is doing over there, hahah!
So nice of you to make these for Paul, especially given the shortage of the real deals.
I hope…nahhh, I’m sure Paul loved them!
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Dana, thank you for your lovely words. Eye rolling is part of the 30 years of marriage! PS I was a child bride!
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Oh lord
Hahaha
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Yeah, I know what it’s like to walk into a kitchen store and see something that haunts me until I purchase it. Now, I’ve gotten to the point that I just buy it because it’s easier than buying it from home or returning to the store to do so. (By the way, that would explain the clutter in my kitchen.) Lemony cookies are the best and yours look beautiful, Eva. At $3.00 each, those cookie pans were well worth it.
I sure hope this doesn’t meant that you’re home already. Although warmer weather is on the way, these last couple of days have been brutal. I hope you were in Arizona and not returning home to this.
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My dearest John, no we are not home just yet, sadly a few more hours to go. This is definitely a lifestyle I can get used to…
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Thank you for your lovely words John, sadly we are home. And a lovely 6″ of snow awaited us, not to mention the 1.5 hour delay of our flight meant we arrived chez nous at around 11pm. Just enough time to unpack and have a glass of wine.
The Dollarama is getting to be my biggest kitchen gadget store these days, they have somehow gotten Betty Crocker gadgets and they are so reasonable, I can barely resist them! They don’t accept returns so my few dollars better be well spent!
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Yummy!
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Thank you Liz.
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Pretty, pretty cookies. And so many cookie flavour possiblities. Great buy if it doesn’t end up in a drawer or box somewhere. 🙂
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That is indeed the risk isn’t it Maria? But since it’s only $3 I won’t mind if I only use them a few times a year. I can see them with a shortbread cookie and some delicious buttercream too.
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Gorgeous cookies. I’ll bet that touch of almond just sends these over the top. Paul must have been thrilled!
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Thank you Betsy, the cookies were definitely savoured.
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They look so beautiful!
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Thanks Angie.
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