Lemon and Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies - Pihikete Tapukara Rēmana me te Rōpere

Delicate lemon flavoured butter biscuits filled with strawberry jam. As an option, decorate it with a lightly sweetened French meringue.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Servings pihikete (biscuits)

Ingredients

The Lemon Biscuits - Ngā Pihikete Rēmana

½ C (120 g) huka one (caster sugar)
Kiri rēmana (lemon zest of one lemon)
125 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
¼ tsp tote (salt, fine)
2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
1 hēki (egg, size 6)
1 ¼ C (185 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
⅓ C (40 g) puehu kānga (cornflour)
¼ tsp 1/4 tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
20 tsp (150 g) tiamu rōpere (strawberry jam)

French Meringue Decoration - Kahu Tāhungahunga Wīwī (Optional)

1 quantity French Meringue
A sprinkle of rōpere tauraki-tio (freeze-dried strawberries)

Instructions

The Lemon Biscuits - Ngā Pihikete Rēmana

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C.
Add the huka one (caster sugar) in to a large bowl. Finely grate the kiri rēmana (lemon zest) in to the bowl. Rub the kiri (zest) in to the huka (sugar) with your hands until the rēmana (lemon) is fragrant.
Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), wanira (vanilla) and tote (salt) in to the sugar mix. Using a hand mixer, whip on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy in colour.
Add the hēki (egg) and whip again for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Add in the puehu parāoa (flour), puehu kānga (cornflour) and pēkana paura (baking powder). Stir well with a fork or wooden spoon.
Mould the mixture in to 20 equal sized balls.
Place them on the prepared tray, with a large gap in between each one.
Squash the balls down with the palm of you hand and make a large dent in the centre with your thumb or with the round wooden handle. Make it large so you can fit heaps of preserve or tiamu (jam) in.
Fill each of the holes with the tiamu (jam), filling them to the top.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes before eating.
These pihikete (biscuits) will keep well for 7 days in a sealed container in the fridge or in a cooled cupboard.

French Meringue Decoration - Kahu Tāhungahunga Wīwī (Optional)

Make one batch of my French Meringue recipe.
Once it is ready, add it to a piping bag with a petal piping tip. Working your way around the cooled pihikete (biscuit) create little petals or whatever shape you want come from the edge of the tiamu (jam) to the edge of the pihikete (biscuit). Repeat with each one.
You can keep them plain but I prefer to torch them because it is more fun and it helps the meringue hold its shape for a bit longer.
Sprinkle with rōpere tauraki-tio (freeze-dried strawberries) if you want to.
The decorated pihikete (biscuits) can be stored in the pouaka makariri (fridge) for up to 24 hours. The meringue starts to loose its flare after that, so keep these decorating times in mind. They don't last much longer than that in our whānau!