Butter Spritz Cookies with Blueberry Jam Filling

I have a cookie press that I always pull out around Christmas time or when I want to make fancy cookies for any holiday. But you really don't need a cookie press.  You can simply use a pastry bag with a star tip and make your cookies. I make these Butter Spritz Cookies and fill them with strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry jam.  How cute are these?

Butter Spritz Cookies with Jam Filling 

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon zest (optional but good if you like citrus flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 egg
10 oz. cake flour, sifted
your favorite filling

 
Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla extract and egg; beat well.  Add the flour, beating until just blended. The dough should be firm but neither sticky nor stiff.  Press or pipe the dough onto an un-greased sheet pan, using a cookie press or a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.  

Press your thumb slightly in the center of each cookie to make a well for your filling.  Add a teaspoon of your filling to each cookie and bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden brown around the edges, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

NOTE: I choose different fillings each time I make these. I have used strawberry, apricot, raspberry, blueberry jam or jelly.  I have used cherry pie filling, and even chocolate! 

Makes 4 dozen cookies

















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Strawberry Blueberry Custard Tart

Strawberry Blueberry Custard Tart

 

 

It's hard to walk past those beautiful big California Strawberries in the grocery store and not think of a delicious fruit tart.  Especially I see beautiful ripe blueberries right next to them calling out to me.  The berries are beautiful this time of year and my imagination runs wild with all the things I can do with them. This time I could just picture gorgeous berries resting on a base of  the most delicious and creamiest vanilla custard, chilled perfectly to the right temperature. Oh My Goodness.

Strawberry Blueberry Custard Tart

For the crust:  

2 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until blended. Press mixture into bottom and sides of tart shell. Bake crust until lightly darkened in color, about 15 minutes. Let crust cool completely.

Pastry Cream: 

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch 
4 tablespoons cold butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Using a mixer with a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar on med-high for about 3 minutes or until yolks turn a pale yellow.  Then add the cornstarch and mix on low until blended in.

In medium sauce pan, bring milk to a simmer. Then slowly pour the warm milk into the bowl with egg mixture, whisking to blend. Then pour back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until mixture is thick. Bring to a boil, and then immediately reduce the heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in butter, vanilla, and heavy cream.  Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place plastic actually touching the pastry cream so it does not form a film when cooling. Place in the refrigerator until cold and thick.  Remove from refrigerator and spoon into cooled crust. Smooth on top and add your toppings.

Topping:

3 cups strawberries and blueberries, rinsed and prepared

Apricot Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves

1 tablespoon water

Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and strain the jam through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.  After arranging fruit on top of pastry cream, brush with glaze.

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Blueberry Croissant Puff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will love this recipe.  I promise. It is the perfect breakfast or you can serve it as a dessert. Buttery croissants (from your bakery or your local grocery store) surrounded by a creamy vanilla custard and ripe juicy blueberries that is baked to a golden brown. Deliciously ripe blueberries that burst with flavor in every bite. A custard so creamy that you close your eyes with every bite. A soft croissant that is slightly crisp on top that makes wonder why you don’t make this every day!  If you’ve seen this recipe before you will see cream cheese is added to the custard mixture.  I decided I wanted a thicker and creamier texture to my custard so I start off making my own buttermilk from milk and lemon.  OMG this is so delicious.  Serve it warm just out of the oven and top with powdered sugar.  Or for a dessert, top with ice cream.  You will love this recipe…I promise.

Blueberry Croissant Puff

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 cups cubed croissants (6 to 8 large)

2 cups blueberries

1 cup granulated sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup buttermilk*

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarse raw (turbinado) sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Generously grease a 9 x 13  baking dish with butter.  Make sure your baking dish is at least 3 inches deep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE:  If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own.  Simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a 8 ounce (1 cup) measuring cup.  Then pour in whole milk or half and half to measure one full cup.  Stir and allow it to sit for about 3-5 minutes.  You will see that it curdles and gets thicker…just like buttermilk.  Now you have buttermilk for this recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spread the croissant cubes evenly in the dish. Top with the berries.  You can tear them or use a knife for more uniform look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle blueberries evenly on top of croissants.  If you want more blueberries add another cup.  I used 2 cups.

Using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the cream, buttermilk, vanilla, and salt until well blended. The mixture may appear curdled.  No worries. That’s how it should look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour mixture over the croissants and berries in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best when eaten warm, soon after baking, but leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve for breakfast sprinkled with powdered sugar:  Tastes like blueberry french toast! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Serve for dessert with whipped cream or ice cream!

 

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