Lemon Curd & Gooseberry Biscuits

These cookies are for Gary, who challenged me to come up with a recipe using typically British ingredients. And here it is: an oatmeal thumbrint cookie filled with lemon curd and gooseberries and topped with dark chocolate. It's my take on the classic jaffa cake, which is a thin cookie (er, um, biscuit) topped with a layer of fruity/jammy stuff and then coated in chocolate.

I'd never had gooseberries before. In fact, the only time I've ever heard anybody say anything about them is on Food Network--that tomatillos are a part of the gooseberry family and are not just green tomatoes with husks. Well, gee...thanks for clearing that up, Alton Brown!

But I've tasted gooseberries now. They look like green grapes but have a bunch of soft seeds inside. They taste slightly sour and pair perfectly with the sweet/tart kick of the lemon curd. I guess that's lucky for me because I came up with the flavor combination before I had actually tried it.

These are really simple to make. They're just thumbprint cookies filled with some unconventional stuff and topped with chocolate.

Makes 21 cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Lemon Curd & Gooseberry Biscuits.)

Thumbprint Filling

1/3 cup lemon curd 1/3 cup drained canned gooseberries

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup white sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1 tablespoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients	1 1/4 cups finely ground oatmeal 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze	1  cup dark chocolate chips, melted

1. In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Use a fork to smoosh the gooseberries and mix everything together. Put the filling mixture in the refrigerator to stiffen until Step 10.
2. Preheat oven to 350º.
3. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
4. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together until smooth.
5. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
6. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
7. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
8. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
9. Place the  dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
10. Use your thumb to make an indentation in each dough ball. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the thumbprint filling.
11. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.
12. Melt 1 cup dark chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the chocolate. Return the cookies to the wire racks so that the chocolate cools and solidifies.
    

Comments

[IYC]

duuuuude... i LOVE jaffa cakes!! pls save some for me!

[Lorraine]

These look different and interesting! I'll bet they're delish.

[Mumma]

These look like the perfect accompaniment to a "spot" of tea! They could easily replace scones and clotted cream. Maybe Harrod's would
be interested in adding these to their Tea Time menu!!

[gary]

Jaffa cakes are delicious and addictive as was Greg's version- this recipe is perfect.
it was fruity (like me) and covered in chocolate.. needless to say they did not last very long !
Enjoy!!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hey, IYC! I've got one in the freezer for you. :-)

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, Lorraine. :-)

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Mumma. I know how much you love lime. I'll have to do a lime version for you.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Yay! Success. Thanks, Gary. I'm soooo glad you liked these. :-)