- We ship on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
February is for butter, sugar, and stories you’ll never live down.
This month I’ve been making Linzer tarts — and every time I do, I think about the kitchen moment that still makes me laugh.
Back in 2002, I decided I was going to make dessert for my in-laws coming over for dinner. Just dinner. not fancy, just family around the table.
Even though I grew up baking with my mom at the luncheonette we owned in East Hampton, I had never made cookies that required zest. We baked plenty — pies, muffins, cakes — but zesting? Not in my wheelhouse yet.
The recipe called for “fresh zest.”
Did I know what zesting meant?
Absolutely not.
So, what did I do?
I peeled the fruit. Like… full-on peel chunks in the dough. Confidence level: 10/10. Knowledge level: 2/10.
And then — of course — I got called into surgery, so I wasn’t even there when dessert happened.
My family ate the cookies.
They were… crunchy.
But apparently still “good!” (Bless them.)
Later my husband goes, “Sooo… what was that texture?”
That’s when I looked up what zesting actually meant.
Lesson learned: Zest = flavor magic. Peel = not the same thing.
Still makes me smile every time I grate citrus now.
They’re basically Valentine’s Day in cookie form:
⦁ Buttery, tender cookie
⦁ Ground nuts for richness
⦁ Bright citrus zest (the right way 😉)
⦁ Sweet jam peeking through a little cutout heart
They’re elegant, nostalgic, and just fancy enough to feel like love.
Makes about 24 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
Dry
⦁ 2 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ 1 cup finely ground almonds (or hazelnuts)
⦁ ½ tsp cinnamon
⦁ ¼ tsp salt
Wet
⦁ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
⦁ ⅔ cup sugar
⦁ 1 egg
⦁ 1 tsp vanilla
⦁ 1 Tbsp citrus zest (lemon or orange — grated, not peeled!)
Filling
⦁ Raspberry or strawberry jam
⦁ Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
⦁ Cream butter + sugar until light and fluffy.
⦁ Add egg, vanilla, and zest.
⦁ In another bowl, mix flour, ground nuts, cinnamon, and salt.
⦁ Combine wet and dry ingredients just until dough forms.
⦁ Chill dough at least 1 hour.
Rolling & Baking
⦁ Roll dough to about ⅛–¼ inch thick.
⦁ Cut half the cookies solid. Cut hearts (or shapes) from the centers of the other half.
⦁ Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely.
Assemble
⦁ Spread jam on the solid cookies.
⦁ Dust the cutout tops with powdered sugar.
⦁ Sandwich together.
Try not to eat five while “taste testing.”
Baking isn’t about perfection. It’s about stories, laughter, and sometimes learning what zest means after dinner.
And just wait — March is coming. I’ll be baking my famous Irish soda bread in a cast iron pan and my over-the-top Guinness brownie (my husband’s favorite!) made with real Guinness… stay tuned. ☘️🍫
Life Is Better When You Eat a Cookie. Make it Count. Make it Lucille’s.
Love & Butter,
Lucille
