Melting Moments

Features: Shortbread cookies sandwiched with lemon icing, with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, a classic Australian café dessert.

Ingredients List

Cookie Part

Flour (all-purpose/multi-purpose): 1 1/2 cups

Cornstarch: 1/2 cup

Softening sugar/icing sugar (not pure powdered sugar): 1/2 cup

Unsalted butter: 250g (2 sticks + 1 tbsp), softened at room temperature

Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Lemon Icing Part

Unsalted butter: 100g (7 tbsp), softened at room temperature

Softening sugar/icing sugar (not pure powdered sugar): 2 cups

Lemon zest: 2 tsp

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Optional: Passion Fruit Icing Part

Unsalted butter: 80g (6 tbsp), softened at room temperature

Softening sugar/icing sugar (not pure powdered sugar): 2 cups

Fresh passion fruit puree: 4 tbsp (not canned, too sweet)

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Instructions

Making the Cookies

Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C with forced air cooling).

Prepare baking sheet: Line with parchment paper.

Creaming the Butter: In a bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Cream for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.

Adding the Dry Ingredients: Add cornstarch and flour in three batches, mixing well with a rubber spatula after each addition.

Shaping: Spoon a portion of the mixture onto a baking sheet (24-28 in total). Gently roll each portion into a ball.

Flattening: Flatten the balls to 1 cm/0.4 inch thickness using a floured fork.

Bake: Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. The cookies should be a pale golden brown, not burnt.

Cooling: Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Making the Lemon Frosting: Creaming the Butter: In a bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.

Adding the Powdered Sugar: Add the powdered sugar in three batches, mixing on low speed first, then high speed.

Flavoring: Add lemon zest and juice, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until fluffy.

Assembling: Pipe the frosting onto one half of the cookies, then cover with the other half.

Refrigerate. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the frosting to set. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips:

Butter temperature: Soften at room temperature to 17°C / 63°F. Do not over-soften.

Sugar type: Use soft powdered sugar (containing cornstarch/corn flour), avoid using pure powdered sugar.

Cookie size: Each cookie is approximately 6 cm/2.4 inches in diameter and 3.5-4 cm/1.5 inches thick.

Storage: Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days, preferably refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving. Nutritional Information (per Melting Moment cookie)

Calories: 335 calories

Carbohydrates: 36g

Protein: 2g

Fat: 21g

Saturated Fat: 13g

Cholesterol: 54mg

Sodium: 4mg

Potassium: 22mg

Fiber: 0.4g

Sugar: 21g

Vitamin A: 625 IU

Vitamin C: 0.1mg

Calcium: 8mg

Iron: 1mg

Reviews and Feedback

Reader Reviews: Readers generally gave it high praise, commending its soft texture, ease of preparation, and suitability for afternoon tea, parties, and other occasions.

Frequently Asked Questions: Some readers inquired about whether it can be made in advance and frozen, and whether other ingredients can be substituted (such as using kaffir lemons instead of regular lemons).

This recipe details how to make melt-in-your-mouth Melting Moments cookies, including an ingredient list, steps, tips, and nutritional information, making it suitable for home baking enthusiasts.