Who’s Ready For Spring? | From Cupcakes To Caviar

Not me. I want 5 feet of snow and a blizzard that buries our house!

Ok, ok, that’s not true. As much as I enjoy Winter, I’m ready for warmer weather. NOT the boiling hot “omg, my face is melting” hot that Summer brings here in Kentucky, but the warmth of Spring. Mind you, warm here can mean high 80’s unfortunately (we had had strange Summer like weather here the last few days; even had to use the a/c) but that’s neither here nor there.

I love the gentle breezes of Spring, the smell in the air, the blooming trees and flowers and the crickets and frogs singing to me.

Ok, enough waxing poetic. Let’s get to the food!

I also love the foods that come in Spring; the wonderfully fresh asparagus and spinach, the new berries that can’t be matchedÂ by the hothouse ones or imported ones any other time of year. Plus the colors! All the foods are so bright and cheery looking to match the season. Well, except for liver… it’s nasty no matter what season it is. And Cheetos are bright and cheery even in the middle of Winter. Just sayin’.

One thing that most everyone uses more of in Spring is Lemon. I’m no exception. I love it no matter when or where but it adds a special brightness to already fantastic food in Spring. I use it on top of veggies, in compound butters for fish and chicken and of course in baked goods. This is ME, after all.

One thing I make every Christmas is thumbprint cookies. I was craving some today. But the normal ones, filled with jam, seem only fitting for Christmas. I’m not sure why, they just do. So I played around. That seems to be one of my usual sentences doesn’t it? Lol.

I made a normal thumbprint cookie with some minor variations but messed with the filling. I decided to go with lemon and white chocolate. Both seem Springy to me. I used
This recipe here

for the lemon curd recipe. It’s the one I always use for curd and always have some of in the fridge. For the white chocolate, I used some of the new

Philly White Chocolate Spread . I’m madly in love with that stuff. All three of the flavors are awesome.

These turned out great. Very Springish (yes, that too is now a word) and they would be perfect for an Easter buffet or brunch or after school snacks or dessert or swiped from the fridge late at night or dinner or as a reward for breathing in and out. So c’mon… go make some lemon curd and get to work.

Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake Thumbprints

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup lemon curd
1/2 cup Philadelphia White Chocolate Cream Cheese Spread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add in the egg, lemon juice & extracts. Beat well.
In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest. Mix well.
Â Dump the dry ingredients into the wet. Using a wooden spoon, mix well.
Shape into about 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Use your fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon to make a nice indentation in the cookies.
Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light brown.
Cool completely on wire rack. Do NOT attempt to add fillings until cool or they will melt and run off.
Add a small dollop of the white chocolate cream cheese to each cookie, then top with another small dollop (about 1/2 teaspoon or so) of the lemon curd.
Dust with powdered sugar. Store these in the fridge due to the cream cheese. That’s assuming there are any left to store.