“The fellow who never makes any failures, never makes any successes either” – Anonymous.
It’s time for some creative cookie baking! This month’s theme was to bake cookies using what’s in season. The moment I read Laura’s seasonal prompt I immediately thought “mangoes,” almost on autopilot. Mangoes are, to me, one of the best parts of an Indian summer. But at the market pale red lychees caught my eye instead.
How wonderful would lychee cookies be? I’d never tasted them before and hadn’t heard of them, so I decided to try making lychee melting moments. My first idea was to flavor the cookie dough with lychee puree, but that made the dough too wet. Also, lychee-flavored cookies with lychee cream felt like overkill.
I left the cookies plain — though “plain” isn’t quite accurate, because they’re anything but. They truly melt in the mouth: light, crumbly, and only gently sweet. Paired with a richer, custard-like lychee filling, the combination is balanced and refreshing.
The cookie dough is adapted from a Primrose Bakery recipe; the lychee filling is my own creation.
These melting moments are perfect for summer. The tender cookies live up to their name, and the fresh lychee filling was a big hit at home.
Creative Cookie Exchange
Spring is here with loads of great flavors for baking.
Use this as a resource for cookie ideas and seasonal inspiration.
- Chocolate Chocolate Cherry Cookies from 2 Cookin’ Mamas
- Jam Thumbprint Cookies from A Baker’s House
- Lavender Shortbread with Lemon Drizzle from Baking in Pyjamas
- Lemon and Cream Cookies from Basic N Delicious
- Lychee Melting Moments from Flours and Frostings
- Rhubarb Dream Bars… Trifle from The Spiced Life
- Rhubarb Lemon Drop Cookies from A Shaggy Dough Story
- Sticky Mango Shortbread Bars from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bars from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies from Magnolia Days
Lychee melting moments
Pin Recipe
20 mins
10 mins
30 mins
8 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie:
- 110 grams (about 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 30 grams (about 1/4 cup) icing sugar, sifted
- 64 grams (about 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
- 70 grams (about 1/2 cup) cornflour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
- 2–3 tablespoons lychee puree (from about 5 lychees)
- 56 grams (about 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 125 grams (about 1 cup) icing sugar, sifted
Instructions
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In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the flour, cornflour, sifted icing sugar, butter, and baking powder on low speed until a soft dough forms.
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Wrap the dough tightly and chill for 20 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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After chilling, shape the dough into balls using about one tablespoon per cookie. Place them on the prepared sheet about 5 cm apart.
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Lightly flatten each ball with a fork. If the fork sticks, dip it in cold water and dry it between cookies.
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Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 9–10 minutes, turning the tray halfway through. The cookies should just begin to brown lightly.
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Cool the cookies on a rack before filling.
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For the filling, beat together the room-temperature butter, sifted icing sugar, and lychee puree at medium speed until smooth.
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Sandwich pairs of cookies with about 2 teaspoons of filling each.
Notes
Also:
- Store unfilled cookies in an airtight container for 2–3 days. For the best texture, fill them the day you plan to serve them.
- Double the ingredients to make a larger batch.
- To make lychee puree, peel and pit the fruit and blitz until smooth in a blender.
- Adjust the amount of puree to taste and to achieve the desired filling consistency.