I love these Lemon Cream Beehive Cookies but let’s get the certain popular emoji jokes out of the way immediately.
I’m waiting…
Feel better?
Does this help?
I knew I should have searched harder to buy some sugar bees to place on the cookies.
Anyway. Here’s how these cookies came to bee:
One of the places I never miss hitting up when I am in Munich is Kustermann’s. Friends and I have spent hours there gawking at all the beautiful cookware, kitchen gizmos, and gadgets. It was a requisite weekend shopping stop when I lived in Munich. The baking section is extensive and they have a huge selection of cookie cutters.
It seems no matter how many times I have been over their inventory, there is always something interesting to discover. A few weeks ago, when I was back in Germany I found this wooden mold for making beehive pastries. I snatched it up quicker than you can say “Six euro.”
The mold came with a recipe which I tested and tweaked. Speaking of which,
Arriving back in NYC, I found this beautiful bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s Lemon Pure Paste waiting for me. I met reps for Nielson-Massey at this year’s Fancy Food Show. I made a beeline (ha ha) for their booth because I absolutely love their products.
My kitchen cabinets consistently house several of their extracts and flavored waters. Nielsen-Massey’s Vanilla Bean Paste is one of my baking staples. Shortly after the show the company contacted me and asked if I would like to sample the lemon paste and giveaway a jar to my readers. Even though I receive no financial compensation for this, only product to test, I said “Ja”.
The Pure Lemon Paste contains oil from the natural essence of lemons and has the consistency of Molasses. Note, the lemon paste is all natural but I found it to be more sweet than citrusy. You might need to add a touch of lemon juice for acidic balance when using it. It smells like heaven.
To enter the giveaway, just “like” both this post on my German Food With a Twist Facebook Page and the page itself by September 30th and I will randomly draw a winner who will receive their own bottle of Lemon Paste. Good only for participants in the USA.
Armed with my new beehive mold and eager to test the Lemon Paste and my rehabbed Beehive Cookie recipe, I spent the morning in the kitchen and this is the beautiful result.
These three dimensional Beehive cookies are Czech in origin. Although this recipe also makes use of store-bought Ladyfinger cookies for the beehive-shaped domes, the cookie bases are baked. You can substitute Nilla wafers for the bases if you do not want to turn on your oven.
In order to make them look less like that emoji, I brushed them with gold dust. I’ve also added a touch of honey liqueur to both the cream filling and to the beehive mixture. Both are optional steps.
The taste is wonderful, lemony, sweet with a multitude of textures that makes them fun to eat. Bookmark this recipe for the holidays. They make great gifts of a fun addition to your holiday cookie spread.
Don’t forget the sugar bees. lol.
Lemon Honey Cream Filled Beehive Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bases:
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Lemon Paste
For the Beehive Shell Mixture
- 7 oz Lady Fingers
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 Teaspoons Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 Egg White
- 2 Teaspoons Honey Liqueur (optional)
- 3 Teaspoons Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Powdered sugar for dusting or edible gold dust (optional)
For the Lemon Honey Cream Filling:
- 1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 Egg Yolk*
- 4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Lemon Paste
- 1 Teaspoon Honey Liqueur (optional)
- 1 Teaspoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Cookie Bases:
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
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Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy (about 3 minutes)
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Add the egg yolk and beat until combined.
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Beat in the pure lemon paste.
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Add the dry ingredients and beat to combine.
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Wrap the dough in plastic cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Roll the chilled dough out and cut into circles using a 1.5 inch in diameter cookie cutter.
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Transfer the circles to the parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes.
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Remove from oven and transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Make the Beehive Shells:
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Place the ladyfingers in a blender or food processor and pulse until the cookies have turned into fine crumbs. You want to achieve almost a powder.
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Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to the ground ladyfingers in the food processor and pulse to combine.
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Transfer the mixture to a mixer and beat together with the butter until smooth.
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Beat in the egg white, honey liqueur, and the condensed milk.
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Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Make the Lemon Honey Cream Filling:
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Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Assemble the Beehive Pastries:
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Place a piping bag** with a #3 tip in a tall glass and fold the edges over the glass.
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Transfer the honey cream filling into the bag and seal the opening with a clip or rubber band.
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Remove the beehive mixture from the refrigerator. Dust the mold generously with powdered sugar. Break a piece of the dough and press it into the mold. Use a small sharp knife to scrape the excess dough off so it's even with the mold.
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Use the knife to scoop out a hollow in the beehive's base. Squeeze honey pastry cream into the hollow and cap the bottom with a cookie base.
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Gently tap the mold to release the Beehive shape and place the Beehive cookie on a serving plate. Repeat until the ingredients are gone. Dust the finished Beehive cookies with extra powdered sugar, if desired.
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Brush on the gold dust by diluting it with a few drops of vodka or any clear drinking alcohol. OR Sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops of the hives. (optional)
Recipe Notes
*This recipe contains raw egg. Egg products are required by law to be pasteurized but raw eggs are not covered by this law. If you are worried about Salmonella, only buy and use pasteurized eggs which can be found in some grocery stores. Read more about pasteurization and salmonella from raw eggs at the American Egg Board.
**If you don't have a piping bag or tips, you can use a ziplock bag. Fill the bag with the pastry cream, snip off a small hole in one corner to squeeze the filling through.
