Passionfruit Curd Filled Cookies (Printable version)

Buttery sugar cookies filled with tangy passionfruit curd, bright and ideal for teatime or sharing.

# Ingredient list:

→ Sugar Cookies

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
05 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Passionfruit Curd

08 - 1/2 cup passionfruit pulp, fresh or thawed from frozen with seeds strained
09 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 large eggs
11 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
12 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
13 - Pinch of salt

# Step-by-step guide:

01 - In a saucepan, whisk together passionfruit pulp, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and salt. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter until smooth. Strain into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and chill until set for at least 1 hour.
02 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
03 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out rounds approximately 2 inches in diameter and place on prepared sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are just golden. Cool completely on wire racks.
04 - Pair up cookies of similar size. Pipe or spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of chilled passionfruit curd onto the flat side of one cookie. Sandwich with a second cookie, pressing gently. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The curd is tangy and rich without being heavy, so you can actually eat two without feeling guilty.
  • These look impressive enough for company but come together without fussy technique or special equipment.
  • That moment when someone takes a bite and their eyes light up from the passionfruit flavor never gets old.
02 -
  • The passionfruit curd must be completely cold before assembly or it will soften the cookie and cause leaking, so plan ahead or chill it overnight.
  • If you don't have fresh passionfruit, frozen pulp works perfectly and sometimes tastes even brighter since it's frozen at peak ripeness.
  • Overbaking the cookies is the enemy because they'll taste harsh and won't hold the curd as prettily, so set a timer and check them at 10 minutes.
  • The curd thickens more as it cools, so don't panic if it seems thin when you first remove it from heat.
03 -
  • Invest in a fine sieve for straining the curd because lumps ruin the silky texture and visible egg bits break the elegant presentation.
  • Room temperature butter really does cream better than cold butter, so take yours out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start baking.
  • A cookie scoop ensures even-sized cookies that bake at the same rate, but if you don't have one, chilling the dough makes hand-rolling easier.
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