Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Cups

A co-worker brought to my attention last week that you could give up all your food for the day for 6 cups of ice cream and still be within your caloric limit for the day. *sigh* How tempting. I am fairly confident that I could totally man-handle an entire carton of ice cream all on my own...with a baby spoon...in one sitting.

Ice cream does not fill me up whatsoever. I'm not sure if I was equipped with a hollow leg specifically for storing ice cream or what, but I swear it goes to a magical place. The day after I eat that ice cream, however, it goes to a no-so-very-magical place...like my rear. For this reason, I actually do eat my ice cream with a baby spoon. Seriously. It forces me to at least pace myself. So does the extremely small bowl I eat it from. I guess I feel like I'm getting a better deal eating a really full small bowl of something than a huge bowl that looks very empty-ish. 

Ta-da! Inspiration took place and that's how these delightful little lemon poppyseed cookie cups came to be. These tiny little dessert bowls have virtually endless filling possibilities. For my first go at it, I used a cream cheese filling and fresh fruits with a tasty vanilla dressing. Oh baby, what a winning combo. Give them a try!

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Cups

Makes 2 1/2 Dozen

Cookie Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 c. salted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant lemon pudding mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 2 tsp poppyseeds
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter, sugars and pudding mix. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Blend flour and  baking soda in a separate bowl and then combine with butter and sugar mixture. Stir in poppyseeds and lemon zest, combining throughly.

On an upside down non-stick muffin tin, form dough around each muffin cup to form a small bowl. Dough should be pressed very thin (about 1/8" thick). Bake 5-7 minutes or until cups are lightly browned. Cool completely before removing cookie cups from muffin tin.

Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until mixed well. Spread about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture in the bottom of each cookie cup.

Fresh Fruit Filling

Ingredients:

• Any combination of fresh fruits, to equal about 10 cups total (I used strawberries, blackberries and peaches)
• 1 (3.4 oz) pkg. instant french vanilla pudding mix

Directions:

Cut fruits to desired size and combine in a large bowl. Sprinkle vanilla pudding mix over fruit and stir to coat fruit evenly. Allow fruit to rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The fruit juices should mix with the pudding for form a nice "dressing" but you can add water in 1/4 cup increments if needed to help it along. Stir before spooning fruit mixture on top of cream cheese in cookie cups (about 1/3 cup for each cookie cup). 

*I recommend filling your cookie cups just before serving to prevent them from getting soggy. Enjoy!

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