Citrus Raspberry Trifle

We’re right in the middle of two of my favorite seasons: citrus and Girl Scout Cookie. Okay, I know Girl Scout Cookies aren’t necessarily a season, but they’re around for at least a month (and still available until March 12th) and that’s more than enough for me.

I’m a huge girl scout cookie fan. I’ve been eating them since I was a girl scout myself, many moons ago. As a matter of fact this year marks the 100th anniversary of girl scouts selling those awesome little cookies. Every time I get an email or text from my friends whose daughters are selling cookies, I immediately make my list of which ones I want. My favorites are the Samoas, Thin Mints and Do-si-dos (but there are several other flavors in case you want to pick some up). While I love munching on those three with a tall glass of milk, the Savannah Smiles are my go to when it comes to baking. It was actually this time last year that I made another recipe using the lemony Smiles thanks to Melissa’s Produce and the Girl Scouts of greater Los Angeles.

I prefer to bake with the Smiles because they’re light little cookies that taste of sweet lemons. While they’re delicious on their own or with a cup of tea, I like them in my desserts because they add an extra burst of lemon flavor, which is why I knew these little cookies would be a great base for a trifle. I’d only used cake before in trifles because it’s already soft and moist, so I wasn’t sure how the cookies would fare. But they were wonderful. Yes, they got a little soggy from the two different curds, but they still retained a slight crunch and melded with the rest of the trifle wonderfully.

Trifles are often thought of as spring and summer desserts. But since we’re right in the middle of citrus season, this is the perfect opportunity to make a beautiful dessert that’s light and delicious. While lemon curd is a common curd of choice when it comes to trifles, I wanted to add a little something extra. So I didn’t just make a lemon curd, I also made a blood orange curd. Not only does it make for some great colored layers, both curds really smack you with that delightfully tart citrus flavor. When combined with the raspberries and those Savannah Smiles, you get one awesome trifle and a dessert definitely worthy of those amazing girls and all they stand for.

Citrus Raspberry Trifle

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups butter, cubed and divided
• 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup blood orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 7 eggs, divided
• 8 egg yolks, divided
• a couple drops pink food coloring (optional)
• 5 pints of raspberries
• 3 boxes of Savannah Smiles

Directions:

1. Make the curds: Combine the lemon juice, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 cup of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. While the juice mixture boils, whisk 5 eggs and 2 egg yolks with a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
3. Reduce the heat to low and whisk the egg mixture into the juice mixture. Continue stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the curd coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, whisk in the lemon zest and set aside to cool.
4. Combine the orange juice, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
5. While the juice mixture boils, whisk 2 eggs and 6 egg yolks with a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
6. Reduce the heat to low and whisk the egg mixture into the juice mixture. Continue stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the curd coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, whisk in the orange zest and the food coloring (if you’re using it) and set aside to cool.
7. Build the trifle: Place one-third of the cookies on the bottom of a large trifle bowl. Spoon half the lemon curd over the cookies and spread to the sides of the bowl. Cover with one-third of the raspberries. Repeat with the remaining cookies, curd and raspberries, alternating between the orange curd and lemon curd as you go. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Melissa’s Produce provided me with the Meyer Lemons and raspberries, and the Girl Scouts provided me with the Savannah Smiles for recipe testing. As always, any opinion expressed is my own and is not influenced in any way by the manufacturer/PR firm as I only review products that I have personally tested and endorse.