Looking for the Walkabout Cafe and Bakery? It's not hard to find.

It’s the only storefront with a life-sized kangaroo statue hanging out front along South Howard Avenue in South Tampa.

Regina McColl and her entire family came to the states with her American husband when her oldest child started her college experience at St. Leo University.

The shop is filled with all things down under: funny slang decipherers, children’s books and a colorful wall mural of wombats and koalas.

McColl also shares with her customers a piece of her culture through food; specifically, meat pies and melting moments.

We made Melting Moments, a lemony filled cookie sandwich, in the Chef’s Kitchen with Walkabout's Executive Chef Jim Pyatt.

It’s a recipe special to McColl’s family.

"The reason why we have it in store is because it's one of my mother's favorite things,” said McColl. “It's a slightly different recipe to the original tweaked by the mother, and so that's why we have it here!"

Melting Moments (serves 10)

Biscuit ingredients

  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup corn starch, sifted

Filling ingredients

  • 2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat until combined and a smooth dough forms.
  4. Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls and place them into a large, lightly greased sheet pan lined with parchment paper, one inch apart.
  5. Slightly flatten each ball with the back of a fork.
  6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Cool on a wire rack.

For the filling, place the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl and beat for five minutes until light and creamy.

Spread the filling onto one half of the cookie and sandwich with another cookie.