Glittery Lemon Sandwich Cookies Recipe
Yes, you're being spoiled to another recipe today since my OCD is insisting I organize my desktop and get rid of the photos waiting to be published.
This recipe comes from the now sadly defunct Gourmet magazine. Last year, they ran a special with some of their most popular Christmas cookie recipes from the past 50 years. These little glittery treats looked so delicious I had to make some. They were surprisingly simple too and are definitely a keeper.
For cookies
- * 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- * 2/3 cup cornstarch
- * 1/4 tsp salt
- * 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- * 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- * 1 tbs grated lemon zest
- * 1 tsp vanilla
- * White or colored sanding sugars
- For filling
- * 1 cup confectioners sugar
- * 1 tbs grated lemon zest
- * 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
- * 2 tbs light corn syrup
- * 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Beat together butter and confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in zest and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture just until a soft dough forms.
Put sanding sugars in different bowls. My advice here is to not use the ultrafine sanding sugars. I used some gold and silver that I had but it was much too fine and the resulting cookies looked oddly grubby. Those made with the coarser sugars from the grocery store looked much more festive.
The recipe calls for a tsp of dough but I found it easier to use my melonballer because you really do want teeny little balls of dough. Roll the dough into a ball and drop into sugar, turning to coat. Reshape if necessary and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat, spacing balls 3/4 inch apart, until baking sheet is filled. Having now tried this recipe, I would also suggest pressing the balls ever so slightly to flatten them a little.
Bake until tops are slightly cracked but still pale (bottoms will be pale golden), 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a rack to cool completely.
Form and bake more cookies on second baking sheet.
Beat together filling ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well. Spread a small amount on half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently.
YUM!!!
The great thing is that you don't have to make these lemony. Next time I think I'll try peppermint flavor ones instead.