#12. Lemony Sandwich Cookies

The subtle lemon kick in these buttery cookies make them irresistible, and you can't just eat one. Make sure you include these on your holiday platters, and be sure to decorate them to your hearts desires.

Ingredients:

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 TB grated lemon zest

4 egg yolks

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. real lemon extract

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 TB fresh lemon juice

2 TB light corn syrup

4 TB unsalted butter, at room temperature

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 TB (or more as necessary) fresh lemon juice

Food coloring (optional)

Sanding sugar (optional)

Method:

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

Sift flour and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides. Add eggs and mix until incorporated and scrape down sides again. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Divide dough in 1/2 and form each half into a skinny log about the width of an empty paper towel roll. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 1 hour, or wrap well and place in freezer.

Unwrap dough log and using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4" thich rounds. Place them on prepared baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake until slightly golden, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Filling:

Beat together all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl until combined well. Transfer to a small piping bag or a plastic ziplock bag and snip off a corner. Turn over half of the cookies and pipe about 1/2 tsp. onto each turned over cookie. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down gently.

Icing:

Whisk sugar and 2 TB juice in a small bowl, adding very small amounts of juice if too thick. Add coloring if desired. Spread or drizzle icing over the tops of the cookies and decorate with sanding sugar, if desired. Let stand until icing sets, about 10-15 minutes.