These cookie sandwiches are perfect to add to your spring/summer cookie list. They have a delightful crunch, and the cream cheese filling helps mellow out the brightness from the lemon. I brought these to a girls night a few weeks ago, while we watched the Bachelor (highlight of my week), and they were loved by all. Thank you Martha Stewart, (or your worker-bees) for sharing such a fabulous, sweet bite!
INGREDIENTS: (Makes 3 dozen)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- Juice of 1/2 of a Lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cup unbleached flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling
- FILLING
- 4oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 – 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Pre heat the oven to 350* Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt together. Slowly add the flour, the dough will become stiff, so finish incorporating it with a wooden spoon. Pour out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and flatten into a disk approximately 1/2 inch thick. Let the dough chill in the fridge for 1 hour (Martha says you can chill it for up to 3 days in advance)
Once your ready to roll the dough, take it out of the fridge and place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough to 1/8 thickness, (let the dough warm up a bit if your dough seems to crack easily) and begin cutting your shape. I used a small circle cutter for a nice small bite. Place each cookie 1 1/2 – 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet, sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes. Re-roll your dough as needed, cutting more cookies out, until you have used all of the dough. Watch these carefully, check the bottoms at 15 minutes. You want the bottoms to be barely golden. They will brown quickly after 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the filling.
To make the filling, in a medium size bowl, using an electric mixer, simply mix all three ingredients until light and fluffy. Take a tablespoon or so of filling, and spread onto one cookie, place another cookie on top and voila! Delicious lemon sandwich cookies for your next gathering.
Barely tweaked from: Lemon Sandwich Cookies – Martha Stewart Recipes