Shelly's Recipe

FILLED LEMON COOKIES

Category: Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lemon filling (recipe follows)

In large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and salt until creamy. With mixer on low, add flour gradually. Dough will be fairly stiff.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap and chill 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be chilled up to 3 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured board or piece of parchment paper. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. If dough cracks, let it warm up a little longer.

Using a 1 1/2- to 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes or until edges of cookies just start to brown. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare filling.

To assemble sandwiches, spread about 1 teaspoon filling over the unsugared side of one cookie with a rounded knife. Top with another cookie, sugared side up. Press the two cookies together firmly.

Lemon filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In small bowl, mix cream cheese and zest until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar and mix until smooth. Mix in remaining sugar as needed until filling is firm but spreadable.