Shelly's Recipe

RASPBERRY THUMBPRINT LEMON-SUGAR COOKIES

Category: Cookies

Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Extra granulated white sugar for sprinkling
Raspberry preserves

Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Using electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg over butter mixture, stir to blend. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently for 1 minute. Shape dough into 1/2-inch thick rectangle, cut into fourths and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Let dough soften a little at room temperature.

Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter large baking sheet. One piece of dough at a time, roll out on floured surface into 1/8-inch thickness. Dust surface lightly with flour. Using floured 2- or 3-inch round or shaped cutters, cut out cookies. Pull away excess dough from around cookies. Transfer cookies to baking sheet, spacing 1/2-inch to 1-inch apart (cookies won’t spread). Sprinkle half the cookies lightly with granulated sugar. Re-roll dough scraps to make more cookies. Bake cookies until light brown, 9 to 11 minutes. While they are baking, prepare the frosting.

Frosting: Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer in large bowl. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Icing will appear dry once all the sugar has been mixed in. Add 1 tablespoon milk and beat until frosting is fluffy. Add more if necessary. Cover bowl with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Remove cookies from oven. Let cool 3 minutes and then use your thumb to indent centers of the sugar-sprinkled cookies. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool.

Turn an un-dented cookie bottom-up and add thin layer of buttercream. Sandwich the frosting by placing a thumb-printed cookie on top. Repeat with all cookies. Add a dollop of raspberry preserves into each thumbprint. Makes 2 to 3 dozen.