Lemon Cream Cookie Extravaganza

Last week, not one but two cookie recipes sent me running to the store for lemons and an extra pound of butter.  I donated “most” of first batch to a party but devoured the second batch personally and without shame.

For the first batch, I attempted the Lemon Sandwich Cookies featured in this month’s Gourmet.  The recipe combines a simple but luscious filling of confectioners sugar, butter and lemon zest with a dense and cake-like lemon scented cookie.  For cookies with a strong burst of citrus rather than a soft aroma, I would add one tablespoon of lemon zest instead of the suggested half-tablespoon to the cookie dough.



As you can see, there was generous amount of filling in the sandwiches.  But I was still left with a lot tasty frosting and subsequently, could not resist sandwiching together my next baking project: Lemon Cloud Tea Cookies.

The original recipe, posted on Joy the Baker, calls for half a teaspoon of lemon or orange extract.  Neither are staples in my house, and initially, I planned to use lemon zest instead of extract.  But Gourmet’s Lemon Sandwich Cookie recipe revealed a better solution.  To give the cookies a distinct lemon tang without forcing an excess of liquid to the dough, the Gourmet recipe uses fresh lemon juice that is reduced on the stove.  So I created my own “lemon extract” by gently simmering a quarter cup of lemon juice until only one tablespoon remained.



The substitution worked perfectly and did not compromise the texture of the cookie.  In fact because a flour and cornstarch comprise the dough’s base, the cookie virtually melts in your mouth.