What makes the perfect Christmas cookie? Is it the aroma and taste that fills our palates, kitchen’s, and hearts with Holiday goodness? Is it the time we get to spend with family and young ones making and baking these treats? Or, is it the friends, neighbors, and loved ones we create these tasty snacks for?
Whether taste, texture, time, or people, we can all agree that there is something special about baking cookies this time of year. It’s this love of cookies and the Holiday season that led me to today’s post, our first Holiday cookie recipe of the year! Best of all, it kicks off a month-long celebration of cookies! Every Monday from now until Christmas Day we’ll be featuring a delicious and exciting Holiday cookie recipe to get you in the gift-giving mood. Best of all, each cookie will be made with our impressive, high-quality, and very versatile Alta Artisan Flour! When it comes to cookie baking, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Let’s kick this cookie craze off with today’s recipe, Lemon Icebox Sandwich Cookies!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
2 1/4 cups Honeyville Alta Artisan Flour
1 Lemon, zested
Juice from 1 Lemon
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz Cream Cheese
3/4 cup Butter, softened
3 cups Powdered Sugar
Zest from 1 Lemon
Juice from 1 Lemon
Yields: 24 Cookie Sandwiches
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl whisk together shortening and butter using an electric hand mixer. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time, and beat in until a thick dough forms. Add zest and juice and beat until fully combined.
Take the dough and divide it in half, then, using a piece of parchment paper, roll each dough half into a 10-inch roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dough is firm enough to slice.
Once dough is firm, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice dough into 1/8 inch cookies.
Place slices on your USA Pan Cookie Sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Keep in mind these cookies bake quick, so check at the 8 minute mark and remove once cookies are firm. Do not over bake.
Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.
While cookies are cooling, make your filling by combining cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl and whisking together with an electric hand mixer until a soft frosting forms.
Once cookies are cooled, frost and make sandwiches, then serve.
Soft, delicious, and full of lemon sweetness and taste, these cookie sandwiches are the perfect recipe to get your family and friends in the Holiday mood. Not only are they super simple to bake up, they just taste great! I mean, who doesn’t love a cookie sandwich? Best of all, the cookie dough can last up to a week stored in your refrigerator, so you can make the dough a few days ahead and continue your Holiday planning and cooking!
There’s nothing better than a home-baked Christmas cookie, and these are the perfect cookies to get you in the Holiday mood!
