Lemon Shortbread Cookies

More from Bon Appetit, this magazine is seriously making me happy this holiday season.  No story here, just saw the recipe for Lemony Slice-and-Bakes and wanted to make 'em.  Oh, and I finally got a new camera, so enjoy the photos.  Also, these tasted like shortbread to me, and I like people to know what they're getting, so I renamed them Lemon Shortbread Cookies.


Here's what you'll need:

2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tbs finely grated Lemon Zest
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Egg Yolks

1. Whisk flour and salt in a medium bowl.  In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg yolks, beating just to blend.  WIth mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and beat just until blended, scraping down sides as necessary.


2. Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into a 10-inch long log, about 1 3/4" in diameter.  Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about one hour.  (You can make the dough a few days ahead of time; if tightly wrapped in plastic, it keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Unwrap dough logs and slice into 1/4"-thick rounds.  (Use a sharp knife, warm the blade by running it under hot water or setting it near your pre-heating oven.)  Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.  Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes, until cookies are firm and edges are just starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven, cool on baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling racks.

4. Optional: Make a lemony icing.  Whisk 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar and 2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice until blended, adding more lemon juice if necessary.  If you're in the holiday spirit, add a couple drops of red or green food coloring to the mix.  Spread, drizzle or pipe the icing over the cookies and let stand for about 10 minutes until icing sets.

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