Lemon Sandwich Cookies

From Everyday Food
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar for sprinkling

For lemon filling:
4oz (125g)barcream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1-1 1/2 cups (250 mL-375 mL) icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, icing sugar, lemon zest and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will be stiff); finish mixing with a wooden spoon. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; pat into a disk about ½-inch (1 cm) thick. Wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

Unwrap dough; place on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough about 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick (if dough cracks let it warm up slightly). Cut out cookies with a 1½-inch (4 cm) round cutter (re-roll scraps once, chilling if too soft). Place 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool.

For the filling, in a small bowl, mix cream cheese and zest until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup (250 mL) of icing sugar, mixing until smooth. Mix in remaining sugar as necessary to create a firm but spreadable filling. Form sandwiches: Place about 1 tsp (5 mL) filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.

Makes 36 cookies.

Read more of Gwendolyn Richards' culinary adventures on her blog: patentandthepantry.word-press.com.

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

Note: These cookies are fairly time consuming to make, but if you take your time and have fun with them, the results will be worth it. That said, if you want something a little bit quicker, try baking a batch of Samoas Bars instead, which require no rolling and cutting of the dough!

Coconut Macaroons

3 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up
Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix coconut, cornstarch, sugar, egg whites and vanilla in a heat proof bowl. Set bowl over a pot of boiling water (or use a double boiler). Heat stirring until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spoon out macaroons, about a scan tablespoon each, and place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden but still soft and chewy. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Place chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 1 minute. Stir until smooth, microwaving move if needed. Dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Place on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet in refrigerator to set.