Sparkly…very…sparkly Glittery Lemon Sandwich Cookies

On the first Saturday of December, I lost a bet.  Again.  So, now that the holiday dust has cleared I figured it was time to pay-up.

When it came to deciding exactly how to make-up my debt, I knew I had just the thing.  While I had already bookmarked the recipe before the madness of the end of the year, not one but two people sent me the same recipe saying that it “sounded like me.”

Boy was I glad the recipe wasn’t for sauerkraut.  Or pigs in a blanket.

Nope, this little cookie is sweet.  And citrusy.  And most importantly, very, VERY glittery.  And I for one, never, ever pass up the chance at using glitter.  Especially the edible kind.

The dough is very similar to shortbread.  No eggs and a good amount of cornstarch.

Then the dough gets rolled into tiny little balls.  The recipe calls for a scant teaspoon but I found it easier to weigh each at .25 ounces.

Naked balls.

Are you ready?  Because here come the sparkles.

Each ball gets rolled in sanding sugar until it is a sparkly little sphere.  When you are rolling the ball, don’t worry about keeping the shape, you can easily re-shape it back into the perfect orb once you’ve reached sparkle saturation.

And now the magic happens.  During the baking process our little disco balls transform into perfect little cookie buns.

Oh, but we aren’t done yet.  Not even close.  Each one of these lovely little glittery globes gets matched up with a mate and then filled with a lemony buttercream-like frosting.  If your frosting is melty (as mine was), just pop it into the fridge for half an hour before filling the cookies.  Otherwise, the two halves will slide when you try to put them together.

That’s right, these nuggets are even sparkly on their undersides.

I think you know what comes next.

While not quite as brilliant as a trip to Tiffany’s, they are ooh and ahhh worthy.   These sparkly sandwich cookies have earned instant classic status in the Misanthropic Hostess’ arsenal of go-to treats.  How cute would these be wrapped-up in pairs of two as party favors?

And maybe, just maybe, they’ll pay off my football debt and bring my team good karma into the new year.

Post script.

We agree these are adorable little sparkly sandwiches of goodness correct?  You associate that description with this recipe don’t you?  Okay, now I’m going to ruin it.  When I gave one to TD he immediately asked where its eyes were?  Huh?  To him they look like muppets.  Or worse yet, South Park heads.  Boys.

Glittery Lemon Sandwich Cookies

The sources for this recipe are multiple.  I believe it first appeared int he December 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine.  However, it has more recently appeared in The Gourmet Cookie Book (I’m guessing these babies were 2008’s best thus earning a place in the now retired magazine’s new cookbook).  And, I swear I saw a similar recipe in a Martha Stewart holiday publication.   I used the magazine version of the recipe from Gourmet but assume they are the same.

I’ve kept the ingredients the same but slightly altered the method.  I find that rolling out all the balls and then dipping in sanding sugar is more efficient than rolling-out a pan, dipping, getting glitter everywhere and then repeating.

For Cookies

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• White and colored sanding sugars

For Filling

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

For Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in center of oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Sift together flour, cornstarch and salt.  Set aside.  Cream butter.  Then cream-in confectioner’s sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, zest and vanilla.  At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Roll a scant teaspoon (about .25 ounce) into a ball.  Repeat until all dough is used (I just lined these up on an additional parchment-lined bake sheet).

Fill small bowl with sanding sugar.  Roll ball in sugar until completely covered.  Reshape if necessary.  I found the sugar stuck better if I gave the ball a quick roll between my palms before dipping.

Space sugared balls about 3/4 of an inch apart (dough will spread).  Bake 12-15 or until the tops of the cookies just crack but remain pale.

Let cool on parchment or cooling wire.

For Filling

Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.  Transfer to a sealable bag or pasty bag.  Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

Match-up halves and fill one-half with filling.

The filling will be soft so finished cookies are best kept chilled.