Lemon Sandwich Cookies

I took two lemon desserts with me to "Friends-Giving" a few weekends ago. I made these first, but I was afraid that they wouldn't serve enough people. Beware - it only makes like 12 cookies - you have to use 2 cookies for each sandwich, so it takes lot of cookies!  I was surprised how few it made, but they were worth every second in the kitchen.

Inspired by this pin, this recipe comes from itty bitty kitchen.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies:

• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (this is important!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon

Filling:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• juice of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. In a large bowl cream the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy on a medium setting, roughly 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and  incorporate the vanilla and lemon zest, scraping down the sides as you go. Sift the flower and cornstarch into the mixture and beat on a low setting until just combined.
3. Take small portions of the mixture and roll into balls, continue until you have 25-30 (I made mine quite large, I ended up with roughly 23) pieces. If you want them to be as even as possible, roll out the mixture until it forms a log then use a clean knife to section into 30 pieces.
4. Place them on a baking tray lined with wax paper, gently press on each piece with a fork until it has left an imprint. You can also press on them gently with your fingers, if you do not wish to leave an imprint.  (I used the criss-cross look like a peanut butter cookie because I thought they were cute.)
5. Bake for 20 minutes. let them cool completely.
6. For the filling beat the sugar, butter and lemon juice on a medium setting until incorporated. Keep adding sugar until you get a thicker consistency - you don't want the filling to squish out all over, but rather support the top cookie.
7. Use the back of a spoon, or a knife to ice one side of the cookie then sandwich them together. Try to find two which are similar sizes.  The biscuits can be kept for up to 5 days in an air tight container.

All I can say is WOW - these were awesome.  A 5 out of 5.  Totally worth every minute.  I loved them and so did others.  I hope you do, too!