Italian Lemon Sandwich Cookies Food

ITALIAN SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until very fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue to beat very well for an additional 4 minutes, scraping down the sides at least once. Turn the mixer on low speed and add the flour and baking powder, and mix until just combined.
• Put the dough into a pastry bag or cookie press fitted with a star tip. On an ungreased cookie sheet, pipe cookies in 2-inch lines, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes (this will help them retain their shape when baking).
• Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Spread a little more than half a teaspoon of jam on half of the cookies, then top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Place in the freezer for another 5 minutes to help set while you prepare the chocolate.
• Toss together the chocolate and the oil and place in a microwave-safe mug. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Put the rainbow sprinkles onto a plate.
• Working quickly, dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate, then roll in the sprinkles. Place finished cookies on a tray lined with either wax or parchment paper to set completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 1 week.

LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES WITH LEMON GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cookies:
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
• Glaze:
• Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

ITALIAN LEMON KNOT COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Cream sugar, butter, and shortening together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Beat in lemon extract. Add flour mixture gradually, beating well to combine. Wrap dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Place the dough on a lightly-floured surface. Break off golf ball-sized pieces of dough. Roll each piece into a rope about 7 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter. Tie into a knot with one end poking up in the center. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
• While cookies bake, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and lemon extract in a bowl for icing until smooth.
• Transfer baked cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Spread icing evenly on top of the slightly warm cookies and add sprinkles.

ITALIAN LEMON DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 375°F. Coat baking sheet lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add shortening. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until shortening is completely blended into flour mixture. Add milk, egg and lemon extract, mixing just until blended.
• ROLL dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on baking sheet on wire rack.
• For frosting, BEAT powdered sugar, shortening, 2 tablespoons warm milk and lemon extract in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat in additional warm milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency. Spread on top of cookies.

ITALIAN LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and lemon zest. Gradually beat in flour. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or until firm enough to shape., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 6-in. ropes. Shape each rope into an "S", then coil each end until it touches the center. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Whisk egg whites; brush over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar., Bake until bottoms are brown, 12-14 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

LEMON SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Food Processor Method Process the lemon zest with the sugar and salt until the zest is very fine. Cut the butter into several pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy, Add the egg and vanilla and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour and pulse in just until incorporated. The mixture will hold together if pinched.
• Electric Mixer Method For the best texture use superfine granulated sugar. Soften the butter and chop the lemon zest until very fine. In a mixing bowl cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the lemon zest, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. On low speed, gradually add it to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated and the dough just begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.
• For Both Methods Scrape the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap to press down on the dough, kneading it until it is smooth. Divide the dough into four pieces, wrap each one with plastic wrap, and press to form flat discs. Refrigerate for 2 hours up to 2 days placed in a zip-seal bag, to firm and give the dough a chance to absorb the moisture evenly to make rolling easier.
• Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and set it on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. (I like to use Wondra® flour for dusting.) Allow the dough to soften for about 10 minutes or until supple enough to roll. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick, moving it from time to time and adding more flour if necessary to keep it from sticking.
• Cut out 2-1/4 inch cookies. preferably using a scalloped cutter. Use a 3/4 inch round cutter or pastry tube to cut out the centers of half of them. (If using a plastic cutter, or parchment-lined cookied sheet, it's best to do this after placing the cookies on the cookie sheet.) Set the cookies, about 1/2 inch apart, on the cookie sheets. Knead together the scraps and reroll them, chilling them first if necessary.
• Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes or just until they begin to brown lightly. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
• Use a small offset spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to cooling racks. When cool, spread the bottom sides of the cookie halves without the cutouts with 1 teaspoon of lemon buttercream or your favorite jam or jelly, and set the second set of cookies with the cutouts on top, bottom side down to create the sandwiches.
• Lemon Neoclassic Buttercream Makes: 1 cup/about 8 ounces 2 large egg yolks 1/4 cup superfine sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened-65 to 75°F 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped, loosely packed 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• In a medium bowl, with a handheld mixer, beat the yolks on high speed until light in color.
• Have ready a 1-cup heatproof glass measure, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small saucepan, preferably nonstick, using a silicone spatula, stir together the sugar and corn syrup until all the sugar is moistened. Heat over medium-high, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to bubble around the edges. Stop stirring completely and continue cooking for a few minutes until the syrup comes to a rolling boil. (The entire surface will be covered with large bubbles.) Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.
• Beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. Don't allow the syrup to fall on the beaters or they will spin it onto the sides of the bowl. Continue beating on high speed for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool completely. To speed cooling, place the buttercream in an ice water bath or the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. When the outside of the bowl feels cool, on high speed, beat in the butter by the tablespoon. The buttercream will not thicken until almost all of the butter has been added. On low speed, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Raise the speed to high and beat until smooth and creamy. It may separate at first but come together on beating.
• Place the buttercream in an airtight bowl. Use it at once or set it aside for up to 4 hours. If keeping it longer than 4 hours, refrigerate it. Bring it to room temperature and rebeat to restore the texture.

LEMON-CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; beat into creamed mixture. Divide into two balls; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into 2-in. rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For filling, in a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Spread over the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.