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3/21/08

Lime Melt-Away Cookies

Last Christmas I added a new cookie to my list of 20-something recipes to make for cookie gifts to friends, teachers and neighbors. It was a lime sandwich cookie that was really quite remarkable. Because the light green color at Christmas time invokes thoughts of 'mint' I think people were surprised to find they munched into a refreshing lime cookie instead. I think pastel green, lime and refreshing citrus tastes go best on warm sunny Spring days or hot summer days and when I saw this cookie from Martha I knew exactly how it would taste when it hit my tongue. I'm turning into a huge fan of 'lime' cookies and was happy to add this recipe to my collection.


Lime Melt-Away Cookies
from "Martha Stewart's Cookies."

Makes about 3 dozen

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room
temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in
the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed
until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice
and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a
bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low
speed until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on an
8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll
in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in
diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parch-
ment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate
logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parch-
ment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets
lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until
barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating
sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to
wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
While still warm, toss cookies with remaining
2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag.

Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at
room temperature up to 2 weeks.Print Friendly and PDF