Lemon Cornmeal Cookie Sandwiches

With this chilly weather upon us, sometimes it is night to have a treat that reminds us of the summer and how warm things can be.  I made these lemon cornmeal cookies awhile back, but somehow they got lost in my disorganized mix of pictures. I came across them again recently, whipped up a new batch, and fell in love all over again!

The cookies are amazing on their own, but I love to whip up a small batch of cream cheese icing and make sandwiches out of them.  Delicious!

One thing to note about these cookies is they don’t really rise, so whatever size you make them when you put them on the pan, that’s pretty much what size they will be when they come out of the oven. I didn’t realize this the first time so I ended up with these super small and cute sandwiches, perfect for popping in your mouth every time you walk through the kitchen. Every. Time.  My tummy thanked me, my hips didn’t.

So if you need a burst of sunshine on your Christmas cookie platter this year, whip these up!  The cookies were one of Martha Stewart’s cookies of the day, and the cream cheese filling is totally optional.  The original recipe makes 24 individual cookies, but since I make mine on the smaller size I get about 16 cookie sandwiches (32 individual cookies).

Lemon Cornmeal Cookie Sandwiches

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• Cream cheese filling (optional)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, lemon zest, and salt
3. In a large bowl mix together the warm butter, sugar, and egg 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well
5. Roll the dough into small balls (about 1 1/2" in diameter) and place on the cookie sheets
6. Lightly flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand
7. Bake for 16 - 25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the cookies) until the edges are lightly browned
8. Let cool completely
9. While cooling, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar
10. When the cookies are cool, spoon some filling onto the bottom of one cookie, and than add another cookie to make a cute sandwich
11. Continue with remaining cookies, and Enjoy!