post-holiday blues

Lots of people stop baking after the holidays. Or they start making low-carb/sugar-free/delicious-free treats. Something about losing weight.

Well… That’s dumb. No offense. But my method to cure the post-holiday stupor is to make more sweets. To pad us up for the rest of the winter. Which is always inevitably long. And cold.

So I made some lemon glitter balls. I made them in 4th of July colors. Who said we can’t have Independence Day in Christmas?

But… in case you’re not up to me changing around the holidays I shot them in regular holiday color combinations.

They’re really good – light and fluffy. However the lemon cream stuff in the middle doesn’t really want to set. The halves are kind of slippery. The lemon juices are kind of getting my new jar dirty. Do you like my jar? I won it at Christmas! Actually, I stole it from my boyfriend’s aunt. Making a good impression on the fam, I know. It was part of the game though… And everyone else was doing it!

Anyway, I got a jar. With some cookies in it. But they were peanut butter.

Fun Fact!

Peanut butter makes me gag. I cannot describe to you the detest I feel for peanut butter. And peanuts.

Please don’t hate me. I was born this way. I can’t help it.

I’ll make you something chocolate to make up for it!

Also, if you want to make these lemon glitter balls, I would make some royal  icing, flavor it with a bit of lemon, and use that to glue together the lemon ball halves… This stuff from the recipe isn’t so hot. But the sandwich halves are good.

Glittering Lemon Sandwich Cookies, from Gourmet

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

White and colored sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Beat together butter and confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in zest and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Don’t over mix!

Put sanding sugars in different bowls. Roll a scant teaspoon of dough into a ball and drop into sugar, coating thoroughly. Reshape if necessary and place 3/4 inch apart on baking sheet.

Bake until tops are slightly cracked but still pale, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Either use the recommended filling (as follows) or royal icing to smush together the halves.

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Beat together all the filling ingredients. Transfer to a sealable bag and snip off the corner. Squirt onto a half and smush the other half on!