Lime Meltaways

Summer's almost over, it seems so odd that there is Halloween stuff in the stores already and pumpkins in a big crate outside the grocery store. Sure it's September, and I do love fall , but it all seems a little pre-emptive. I mean the leaves haven't even changed yet! Ok, so the air has become a bit colder, but I haven't quite got that distinctly fall feeling yet, maybe in a few weeks I'll start craving pumpkins, spices and cranberries.
Anyways, to hang on to the warm weather for a bit longer I wanted a cookie that was rereshing and citrusy. these lime shortbread meltaways seemed like a good experiment. I rarely make meltaway style cookies but I do love them. These lime flavoured cookies from martha stewart 's cookie book are a good adaptation of the lassic cookie. they are very simple, eggless shortbtread, liberally flavoured with vanilla and lime zest. the dough is rolled into logs and refrigerated till firm, and then sliced into the teeniest little coins and baked. No shaping required!
The warm cookies are then rolled in powdered sugar to give them that melting quality when you bite into them. These cookies are nice. They are refreshing, zesty and a nice sweet treat while the weather is still warm.


Lime Meltaways
makes about 3 dozen
dairy
time: 2 hours including chilling time

• 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

1. 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.
2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
3. 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 parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment 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.

From Martha Stewart Show, March 2008