Lime Cornmeal Glazed Cookie

Lime Cornmeal Glazed Cookies

My favorite cookie recipe, the Lime Cornmeal Glazed Cookie:
The cookie that bites back!


Incidentally, and for no particular reason, this recipe contains no leavening agents (baking soda / baking powder) and no salt.


If you don't consider the time it takes to zest those limes, this recipe is very simple and fast.  The night before I plan to bake these cookies, I take the limes, my favorite zester and a bowl into the living room, and I 'zest the night away' in front of the TV!  The only liquid in the glaze is juice from the limes.  Pucker up, buttercup!

They are definitely a wake-you-up cookie. Take one bite, and your eyes pop wide open!

Unless the limes are HUGE, I find that I need a lot more limes to get the right amount of juice and zest than the recipe calls for. I often use 12 - 14 limes.
I let the glaze that drips off onto the parchment paper dry, and I eat it like candy!
Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature.
     If you use margarine, I will come to your house and beat you!
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
4 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes total).
      If you use lime juice out of one of those plastic squeezy-thingys, I will come to your house and beat you TWICE! 
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (2 medium oranges)
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal


Directions


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg; beat until just blended. Add citrus zests, lime juice, and almond extract.


With the mixer on low speed, add flour and cornmeal. Continue beating until well blended. Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using your hands or an optional 1 1/4-inch ice-cream scoop form balls from chilled dough. Place balls on prepared sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Spray the bottom of a medium drinking glass with non-stick cooking spray. or moisten the bottom of the glass slightly with water, and  flatten balls with the bottom of glass until dough is about 1/4 inch thick.


Bake cookies until crisp and light-golden brown around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack, and let the cookies cool completely.  From personal experience, I find this baking time a bit too long. Watch the first batch of cookies closely.  They can burn quickly!


Place a wire rack on top of a piece of parchment paper. Pour the lime glaze over the cooled cookies, allowing the excess to drip off the edges. Let glaze set. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
  Lime Glaze

3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest (about 6 limes total)

Directions

Sift confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Add lime juice; stir until smooth. Stir in lime zest. Your proportions of lime juice to confectioners' sugar will vary, depending on humidity, the size of the limes, and the amount of juice they yield. You might have to use more or less juice or confectioner's sugar, accordingly.

Use glaze immediately.