Shortbread Lemon Bars

From Taste of Home

1 1/2 c. cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. grated orange peel
3/4 c. cold butter or margarine

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. baking powder

Topping:
2 cup (16 oz.) sour cream
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, and lemon and orange peel.  Cut in butter until crumbly; process until mixture forms a ball.  Pat into a greased casserole dish or cake pan.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until set and the edges are lightly browned.  Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine filling ingredients and mix well.  Pour over hot crust.  Bake 14 minutes or until set and lightly browned.  In another bowl, combine topping ingredients.  Spread over filling.  Bake 7 minutes longer or until topping is set.  Cool on a wire rack.  Refrigerate overnight.  Cut into bars just before serving.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Lemon Glacier Candy

2 pkgs. (10 1/4 oz. each) hard lemon drop candies, crushed
8 oz. vanilla candy coating

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread candies on a lightly greased jellyroll pan.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until candies melt, tilting pan as necessary to evenly cover pan.  Place pan on a wire rack to cool.  Stirring frequently, melt candy coating in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat.  Spread candy coating over candy layer.  Chill 10 minutes or until coating hardens.  Break into pieces.

These are pretty sour, so you need to really like lemon to enjoy these!  (Which I do.)  :)

Lemon Star Cookies

I was in a cooking store in Orem yesterday and I saw yellow sugar crystals. I had just barely seen a recipe in one of my magazine for these cute star cookies with sparkly yellow sugar crystals on them and had wondered to myself where you could purchase yellow sugar crystals. When I saw them in the store I knew it was a sign! I bought them and got excited to make these sparkly little cuties!  I love cookie bling.

Recipe from Taste of Home--Holiday Christmas Cookies and Candies

Ingredients:

For Cookies:
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract (I doubled it)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

For Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. lemon extract (again, I doubled it)
3 drops yellow food coloring or paste
3 to 4 Tbsp. milk

Yellow colored sugar crystals (I bought mine at the Bosch store, but you could even use regular sugar crystals, mix them with some yellow food coloring, and bake them for a few minutes on a cookie sheet if you can't find the yellow ones)

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and extract.  Stir in sour cream and peel.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Divide dough into three balls; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
2.  Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator at a time.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.  Cut with a floured 2-inch star cookie cutter.  Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3.  Bake at 375 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks to cool.
4.  For icing, in a bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter, extract, food coloring if desired and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.  Ice cookies; sprinkle with colored sugar.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen medium sized stars.