secret recipe club: lemon lime meltaways

i'm starting to get too comfortable with this whole secret recipe club thing. you see, i joined as a way to find other great bloggers, get inspired by their recipes and photographs, and try something new every month. while i've definitely discovered new bloggers and been inspired by their photographs and food, i've become a slacker in the "try something new" department. lately i've chosen recipes that looked good, sounded good, appear relatively easy, and are foods that i know i would enjoy. no shame in that, but no real learning either. so watch out october, it's new foods all the way!

now onto these cookies. even though they're simple to make and take little time to put together, they are delicious. i followed barbara's lead and added more than double the sugar the original recipe called for and followed some of the other reviewers' comments and added a bit more citrus with a tablespoon of lemon juice. barbara blogs over at barbara bakes, where her recipes not only sound delicious, but her photos are drool worthy; it's my favorite kind of reading!

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website! 
 

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

lemon lime meltaways
adapted from barbara bakes, originally from martha stewart
30 min prep, 15 min bake; makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup + about 1/2 cup powdered sugar
zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (or 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. cream the butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. add the zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix until mostly combined. add the flour, cornstarch, and salt and mix until combined.
2. divide the dough roughly in half and place on a square of parchment or wax paper. roll each dough into a log, about 2 inches in diameter. chill the dough logs in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.
3. when you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. unroll one of the chilled dough logs and cut it into slices about 1/4 inch thick. transfer the cut cookies onto the baking sheet. the cookies don't spread much so they can be placed pretty close together. bake about 12 minutes (less time for thinner cookies, more time for thicker cookies) until just turning brown on top. 
4. immediately remove from the baking sheet. place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large zip top bag. once the cookies have cooled for a few minutes - cool enough to handle but still warm - add a few to the bag, close it, shake carefully (if you shake too hard, the cookies will break in the bag), and remove to finish cooling. repeat with the remainder of the dough. store in an airtight container.