Sunshine Lemon Cookies

I love our little house.

It's yellow.  And bright and cheery.

And we have Meyer lemon trees on each side of our front steps.

They smell wonderful and produce a freakish amount of citrus.

365 days a year we have 100+ lemons.  On each tree.

Sometimes, people steal them.

Mostly people we know.  Some people we don't.

But I don't really care.

I don't know that I could give them all away if I tried.

Needless to say, I am constantly on the look-out for new lemon recipes.

So when my very sweet and very pregnant friend Deborah sent this one to me,

I had to try it right away.

She promised they'd be tasty and she was right.

So what if it's the dead of winter?

We all need a little sunshine in our lives.

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup and 2 tbsp salted butter

1 egg

2 tbsp grated lemon peel

1 package lemon cake mix (with pudding in the mix)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

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1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  Cream 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar in mixing bowl at medium speed until fluffy.

3.  Add egg and lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds.

4.  Gradually add entire box of lemon cake mix, beating at low speed for about a minute.

5.  Add cornmeal and beat an additional 30 seconds at low speed.  Dough will be quite stiff.

6.  Shape dough into 3 in balls and roll in sugar to coat.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

7.  Bake 8-9 minutes, until cookies are slightly brown on the bottom.

8.  Allow to cool for about 2 minutes on cookie sheet and transfer to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

9.  Meanwhile, beat 2 tbs butter and sifted powdered sugar at medium speed.  Add lemon juice.

10.  Spread one slightly rounded tsp of frosting between 2 cookies.  Repeat.

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And if you need lemons, you know where to find them! :)