lemon slice-and-bakes

looking through the december issue of bon appétit today i found two good- looking recipes to bake for my mom's new years party tomorrow. the first are these lemon shortbread cookies. they looked very elegant and new-year-like and didn't require an extensive list of ingredients (but you DO need fresh lemons/ juice, considering its the main ingredient).

recipe
cookies
21/2c flour
1/2tsp. salt
1c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4c sugar
2tbs. finely grated lemon zest
1tsp. vanilla extract
4egg yolks

icing
11/4c powdered sugar
2tbs. fresh lemon juice
food coloring (optional)

use an electric mixture to mix the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla together. mix until fluffy then add the egg yolks one at a time. add the dry ingredients. divide the batter in half; roll each half into 10'' long log about 13/4'' in diameter. wrap in plastic wrap and let cool for an hour.
preheat oven to 350degrees. using a sharp knife cut the log into 1/4'' thick rounds. bake for 16-18minutes then let cool before frosting.
for the frosting whisk together the two ingredients until the consistency is how you want it. spread or drizzle over the cookies! makes atleast 2 dozen.

this recipe (from bon appétit magazine) was very easy to follow and turned out so well. the dough was easy to work with and the frosting (more like a glaze) was delicious. i added some sprinkles to them too. i pulled them out of the oven at fifteen minutes and the bottom was slightly golden brown, think that's the best way to go for sugar/ shortbread cookies.