Ingredients

• Cookies
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (at room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• sugar


• Cookie Filling
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (as needed)


• Chocolate Dip (dark or white)
• 4 oz. semisweet or white chocolate (or 2 oz. each) (chocolate chips or baking chocolate)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• chopped nuts, any-colored nonperils or shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

In an electric mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar until well-blended and creamy. Add egg yolk, vanilla and flour, and mix again at medium speed until thoroughly blended. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at 1- 2 hours to firm up cookie dough.

Form cookie dough into 56 balls and place on baking sheets 2 inches apart. (Tips: Filling a cookie scooper just up to the top of the scoop and scraping off any excess with a knife will ensure all balls will be the same size. To make smaller (and more) cookies, form into 72 balls of dough.)

Place balls of dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 325° F. Place a small amount of sugar (about 2 tablespoons) into a small bowl. Dip the bottom of a small glass (that has a flat bottom) into sugar and use it to flatten each ball to a 1/8-inch thickness (dipping before flattening each cookie). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly colored with slight brown edges. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.


Using an electric mixer or handheld mixer, cream powdered sugar and butter. Add lemon juice and continue mixing until thoroughly blended. Spread a teaspoonful on half of the baked cookies, then cover each with another cookie, making a sandwich.


In a double boiler over low heat (you can also place a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepan filled with a little water), heat chocolate and butter until just melted. (You may also heat in microwave, heating on high for 30-second intervals, stirring in between just until fully melted but not overheated - about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes)> Dip an edge of each cookie sandwich into chocolate, then into nuts, nonperils or coconut (if using). Place on cooling rack (with wax paper underneath to catch drippings, if desired) and allow chocolate to set before serving. Setting time will vary depending on temperature of room.

Store in tightly covered container, layered with sheets of waxed paper to prevent cookies from sticking to one another.