You go Martha

When I was a child, I loved waking up early and crawling into my mom's big bed to watch the Martha Stewart Show.

Everything she did, all of her crafts and her food and her parties, all seemed so perfect.  Her big white country kitchen was always spotless.  All of the ingredients for her cookies were all pre-measured and set aside in neat little ceramic bowls.  She always had cool, seasonal crafts to make out of (what you thought was) junk lying around the house.

Sigh.  If only we could all be like Martha.

Of course, when I make anything in the kitchen, I end up with a mess.  Either on the countertop, or on my shirt.  One of my biggest pet peeves is finishing a huge, hard-to-put-together meal, when the absolute last thing you want to do is clean... and there is a mountain of dirty dishes just looming in the sink.

I want Martha's kitchen.

Feeling nostalgic thinking about Martha Stewart the other day, I decided to check out her website.  More specifically, her cookie recipes.  Let me tell you, the woman has about 150+ cookie recipes, organized with categories like "Christmas Assortment Cookies", "Grown-Up Cookies", "Cookies For An Occasion"... the list goes on.

Yesterday was "Friend's Day" in Argentina, and seeing as how I have, oh about two friends here, I decided to bake for Julián's friends.  I wanted something that would show off the fact that I could, indeed, cook, but... it had to be something that I could, indeed, cook.  I didn't really feel like going to the grocery store, either.

"Lime Meltaways".  Let's see, I had limes.  I had powdered sugar.  They looked easy.  Done.  I made the dough and let it sit in the fridge for about 5 hours, and later on that evening decided to make them just before Juli left to meet up with the boys.

I was delightfully surprised at how easy the cookies were to make, and even more surprised at how good they were! True to their name, Lime Meltaways literally melt the instant they touch your tongue, and the sugary, limey aftertaste keeps you grabbing for more and more. 

Martha's done it again.

Unfortunately, Julián's original plans fell through, and their "Friend's Day" was celebrated elsewhere.  I, however, celebrated with my best friends in the world: my girls from Sex and the City, a hot cup of tea, and a plateful of these cookies. 

Lime Meltaways (adapted from The Martha Stewart Show)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1. Mix butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla, and mix until fluffy (again).
2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined.  Be sure not to overmix.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll into two logs, about 1 ½” diameter.  Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into ½” thick circles. Space cookies 1” apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until barely golden, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Remove cookies and let cool slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.  While still warm, toss a couple of cookies at a time with remaining 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar in a resealable plastic bag.