Lemon Cookies With Vanilla Bean Glaze

Cookies

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, egg yolk and lemon extract, and mix until combined.

Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour in three additions until just combined.  

Transfer the dough to the counter, divide in half, and form each half into a 5 inch disc. Wrap the discs tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Remove one disc from the fridge and knead the dough 3-5 times to make it more easily rollable.  Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick, about a 10 inch circle.  

Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut as many circles as you can, and then reroll the scraps to get as many cookies as you can - should be about 20 cookies per disc. Repeat with second disc. Bake cookies until the edges are slightly brown - about 12-14 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Glaze

In a bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and milk - start with 1 1/2 tablespoons and if it's still too thick add the next 1/2 tablespoon.

Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half, and scrape the seeds out of the pod into the glaze. Stir the vanilla into the glaze - it should be dotted with little flecks of vanilla.

Working with 1 cookie at a time, dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze, and then let the glaze set for 15-20 minutes before eating.