Lemon Coconut Christmas Cookies

Happy Day 5 of Blogember! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes and since I can't get Christmas out of my brain, we are going with a festive one! Although, there is no reason this absolutely has to be a strictly Christmas cookie. This recipe is from the Rachael Ray magazine and can be found HERE. We did things a little different when we made them, we used gold sparkling sugar and a star cookie cutter instead of a snowflake one. They are out of this world yummy. I will be making these again and again. I have a weakness for anything lemon and coconut. :)


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt 2 sticks plus 5 tbsp. (10.5 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tbsp. half-and-half
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice plus 2 tsp. lemon zest
White sparkling sugar, for decorating
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut


DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using an electric mixer, cream 11 tbsp. butter and the granulated sugar on medium-low speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and the extracts, scraping the bowl, for 2 minutes. Mix in the flour mixture in 2 batches on low speed. Divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the wrap to help, shape the dough into 2 disks and seal. Chill for 2 hours. Meanwhile, using the mixer, beat the remaining 10 tbsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. salt, the confectioners’ sugar, half-and-half, lemon juice and lemon zest on low speed until smooth. Beat on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Chill the filling. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375°. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment. Working with 1 dough disk at a time, roll out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch, rotating the dough as needed. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out cookies. Divide the cookies among the pans, chilling the pans as you work. Sprinkle the cookies with the sparkling sugar. Bake 2 pans at a time, switching them halfway through cooking, until the edges brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack; let cool. Spread the bottom of 1 cookie with 1 tsp. of the filling. Sandwich with another cookie. Use your fingers to scoop and press the coconut onto the filling. Chill for about 30 minutes.