Perfect little tea cookie

At last!  After months of (inactively) searching for the perfect little tea cookie, I finally found a good recipe.  It's not quite what I had in mind, (Marie biscuits from India, South Africa) but a pleasant discovery, nonetheless.

As usual, Martha Stewart delivers with this one, "Citrus Cornmeal Shortbread," from her 2008 Cookies cookbook.  Under the "crumbly and sandy" category, they are just slightly sweet.  And I do mean slightly.  Full of freshly grated orange zest, the sweet cream butter and citrus are the stars of this show.  [I use Land O'Lakes unsalted butter for all my baking, incidentally] They are quite rich, so you probably won't want more than 3 or 4 in one sitting, but that's exactly what a tea cookie should be; something to munch while you sip your tea.

I mixed up the dough yesterday, while my bread was fermenting, then let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.  I sliced and baked them while my son was napping this morning. When he woke up, and saw the dining room table covered with pans of cookies, he happily exclaimed, "Quackies!" (he's 17 months and just learning to talk)  It was cute.

I did not have any vanilla extract, so that was the only deviation from the recipe.  [I used King Arthur brand all purpose flour.  Pillsbury or Gold Medal would probably be even better, as these brands are lower in protein.] These would also be very good with a little chopped fresh herbs, like lemon thyme or rosemary.  Next time, I will try this with herbs.  These are very easy to make, if you have a sharp knife, some parchment paper, and several heavy bottomed baking sheets.

Recipe:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon coarse salt

1. Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and zest.  Mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. Reduce speed to low.  Add flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, and the salt; mix until well combined, about 3 minutes.  Halve dough; shape each into a log about 11/2 inches in diameter.  Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 300 deg F.  Place remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal on a sheet of parchment paper.  Roll logs in cornmeal to coat.  Cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, and space rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake until pale golden, 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool on sheet on wire rack.  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.