Celebrating the Many Sides of Mom

Mothers do so many things for their families every day, it seems a shame that Mother’s Day comes only once a year. I decided to keep the celebration going all month, starting with these elegant little Lemon Clove Cookie Sandwiches.

The crisp butter cookies will remind you of her discipline, that appeared overly firm but in actuality was just what you needed. The creamy, soft lemon frosting honors her cuddly side—the mom that was always there with a picture book, a hug, or a cookie and a glass of milk. And, of course, there’s the sprinkling of sugar on top—elegant, put-together and classy, just like Mom heading off to work or out to dinner. Finally, there’s that hint of spice to keep everyone guessing what Mom’s up to. Sweet, complex cookies just perfect for celebrating Mom!

These cookies take 45 minutes, but considering all she’s done for you, the effort is well worth it. And there’s nothing complicated about the recipe. Begin by mixing the butter and powdered sugar.

Then add the egg and lemon extract.

Mix this together well, then add the flour, cloves and salt …

… and continue mixing until combined. The cookie dough is done!

Now just divide this into two parts, rolling each into a log 8 inches long.

My second log turned out slightly shorter; I wanted to make sure the diameter was the same. (Apparently my sense of dividing the dough in half was a bit off!) Wrap each log in plastic and pop them into the refrigerator for 2 hours or, as I did, overnight. The dough is on the soft side, so handle them carefully to keep their nice round shape.

When you are ready to bake, pull the logs out of the fridge. Slice off the ends so you have a flat edge.

Then cut the cookies into ¼” slices with a sharp knife. If your knife is squishing the dough down, it isn’t sharp enough!

Another tip is to turn the roll of dough a quarter turn after several slices so the cookies stay more round and are not flat on one side.

Once you’ve sliced both rolls and have laid them out on the cookie sheets, sprinkle half of the cookies with the coarse sugar. The sugared cookies are the tops! I used turbinado sugar for an elegant look. If your mom would prefer something sparkly or different, there are other sugar options available at the grocery store.

Bake these until just lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. (Mine took longer, about 13 minutes, but I ended up cutting them a bit thicker than ¼” so they needed more time.)

While the cookies are baking, gather all the ingredients and make the lemon frosting. I used bottled lemon juice just because I had it and it was easy—worked great, but you can certainly opt to squeeze your juice fresh.

To make the frosting just mix all the ingredients! Start with 1 tablespoon half & half, and only add as much of the 2nd tablespoon as is needed to make a creamy, spreadable frosting. (Taste a little with a clean spoon; this is gooooood stuff!)

When the cookies are baked, remove them to a rack to cool completely before frosting. These cookies were some of the easiest ever to remove from the pan, and clean up was equally easy—loved that!

When you are ready to frost, simply take a bottom (no sugar) cookie and put about a teaspoon of frosting on the flat-side …

… then top with a sugared cookie, sugared-side up. 

Press gently so frosting just starts to peek out of the edges, and put the cookies on a nice plate.

Beautiful, just like Mom!

My mom died of cancer way too young at 62, but these cookies are still for her. Every day we enjoy a cookie, I’ll remember the Mom who stayed up all night rocking me and humming softly as I screamed incessantly, who rarely failed to get those devastating stains out of my favorite shirts, who baked endless batches of lemon bars and brownies, and who always made sure we got our vegetables and practiced the piano. So bake a batch of these Lemon Clove Cookie Sandwiches, or another treat that reminds you of Mom, and celebrate the many sides of Mom all month.

I’d love to hear your comments if you try these cookies or do some baking to celebrate your mom. Send your thoughts on the recipe or memories about your mom.

Check back in a few days when I make a banana cake with a brown sugar frosting that’s out of this world!

Liz is paid to write for the Land O'Lakes Recipe Buzz® Blog.