I am not going to lie to you: it is cold outside, really, really cold. In fact, I think that my friend from LA's perspective on what you need to wear to get through a winter in the midwest finally came to fruition this season: ski goggles and snow pants.

So in an attempt to not dwell on the fact that we have had more than 30 days of temperatures below zero, I decided to bake a cookie with some heat. This cookie resembles shortbread with a hint of lemon and cayenne that hits you a few seconds after you finish the cookie. I love it...and so did all of my coworkers.

Spicy Lemon Cookies

Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 400º. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg and beat until combined.

Sift together the flour, cayenne powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture until combined. Refrigerate dough. Once it is chilled, roll out to about 1/4" thickness and use a 2" cookie cutter to cut out desired shape (I used a scalloped style). Place on a silpat or parchment paper and bake for 7 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

I filled some of the cookies with a lemon buttercream