the 34 cookies of Christmas: day 15

The 15th cookie of Christmas 2006 is a light, flaky, and terribly fragile cookie scented with key lime, and dusted with sugar. The key to these palate-cleansing cookies is the limited amount of sugar actually in the dough... Rather, the sweetness that complements the tart key lime zest and juice is found on the outside of the cookie, creating a sweet start and a tart finish. These flat discs are made with cornstarch, which gives them a unique snap when bitten, and a "melting" quality when they sit on the tongue. Dusted in white confectioners' sugar and green sanding sugar, they are a simple and pretty cookie, unassuming until the robust key lime tartness shines through.