Citrus Spice Shortbread Cookies

These are my favorite cookies. They keep for several weeks in an airtight container.

Cookies

1 cup corn starch
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp mace
2 cups flour
3 sticks corn oil margarine

Don't use butter in place of margarine; the cookies will flatten out too much.

Mix all of the dry ingredients. Then work in the margarine, either by hand, or with a wooden spoon, or with an electric mixer using dough hooks. It will blend into a smooth ball of dough and not be sticky. Don't chill unless you don't want to bake all of the cookies at once. Roll into balls of desired size. If a dough baller is used, press it against the side of the mixing bowl to compress the dough to give a nice round shape. A cookie press also works pretty well with these.

Bake on an ungreased sheet at 325°F until edges are golden - about 20 minutes for 1-inch balls. Note that the color of the baking sheet makes a big difference in cooking time (the shinier the sheet, the longer).

The cookies won't rise much, but they do flatten out a bit.

Frosting

1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp lemon or lime juice
Optional:
1 tsp of citrus oil. This gives a stronger flavor. You can buy citrus oils in three-packs: orange, lemon and lime. A selection of orange, lemon and lime frosted shortbreads is great!

Food coloring for the frosting (approximate):
Orange3 drops red, 5 drops yellow
Lemon 6 drops yellow
Lime 4 drops green

Add the food coloring (and citrus oil if you use it) to the juice. Heat the mix in a microwave oven until hot.

Mix about 1 tbsp in with the sugar and mash it with a round spoon until it is a paste with no lumps. Add the rest of the liquid, or more or less to get the desired consistency.

Dip the cookies into the frosting top-first or apply the frosting with a squeeze bottle or similar means. If the frosting starts to harden up reheat it in the microwave and stir it.