Lemon Cookies

Ingredients

• 4 cup flour
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 lemon peel, grated
• 3 eggs
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp milk

Method

Cream the butter and caster sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy — roughly three to four minutes at medium speed. This emulsification of fat and sugar creates the structure that will hold your cookies tender rather than dense. The volume should visibly increase as air incorporates into the fat.

Whisk the three eggs in a separate bowl until they reach ribbon stage — they should fall from the whisk in a thick, pale stream that holds its shape for a moment on the surface of the mixture. Add this to the creamed butter and sugar in three additions, beating well after each. If the mixture looks curdled or split, it hasn't emulsified properly — continue beating and it will come together. Add the lemon juice and grated zest together; the acid will tighten the emulsion slightly, which is correct.

Fold the flour into the wet mixture in two stages. Work gently but thoroughly — you're developing gluten now, which you want for structure, but aggressive mixing risks toughness. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and fold this in last. The baking soda will react with the lemon juice's acidity, creating the lift that keeps these cookies light rather than compact. The dough should be firm enough to roll but still pliable; if it's too sticky, dust your work surface and rolling pin generously with flour.

Roll the dough to 5mm thickness between two sheets of baking parchment, then cut into shapes with a sharp cutter — a 5cm round works well for an 1887 sensibility. Space them 3cm apart on a lined baking tray. Bake at 190°C for twelve to fourteen minutes. The tops should be set and very pale gold, almost biscuit-coloured — the edges will be noticeably darker. The cookies will firm as they cool on the tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They harden considerably as they cool, so don't judge doneness by feel whilst still warm. The crumb should be tender and slightly crumbly, with the citrus citrus cutting through the sweetness without dominating.