Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 50 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (no white pith!)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup spelt flour (type 630) (130 g)
- 3 tablespoons arrow root powder (or cornstarch)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
To garnish:
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Add butter, icing sugar, and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the lemon juice and egg yolk. Mix to combine.
- Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour, arrow root powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
- Divide the dough into 2 pieces and set each piece on a length of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the sticky dough, and use your hands to form it into a cylinder (like a sausage) about 4 cm in circumference (don’t worry if it isn’t perfect)! Chill the dough until completely firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the dough into rounds ca. 0,5 cm thick and arrange them at least a few cm apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway though. The cookies should be golden around the edges, but not brown all of the way through.
- Set the pans on cooling racks and cool for a 2-3 minutes, then using a sifter dust both sides of the warm cookies with icing sugar.
- Let the cookies cool completely, then store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Notes
- I like these cookies baked until they are just starting to brown around the edges, so that are still a little soft in the middle. My liebste Schwabe prefers when I bake them until a little more golden brown so they are crisper. Either way they taste fantastic are are always gone within a day!
- If you don't have a food processor/stand mixer that is also fine. I have tested these using a handheld mixer and they work out great as well. I use the standard attachments for beating the butter and then switch to the bread kneader attachments when incorporating the Dinkelmehl.
- This simple recipe for lemon butter cookies is adapted from a recipe published in the New York Times from a Yossy Arefi and have since become one of my families favourites!