These crisp, not-too-sweet cookies with citrus notes elevate whatever they accompany, such as ice cream or coffee.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar

Recipe: Lemon cornmeal shortbread

Make-Ahead: The dough needs to be refrigerated for 20 minutes, and later frozen just until firm (30 minutes to 1 hour).

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup finely stone-ground cornmeal

1 1/4 cups flour (pastry or all-purpose), plus more for the work surface

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (at least 2 teaspoons)

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Steps:

1. Whisk together the cornmeal and flour in a mixing bowl.

2. Blend the butter, sugar, zest and salt in a food processor until smooth. Add the cornmeal-flour mixture; process for about 1 minute, to form a consistent dough. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes, until well chilled.

3. Let the dough come to room temperature. Lightly flour a work surface, then knead the dough there until it feels pliable but still holds together. Shape it into two logs that are about 3 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze just until almost solidly firm (30 minutes to 1 hour; you want to be able to slice it).

4.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

5. Unwrap the logs; cut each one into about 12 slices of equal width, spacing them on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake one sheet at a time (middle rack) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies’ edges barely start to brown.

5. Cool completely before serving or storing.

Nutrition:

The nutritional analysis is per cookie.

Calories: 105; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 4 g; Protein: 1 g.

Source: https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/11/03/2019/Cornmeal-plus-lemon-makes-for-a-tasty-shortbread-cookie

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