Columnists

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Lemon shortbread (Day 2)

By: Alison Gillmor

Posted: 12/4/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Enlarge Image

Lemon shortbread

THANKS to Helen Pitura for this subtle, citrusy twist on traditional holiday shortbread.

Lemon shortbread

250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) corn starch
125 ml (1/2 cup) icing sugar
30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh grated lemon rind
170g (175 ml or 3/4 cup) butter, softened
coloured sugars for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 150C (300F). In a large bowl, combine flour, corn starch, icing sugar and lemon rind. Blend in butter with a large spoon, and then work with hands until a soft, smooth dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 5 mm (1/4 in) thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with decorative sugar, if desired.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. For a lemon-almond variation, add 175 ml (3/4 cup) finely chopped almonds to dough. For a lemon-poppy seed variation, add 15 ml (1 tbsp) poppy seeds to dough. Yields about 3 dozen, depending on size.

Tester's notes: Lemon and poppy seed add subtle flavour to these delicate and not-too-sweet cookies. I enjoyed making this recipe because it uses the method I learned from my mother and grandmother, which is to mix the shortbread dough by hand. The edges of my first batch frazzled a little during baking, so I put the second batch of cut cookies in the fridge to firm up for 15 minutes or so. Rolled quite thin and cut out quite small, my cookies were done by about the 12-minute mark.

For our annual 12 Days of Cookies, we'll publish a recipe every day to get you started on your holiday baking. To see last year's recipes, and this year's collection, go to wfp.to/cookies

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 4, 2012 C3

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Columnists

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.