Description
Delicate lemon meltaways showcase zesty citrus elegance from France’s pastry tradition. Silky shortbread cookies dissolve instantly, delivering pure buttery sweetness you’ll savor with afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks/226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional, for extra flavor)
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Activate the oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for seamless cookie release and minimal sticking.
- Butter Mixture Creation: Whip softened butter and powdered sugar using an electric mixer until the consistency transforms into a light, fluffy, and homogeneous blend that captures a delicate airiness.
- Flavor Infusion: Integrate lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture, ensuring complete incorporation and a vibrant citrus essence that permeates the entire dough.
- Dry Ingredient Integration: Gently fold flour, cornstarch, and salt into the wet ingredients, mixing until a uniform dough forms without overworking the mixture, which could compromise the cookies’ tender structure.
- Dough Shaping and Positioning: Sculpt the dough into consistent, compact spheres and arrange them strategically on the prepared baking sheet, allowing sufficient space for minimal spreading during the baking process.
- Baking and Transformation: Slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven, monitoring the cookies until their edges acquire a subtle golden hue, approximately 10-12 minutes, signaling their perfect doneness and delicate crisp.
- Cooling and Finishing: Transfer the freshly baked cookies to a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely, then dust with a gossamer layer of powdered sugar, creating an elegant and inviting presentation that enhances their visual appeal.
Notes
- Soften Butter Properly: Ensure butter is at room temperature but not melting to achieve the perfect creamy base for smooth, consistent cookie texture.
- Zest Carefully: Grate lemon zest using a microplane or fine grater, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath to maintain a bright, pure lemon flavor.
- Control Flour Mixing: Add dry ingredients gradually and mix minimally to prevent tough cookies, stopping just when the dough comes together for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth result.
- Chill for Precision: Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before shaping to prevent spreading and create more defined, compact cookie shapes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg