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Food

Darren Purchese’s lemon drop cookies

You don’t need a stand mixer to make these lovely lemon biscuits, which are finished with a glaze that’s both delicious and easy.

Ingredients

Dough

115g unsalted butter, room temperature

200g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped (or use 1 tsp extract)

zest of 1 lemon

1 x 55g egg, lightly beaten

245g plain flour

3g (½ tsp) baking powder

Lemon glaze

125g icing mixture

60ml (3 tbsp) lemon juice, or as needed

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).

2. Line two standard baking trays with baking paper.

3. If using a stand mixer, place the butter, sugar, vanilla and zest into a bowl fitted with a paddle, and beat on a medium speed until the mixture is pale, smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula or scraper. If you don’t have a stand mixer, add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and beat well by hand with a stiff spatula.

4. Add the egg and beat again until combined.

5. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add, mix slowly until a soft dough forms.

6. Divide the dough into 16 even-sized pieces and roll into balls. Press each ball gently onto the baking tray, 8 per tray.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until cooked and lightly golden. Leave to cool on a cake rack.

8. To make the glaze, sift the icing mixture into a bowl and gradually add the lemon juice a few drops at a time, mixing with a spoon, until you have a thick but smooth icing.

9. When the cookies are cool, spoon a little icing over each cookie and allow to set.

Courtesy: goodfood.com