Lemon Jims Cookies
Crisp lemon sugar cookies that can be hand-shaped into traditional rings or, following a variation method, rolled out and cut into rounds.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups
cream of tartar
1 teaspoon
baking soda
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/4 teaspoon
unsalted butter (slightly softened)
1 cup (2 sticks)
granulated sugar
Scant 1 cup
egg
1 large
lemon zest (finely grated)
Generous 1 tablespoon
lemon juice (fresh)
1 tablespoon
almond extract (optional, for lemon-almond flavor)
1 teaspoon
Instructions
1
Prepare the dry ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with nonstick spray several baking sheets. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2
Cream the dough
In another large bowl, use an electric mixer at medium speed to beat the butter, sugar, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract (if making the lemon-almond flavor) until light and well combined. Stir or fold in the flour mixture until uniform.
3
Shape into rings
Gather the dough into a ball. Cut into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a flat disc. Divide each disc into four equal parts, then cut into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge between your palms or on the work surface into a rope of uniform thickness, about 4 to 5 inches long. Pinch the two ends of each rope together to form a ring. Place on baking sheets, spaced about 1.5 inches apart.
4
Bake
Bake one sheet at a time, positioned in the middle third of the oven, for 8 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Rotate the baking sheet front to back halfway through baking for even heating. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack with a spatula. Let sit until completely cooled.
