Lemon button biscuits
- Holly Bell - Recipes From a Normal Mum
- Jun 7, 2015
- 2 min read
My nanna was a bespoke tailoress. She has tried to teach me to sew and knit over the years but I seem to have haberdasher’s dyslexia. I miss stitches, misunderstand patterns, forget crucial knots and stages. Nanna was always patient, mind, as nannas should be. These days, this is as close to sewing as I get and, my, are they things of beauty. Dainty, button-shaped biscuits; zesty, pretty, rich and beautiful. Perfect little gifts.
INGREDIENTS
225g salted butter, softened
170g caster sugar
2 lemons, finely zested
450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 large egg
METHOD
Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick greaseproof paper. Beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and creamy using an electric mixer or wooden spoon. Adding a little at a time, gently beat in the flour until well combined. Mix in the egg to bind the mixture. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1½ hours.
Roll the shortbread out on a lightly floured surface until about ¾ cm thick, using a floured rolling pin. Using a 7 cm cookie cutter, cut circles from the dough. Place the circles on the lined baking sheets about 2 cm apart.
Then find something that is just smaller than the cutter that you used – either a smaller cutter or a glass that is about 6 cm wide – and lightly press down on the centre of each button to make an indent, to represent the inner circle of the button. Do not press hard enough to cut through the dough. Use a skewer or the end of a straw to make 2 little holes in the middle of each biscuit and then chill on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the biscuits for 10–12 minutes in the middle of the oven until just starting to brown at the edges. Remove the buttons from the trays and leave to cool on a wire rack. Place a few in a gift bag and tie with a pretty ribbon, or thread some thin ribbon through the holes if you’re feeling extra genteel.
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