Lemon Tea Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Want to make a good cookie great? Use Artisanal or European butter. The difference between European-style and American-style butters is butterfat content. It has nothing to do with the place where the butter was made or the cows that made the milk that went into it. There are people who make European-style butters right here in America. Regular butter is 80% butterfat and 20% water. European-style butters are about 83% butterfat. That small difference makes for a creamier, richer taste. These lemon tea cookies are delicious. They are simple to make and nearly foolproof. They are also a wonderful way to test the difference between American and European-style butters. Make two batches, one with American and one with European-style butter. It will be the easiest test you ever take. If you are looking for a simple cookie with great flavor and also happen to fancy lemon, you're going to like this cookie. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Tea Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

1) Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream until smooth. Add lemon zest and continue mixing until blended. Add granulated sugar and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes longer. Add egg and continue to beat until a lemon colored batter forms. Blend in vanilla extract. Slowly add 2 cups of flour, mixing until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and a ball forms. Remove dough, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3) Flour work surface and rolling pin with some reserved flour. Roll dough into a 1/4-inch sheet. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut cookies and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them 3/4-inch apart. Gather up unused scraps and reroll until no dough remains.

4) Bake cookies until edges are a pale golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool. Let stand for 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight containers for up to a week. Yield: 48 cookies.

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