Slice and Bake Cookies

cookies

There are certain times of the year that seem to be a birthday frenzy among my friends, most notably mid June, and late August. My own birthday falls in mid June, with no less than six other birthdays in the three days before and after my own. It is always very social and fun with lots of parties to attend.

This August, it occurred to me that I’ve never actually given a home cooked food gift to my friends. And with so many gifts to give, I thought a few nice batches of cookies would be appreciated by these sweet-toothed birthday girls (and boy!) Some cookies even travelled express post to Melbourne and Perth! I hope they survived the journey intact!

The recipe was adapted from a cookbook I have spoken about before. I used candied lemon peel for a beautiful subtle citrus flavour. The cookies had a really nice crumb and flavour, and were super easy to make. The slice and bake method gives them a nice mostly uniform shape, and an interesting cross section. I can’t wait to try this recipe base with other flavourings in the near future. The book suggests orange and poppyseed, and also pecan and cinnamon, both of which sound delicious!

Slice and Bake Cookies
Makes 40-48 cookies

• 250g butter, softened
• 1 ¼ cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups plain flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• ⅓ cup cornflour
• 2 tablespoons milk

Candied Lemon Peel
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup sugar
• Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

1. To make candied lemon peel, place water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add lemon rind and increase the heat, boiling for 8-10 minutes until the rind is glossy and transparent. Strain the mixture, setting aside the syrup.
2. Beat butter, sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flours in two batches, the lemon rind, milk and 1 tablespoon of the lemon syrup.
3. Divide mixture in half. Knead each half on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then roll each half into 25cm logs. Wrap each log in baking paper and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until firm.
4. Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Line oven trays with baking paper.
5. Cut the logs into 1cm slices and place them about 3cm apart on oven trays. Bake for about 20 minutes and cool on wire racks.

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