Lemon Shortbread

A delicious edible gift recipe from pretty new charity cookbook, Friday Treats. Buy a copy to give alongside a box of shortbread and contribute to the Music Centre of Christchurch Building Fund.

Use a biscuit stamp, available at kitchen shops, to make your own individually branded biscuits.  

225g unsalted butter, softened  

150g caster sugar

2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely grated

250g flour

100g ground almonds

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 180°C.

2 x flat baking trays, greased and lined

Beat butter until creamy then add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and beat again.

Add sifted flour, ground almonds, cardamom and salt. Mix until combined.

Roll spoonfuls (30g or so) into balls and place on lined trays. Flatten cookies slightly with hand then press each cookie with a cookie stamp leaving indentations in the dough.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden around the edges.

Leave for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

MAKES 24

TIP: Dip biscuit press in flour if mixture sticks to press. You can also stamp a message with individual letters into the cookie dough.