Lemon-Lime Basil Shortbread Cookies
Fair Warning: I shared these with a friend this afternoon. He bit into the cookie readily. Then I thought he looked perplexed.
It is indeed an unusual blend of strong lemon and the savory aromatic basil. The recipe intrigued me when I first noticed the cookies in a Bon Appetit feature– a recipe from their test kitchen. So I finally baked them at 7 AM today. To me, it’s a delicious sour-sweet-rich-buttery-savory-basil cookie. Not usual, perhaps odd, but I really like them.
I like food to take me, even shock me, to new, unfamiliar places — if the path is well constructed. I think this one is.
I’m copying the recipe exactly as it is in Bon Appetit. The citation is below.
You be the judge! Lemme know?
Recipe: makes 18
Ingredients
1
cup
all-purpose flour
1/2
cup
powdered sugar plus more for pressing cookies
1/2
cup
(1stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2
tablespoons
sliced fresh basil leaves
1
teaspoon
finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2
teaspoon
finely grated lime zest
1/4
teaspoon
kosher salt
Sanding sugar (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place
flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter, basil, both zests, lemon juice,
and salt in a food processor. Pulse until large, moist clumps form.
Measure level tablespoonfuls of dough; roll between your palms to form
balls.
Place on a large baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart.
Lightly dust the
bottom of a flat measuring cup with powdered sugar and press cookies
into 2″ rounds, dusting cup bottom with powdered sugar as needed to
prevent sticking.
Sprinkle tops of cookies with sanding sugar, if using.
Bake until edges are brown, about 14-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
