Lemon poppy seed shortbread (cookies)

As you see in my blog, I usually bake cakes, I don't make cookies often. The main reason is that the quantity of the butter always scares me.

I bought so many cookies cutters last year and they are sadly in the drawer in the kitchen T.T no chance to use them.

OK I need to use them!

I just simply find a recipe in my kitchen aid cookbook - lemon poppy seed shortbread.

In this recipe, there is cornflour, if you don't have cornflour at home, you can use all-purpose flour because the reason to use cornflour here is to create crispy texture.

Ingredients(for quantity of 24-30):

225g softened butter

grated zest of 2 lemons

115g sugar

1tsp poppy seeds (can be fennel seeds)

225g flour

115g cornflour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 170°c. Place the butter and lemon zest in the mixing bowl. Blitz sugar and fennel seeds in a coffee mill*. Then, add to the mixing bowl & beat with flat beater until the mixture is pale and fluffy

*Note: If you don't have coffee mill at home, omit this step. I didn't do that, the shortbread doesn't make much difference.

2. Add in flour & cornflour until obtaining a smooth dough. Turn out and form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1hour or until the dough is firm enough to roll out

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and stamp out shapes with a cookie cutter. Place them on a baking sheet lined tray

4. Bake for 15mins until the shortbread is light golden colour. Cool it down on a wire rack.

Be careful - do not touch it when it is taken from the oven and when it's still hot. The shortbread is fragile & it is easily broken into pieces!

Tips: I made it thin enough to look like cookies :p If you like it as shortbread, then do not roll it out too hard :)

Variation: You can also replace the lemon zest and fennel/poppy seeds with 50g chopped stem ginger.

Enjoy!