Homemade Lemon Almond Cookies

When the weather is warming up but not yet hot, it's perfect time for cookies. Especially just imagine the fresh cookie aroma in the oven at the weekend when family members are chilling around. It's sweet, isn't it? This smell will follow us everywhere until our end of life. And on our way to struggle for life, whenever we smell it again, it just simply reminds us to return home. I love lemon and almond, that's why lemon almond cookies are my best matches!

Ingredients:

Group 1: 

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• ¾ to 1 cup of finely ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt

Group 2: 

• Fresh grated lemon zest from two medium lemons.
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoon lemon juice

Optional: 

• Skim milk (optional)
• Sliced almonds (optional)

Step 1: Mix flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Step 2: In another big bowl, use the mixer at high speed to beat lemon zest with sugar and butter until they are blended well to each other.

Step 3: Break egg and pour with lemon juice into the bowl at step 2. Stir well (just use a flat spoon, shouldn't use the mixer because it’s pretty liquidity)

Step 4: Pour the flour mixture into the bowl and stir a little bit by hand until the flour is sticking and not dusting around. 

Use the mixer to mix from low to high speed until the dough is blended well (just 1 or 2 minutes)

If the dough is too dry or hard, you can add one or two table spoons of skim milk.

Step 5: Get ready a baking pan with parchment papers or baking sheets on it. 

(If you use waxed papers, should lightly grease under it.)

Step 6: Prepare sliced almonds in a small bowl or plate (optional).

In your hands (use plastic gloves if you like), pick up a small amount of dough as the size of a strawberry, round it a little bit, put it on top of the sliced almond (optional), pick up gently and use another hand to flatten it into around 2 inches in diameter, put on the baking pan. Do the same to finish the rest. 

(You can make around 12 to 16 cookies with this recipe.)

Step 7: Turn the oven on at 180C and wait until it's heated. 

Put the cookie pan in the middle of the oven but at the low rack. Bake it for around 8 to 10 minutes. 

Move the pan to the higher rack (the middle rack), bake around 5 more minutes. 

Check out if the cookies turn to light brown (very light brown at the bottom). If not yet, allow a couple of minutes more, depending on the different ovens.

When the bottom turns to light brown, turn off the oven and still leave the cookie pan inside until the oven is cool down. Cookies will be cooked a little bit more on the pan.

My little note for my own taste:

• I used just two slices of butter instead of a whole cup. I guess two slices would be around maximum ½ cup.
• With sugar, I reduced it to ¾ cup, depending on the amount of lemon juice I used. When I used the juice from 2 lemons (which is much more than 4 tablespoons), I’ll use 1 cup of sugar.
• The cookies taste very mild (not sweet) and pretty soft (puffy inside but not too much like a cake). The total time from preparation to the end including washing off everything is around 30 to 45 minutes. This cookie is super easy and convenient. That's why I love it more!

All done, now, sit down and enjoy your cookies!!!