Lemon shortbread

Use cast-iron cookie stamps to leave imprints on this beautifully textured shortbread, which is flavoured with tangy orange and lemon zests. The stamps, which are available online, are a fun way to shape and decorate cookies without much effort. (Don’t be afraid to be generous with the flour, on the cookie balls and on the stamps themselves, shaking off excess so you still get a clean imprint.) But if you don’t have stamps, you can roll and cut the dough using a simply shaped cutter, or roll the dough into a log for slice-and-bake cookies.

General

• Source: NYT
• Time: 40 min plus chilling
• Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• ⅓cup/45 grams corn starch
• ½teaspoon kosher salt
• 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
• ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• 1orange (preferably tangelo)
• 1lemon
• ½teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½teaspoon lemon extract

For the Glaze

• ¾cup/75 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1tablespoon melted butter
• 1tablespoon fresh orange juice, plus more as needed

Procedure

1. Prepare the cookies: Add flour, corn starch and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Zest half the orange and half the lemon directly into the bowl. Reserve the lemon and orange for the glaze. Cream the butter mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and lemon extracts and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl a few times as needed.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough in half and let on