Lemon Thins

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
2 1/2 cups (11.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the lemon juice in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat.  Boil for about 5 minutes, or until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1 tablespoon.  Add the butter and stir until melted.  Set aside.

Combine the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork.  

Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, mix the egg, egg yolk, and sugar in a large bowl until homogenous.  Mix in the butter mixture, lemon zest, and salt.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated.  Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces.  Roll each piece 1/16-inch thick between 2 sheets of wax paper.  Slide a cookie sheet under the wax paper sheets and dough.  Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes and up to 2 days.

Heat the oven to 400° F.  Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease them.

Remove 1 piece of dough from the refrigerator. Peel off the top sheet of paper and set it in front of you.  Invert the dough onto it and peel off the second sheet.  Use a cookie cutter to cut out 2 1/2-inch cookies, or any desired size or shape.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined or greased cookie sheets.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Scraps may be pressed together and re-rolled.

Bake 6 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges.  Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.  For lined pans, set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool; for unlined pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks.  Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing.  To retain crispness, put the cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are cool.  May be stored airtight for at least 1 week.


Makes 64 2 1/2-inch cookies.

From Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich