Recipe: Lemon Butter Wafers

Lemon Butter Wafers
rec.food.recipes/Tzigane (1998)
Makes 64

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sifted lour
2 Tbsp. very finely minced lemon zest (see note)
1/3 cup ground almonds (see note)

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and add the sugar, beating until creamy. Beat in eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, beating just until combined.

Add the lemon zest and almonds, stirring until well incorporated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a nonstick cookie sheet. Using a 1/2 tablespoon measure, spoon out level tablespoons of chilled cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, placing them 3 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies have just flattened and are lightly browned around the edges. Cool the cookies on racks. Store in a covered tin.

Note: It is best to grind the almonds and mince the lemon zest in a small electric grinder such as a coffee grinder. The result is superior to that obtained with an ordinary food processor.

Variation:
Spread 1 tablespoon best quality seedless raspberry jam on the bottom of one cookie, then place the bottom of another cookie on top. This makes a delicious lemon raspberry cookie sandwich. Makes 32