LITTLE LEMON BISCUITS FROM THE LAND OF LULLINESS

I hadn't made biscuits in a long time and this Saturday I really felt in the mood to make some little nibbles to enjoy with a nice cuppa whilst watching comforting weekend movies on the TV. If you look back at some of my old recipes you'll notice that lemon is possibly my favorite flavor when it comes to sweet treats and so when it came to deciding what biscuits to make it really wasn't too difficult decide. These little lemon biscuits covered in a zingy citrus icing are so buttery and crumbly that it's like they are giving you a warm hug.

As with most baking recipes its never a good idea to change any of the ingredients as you might end up with some dodgy bullet like biscuits. What you can change though is the lemon if you like and use another citrus fruit instead if you wish. Orange or Limes would work great or you can use grapefruit if you are a weirdo. Choose the best zingy fruit for you!

And that really is all to say really. You don't have to ice the biscuits if you don't want to but the icing does add that little extra oomph. The recipe below will make around 48 cookies if you can resist tucking into the dough before it goes on your baking sheets. We all do it, lets not pretend that we don't! That might seem like a lot of biscuits but trust me, they are so moreish that they ain't going to go to waste!

Lully Lemon Biscuits

450g Softened Butter

300g Golden Caster Sugar

2 Eggs (Yolks And Whites Separated)

5 Tbsp Lemon Zest And 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

560g Plain Flour

420g Icing Sugar

Pinch Of Salt

1. Crack the oven straight on to 180 degrees (160 fan) and if you don't have baking sheets, line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2.  Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until combined before adding in the egg yolks and beating until the yolks are fully incorporated.
3. Add in 3 tbsp of the lemon zest and the flour and mix everything together until just combined before adding in 2 tbsp of the lemon juice and mixing again so everything comes together to form a slightly sticky dough.
4. Scoop 1 tsp of the dough mixture out, roll into a ball between your dry hands and place onto your baking sheet or tray. Repeat, spacing the dough balls around 3cm apart until you have used all the dough. You will need to use more than one tray for this. Pop them in the centre of the oven (one tray at a time for an even bake all round!) and bake for 12 minutes.
5. Remove the biscuits from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet/tray to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Don't worry if the biscuits look soft when you remove them from the oven, they will firm up as they cool.
6. Once the biscuits are cool, prepare the icing by taking half the egg whites (the other half you can keep for another recipe!), icing sugar, the remaining zest and juice and a pinch of salt. Beat until everything is combined to form an icing that coats the back of a spoon but is easy to drizzle. You can add more icing sugar or juice to adjust the thickness as you see fit. Drizzle the icing over the biscuits.

If there is any extra lemon zest you can get your hands on you can even add a little extra flourish but sprinkling it over the icing before it sets. Once your biscuits are all completely cool and the icing has firmed up the only thing that is left to do if to make a big post of tea and grab yourself a a big plate full of your little lemon biccies, lie on the sofa and tuck in. The biscuits will be so soft and buttery with the zing of lemon coming though from the zest and juice not just from the dough but from the sticky icing poured all over the top.  These little gems will transport straight to the land of lulliness where you will want to stay forever!