Melting moments

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 160°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. These cookies need a low oven so they bake through while staying pale and meltingly tender. The oven is ready when the preheat light switches off and the temperature has held steady for a few minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Beat 250 g softened butter with 60 g powdered sugar and 5 g vanilla extract on medium speed for about four minutes. Beating for a while fills the butter with air bubbles, which is what makes the cookies light and quick to melt. The mixture is ready when it's almost white and as fluffy as whipped cream.

   Suggested time: about 4 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Sift 225 g all-purpose flour and 60 g custard powder together into the bowl, then fold gently with a spatula until the dough comes together in a soft mass. Custard powder contains cornstarch, so it makes the cookies finer and more crumbly-tender than flour alone. The dough is ready when it's smooth, soft like modeling clay and doesn't stick to your hands.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Roll the dough into balls about the size of a large grape, arrange them on the sheets about three centimeters apart, then dip a fork in flour and press it lightly on top of each ball. The fork flattens the cookies evenly and leaves a pretty striped pattern. They're ready when they're about one centimeter thick with clear fork marks.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Bake on the middle rack at 160°C for 15 to 18 minutes, swapping the two sheets halfway through. The cookies should be just baked, not deeply golden, or they'll lose their melting tenderness. They're done when the bottoms are just turning straw-colored and the tops are dry and pale.

   Bake at 160°C for about 15 to 18 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about ten minutes, then gently move them to a rack until completely cool. They're very fragile while warm, so they need to rest on the sheet to firm up. They're ready when they no longer feel warm and don't break when lifted.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Beat 60 g softened butter with 100 g powdered sugar until light and fluffy, then add 3 g lemon zest and 10 g lemon juice and beat for one more minute. The tang of the lemon tones down the sweetness of the filling so the cookies don't feel too rich. The filling is ready when it's smooth, fluffy and holds its shape on a spoon.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Turn half the cookies upside down, spread or pipe a layer of filling about half a centimeter thick onto their flat sides, then top with the remaining cookies and press very gently. A light touch spreads the filling evenly to the edges without cracking the cookies. They're finished when a thin ring of filling shows around the edge and the two cookies line up neatly.

   Mark step 8 as done