Spoon cookies are a type of cookie, with a cake-like texture, where the batter is simply spooned onto a baking tray before being baked. Hopefully in spooning the batter the shape is fairly symmetrical. This recipe is for a spoon cookie that has some ground almonds and a little almond extract as well as the zest from a lemon. They have a lovely subtle almond flavour in the background to complement the nice hit of lemon that comes through very well.
This is a quick and easy recipe that can be prepared and baked and ready to eat within an hour. The cookies can be eaten individually or they can be paired up and filled with some jam, chocolate hazelnut spread or any other filling you may wish to use.
Although I used a heaped dessert spoon(using about 37 grams of batter each time) to give a good sized cookie the amount of batter used can vary to specific preferences.
My cookies turned out very well indeed, with a slightly hard edge and so soft and cake-like in the middle. The taste was excellent with the lemon flavour coming through very well with the hint of almond extract too. The amount of almond extract could be increased if a stronger flavour of that is required.
If, like me, you can never have too much lemon you might like to check my Lemon Posset, a thick creamy unctuous treat.
Ingredients:
- 250g(1 2/3 cups, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup)plain flour
- 50g(1/2 cup)ground almonds
- 180g(3/4 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp) light brown sugar
- 100ml(6 tbsp + 2 tsp) milk
- 50g(3 1§/2 tbsp) softened unsalted butter
- 1 medium egg(large in USA)
- 4g(1 tsp)baking powder
- 2 1/2 ml (1/2 tsp) almond extract
- zest from one lemon
- pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F and line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream together until fully combined, the mixture wont fully come together at this stage( I used my hand mixer but by hand will work too).
- Add the egg and almond extract and whisk again until the mixture is well combined and quite airy and light in colour.
- Mix the flour, ground almonds. baking powder, salt and zest together and put it all into the wet mixture.
- Whisk again until just about combined.
- Slowly add the egg, a little at a time, whisking all the while until the batter is fully combined.
- Using two spoons take a heaped dessert spoon of batter(about 37 grams) in one and push onto the parchment paper using the back of the other spoon. Leave a good space between each to allow space for spreading during baking.
- Place the baking trays in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the cookie have spread and baked to a nice domed shaped.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container until required.