2 c Flour
2 ts Ground anise seed (or 1 ts
-anise extract)
1/2 ts Baking powder
1/8 ts Salt
1 lg Lemon
2/3 c Sugar
1/2 c Vegetable shortening
5 3/16 tb Unsalted butter
1 Egg yolk
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 tb Sugar (for decoration)
1 ts Ground cinnamon (for decor.)
Thoroughly stir together flour, anise, baking powder, and slat and set
aside. Using a small sharp knife peel a thin layer of zest (without white
membrane) from the entire lemon. Combine lemon zest and sugar in a food
processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until zest is very finely
minced. Add shortening and butter to the processor and process for one
minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla and process 20 seconds longer. Add dry
ingredients and continue processing just until they are blended. Divide
dough in half and place each portion between large sheets of waxed paper
and roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Check the underside of the dough to check
for any creases. Slide dough onto a large tray or baking sheet and
refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until the dough is chilled and slightly
firm. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease several baking sheets.
Work one half of the dough at at time. Turn the dough over and peel the
sheet of wax paper off of the dough and replace the paper loosely. Then
turn the dough right side up. Peel off and discard the top sheet of paper.
Using assorted 2 1/4 to 3″ cookie cutters cut out cookies. Place in the
oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just brown ant the edges. Remove
from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let
stand until cooled completely. Sprinkle cookies with the decoration
mixture.
Yields
3 Dozen