Lemon Meringue Cookies

It was terribly wet and windy here this weekend and there seemed little incentive to brave the elements, so

after taking Miss. B for her Sunday morning swimming lesson we decided to have some fun in the kitchen - a batch of biscuit baking beckoned.

We have a debate going on at home whether these lovely lemon treats are in fact biscuits or cookies.

What do you think?

I have to confess, it depends what mood I am in as to whether they are referred to as one or the other. Either way, they are so easy to make and do taste delicious, what does it matter?

You will need :


125g softened unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
2 tbsp condensed milk
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (unwaxed)
40g meringue, crumbled into small pieces. You can vary the amount here depending on how much meringue you would like in the finished cookie.
175g plain four
Pinch of salt (omit if you are using salted butter)

1. Preheat the oven to 150c / 130 fan / gas 2

2. Whisk the butter with an electric hand whisk or stand mixer until smooth and pale. Add the sugar and cream together until smooth and fluffy.



3. Add the condensed milk and grated lemon zest, and beat again until incorporated.



4. Sift in the flour and mix again. The mixture starts to get a little harder to work here, but keep at it.



5. Add the crumbled meringue pieces and mix gently but firmly until you feel everything is combined nicely.



6. Roll into small balls (about the size of a golf ball), place onto a lined baking tray and press down lightly.
Bake in the oven for approx. 10-15mins or until golden brown at the edges, but as I mentioned before, watch these little gems like a hawk so they don't over bake.



Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.



Now sit back in your comfy arm chair with your slippers on, the fire going and one of your creations in your hand. A warm drink would probably be quite nice too, and enjoy your day.

x