Italian-style butter-cookie squares with fine almond crumb, fresh lemon zest and a lightly sparkling sugar top.
Lemon Almond Butter Cookies
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Allow about 146 minutes: 35 hands-on, 45 chilling or resting, 36 whole-batch cooking and 30 cooling/setting. Cooling includes tray rest. Follow the method for batch sizes and doneness cues.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Kitchen scale and US measuring tools
- Mixing bowl and spatula
- Two parchment-lined 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Cooling rack
- Fine citrus grater
- Rolling pin and parchment sheets
- Ruler and straight knife
- Broad spatula
Italian-style butter-cookie squares with fine almond crumb, fresh lemon zest and a lightly sparkling sugar top.
Ingredients
Optional sprinkles are for decoration and are not included in the nutrition estimate. Spice weights are approximate.
Instructions
Mix the lemon butter dough
- 1Mix the lemon butter doughRub lemon zest into powdered sugar. Stir with butter until smooth, then mix in yolk, vanilla and salt. Fold in both flours and press into a cohesive dough without kneading. Flatten, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll and cut squares
- 2Roll and cut squaresRoll between parchment into an 8 × 12-inch rectangle, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut a grid of 4 by 6 to make 24 two-inch squares, about 20 g dough each. Press the topping sugar lightly onto the faces. Set 12 per lined sheet, leaving 1 inch between edges, and chill for 15 minutes.
Bake two batches
- 3Bake two batchesHeat the oven to 325°F (163°C) conventional or 300°F (149°C) fan. Bake sheets separately on the middle rack for 16–18 minutes each, allowing 36 minutes for both. The edges and bases should be light golden, with pale set centers.
Cool completely
- 4Cool completelyRest each batch on its sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack for 20 minutes. Allow 30 minutes of cooling after the last batch before packing.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Use fine blanched almond flour for even square edges.
Technique & texture
Roll between parchment so extra flour does not change the dough.
Finishing & serving
Press topping sugar into pliable dough before the final chill.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 5 days | Keep fully cooled cookies airtight in a cool dry room, separate from moist cookies. |
| Refrigeration | Not needed for baked cookies | Avoid condensation that softens the crumb. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 1 month | Freeze wrapped unbaked dough airtight; thaw in the refrigerator before shaping and baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 1 month | Freeze completely cool cookies airtight with parchment separators. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Thaw inside the closed container at room temperature. |
Notes
- Keep the dough evenly thick and chill the cut squares to preserve their corners. This home formula has not been kitchen-tested.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per serving calculated from ingredient weights divided by 24; required fillings and toppings included, optional decorations excluded. Brands, unused coating and actual serving size affect the estimate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are these lemon amaretti?
No. They contain wheat flour, butter and yolk and have a short butter-cookie crumb, rather than an egg-white almond paste.
Can I add lemon juice?
Keep the flavor zest-based; extra juice changes the dough's moisture and spreading.
How do I keep the squares even?
Measure the rectangle and cut a 4-by-6 grid before separating the pieces.
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