Here is one recipe perfect for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, with the weather forecast looking so beautiful!!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine flour, salt, butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix with your fingers until it forms flaky crumbs and lumps. Mix in the egg, almond extract, and lemon juice. Continue to mix until it clumps, at first it may seem very dry. Shape into two balls, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.

When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to work with it. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.  Roll out a disk, one at a time, between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper), to a 1/8 thickness.

Dip the edges of one side of your cookie cutter into flour and cut out your cookie shapes. If the rolled-out dough becomes too soft to work with, place it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, with at least 1/2-inch distance between the cookie shapes.

Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes,  until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Makes about 3-5 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.

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