ORANGE-SCENTED SHORTBREAD WITH LEMON CURD

Buttery, delicate and crisp, with just a hint of orange, this classic shortbread is something special.

For a real treat, pair each serving with 1 tablespoon Lemon Curd. This cookie will become a favorite. Luckily, it’s easy to make.

You can change the look of your shortbread cookies by shaping the dough into a rectangular log. 1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

3/4 pound salted butter, room temperature, cut into

1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup + 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (recipe follows)

In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar, orange zest and 1 teaspoon salt together with a fork. Cover with a clean towel and set aside.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, cream the butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar, increasing to medium speed as the butter combines, until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.

Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and remaining 1 teaspoon salt together with a fork.

Add 1 cup of the flour-salt mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the remaining flour in 1 cup additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. The dough should be firm and stick together. If the dough is crumbly, mix in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water. Do not over mix.

Remove the shortbread dough and divide it in half, placing the dough on 16-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough into 2-inch-wide logs.

Wrap the dough with the parchment paper and refrigerate to chill for at least an hour or overnight.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with a new piece of parchment paper.

Remove the chilled shortbread dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch-thick discs.

Transfer the disks to the prepared cookie sheet, 1 inch apart. Lightly prick the surface of each disc with fork 2-3 times to help the cookies bake evenly. Sprinkle each disk with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange sugar mixture.

Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes. This will help reduce the risk of the cookies spreading.

Transfer cookie sheet from the refrigerator to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are very pale tan and firm around the edges.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with the remaining orange sugar, as desired.

Using a flat spatula, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place on a serving dish. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 36 cookies.

Per 2-cookie serving: 308 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 3 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 19 grams total fat (12 grams saturated), 79 milligrams cholesterol, 295 milligrams sodium.