Cumin: Lemon Cumin Butter Cookies

So, these were a stretch.

I eat everything. I promise. Literally, you put it in front of me, I'll eat it.

But, I reaaaallllly struggle with canned peas, and.... lemon in desserts.

Lemon flavored candy - bring it on. But lemon followed by cake, cookie, bar, or ANYTHING dealing with dessert - I'm out.

It's pretty unfortunate, honestly, because I feel like desserts with lemon have to be extremely refreshing. They also just seem lighter and after spending a summer in Italy, I appreciate that sipping limoncello after a huge meal just makes everything sit better.

I saw this recipe in a desperate "CUMIN IN DESSERTS" google search and decided since lemon in dessert already grosses me out, what difference would it make to add a little cumin?

Honestly, the cumin wasn't so bad.

The recipe calls for toasted cumin seeds, so it's not like you're savoring cumin powder in every bite. The seeds offer kind of a nutty flavor. You could even use a little less than the recipe calls for to make the seeds more of a occasional surprise. I loooveee surprises! 

I envy all you lemon lovers, really. 

My friend, Laura (not the Aunt), ate three in one sitting when I asked her to try them. She loves lemon. 

So, if you like lemon in desserts, maybe give these a try!  

These cookies are a variation of the French sable, a thin butter cookie. More often than not, the cookies are sweet. In Provence, however, on Christmas Eve, 13 traditional desserts are offered after the huge family feast.

One of these desserts is always a fennel and cumin sable cookie. 

Cumin was incorporated into some breads, cakes and cheeses in France when the spice arrived during the Middle Ages and Renaissance from the Middle East via Marseilles. 

I didn't make the fennel cookies because there were a few ingredients I couldn't find. But you can check out the recipe here along with links to the other 12 desserts of Christmas Eve.

Since Aunt Laura's European adventure last year found her in Paris for a weekend, I thought a nice little French-inspired cookie would round-out this rather, robust and super filling meal.

Enjoy!

Lemon Cumin Butter Cookies
makes 12

1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds, toasted in dry frying pan
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
heaping 1/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp milk
Grated zest of half large lemon

Cream together butter, sugar, lemon and HALF the cumin seeds until fluffy. Work in the flour and salt with a fork and then add just enough of the milk to bring it into a dough.

With hands, form into a log of about 2-2.5 inch diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 min. Mine sat overnight.

Preheat oven at 335 F (170C). Prepare baking sheet by lightly greasing or line with parchment paper. Slice log of cookies into 12 discs and place on baking sheet, leaving a little room for spreading. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with remaining cumin seeds.

Bake cookies for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then place them on a rack to finish cooling.

(I halved original recipe found here)

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