Makes about 50 nuggets

Ingredients


  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (zest the lemons before you juice them; see below)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. gin
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1/8 tsp. pure lemon oil or pure lemon extract
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. fine sea salt
  • Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • Honey, for dipping (optional)

    Directions
    Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

    Whisk the flour, baking powder and pepper together. Whisk the lemon juice, oil, gin, honey and lemon oil or extract together in a large measuring cup.

    Toss the sugar and salt into a large bowl and add the lemon zest. With your fingertips, rub and press the ingredients together until the sugar and salt are moist and aromatic. Add the grated ginger and rub to incorporate. Add the flour and stir with a fork to mix well.

    Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid ingredients. Working with a fork and starting in the middle of the bowl, stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Within a couple of minutes, you'll have a soft, perhaps pock-marked dough that will seem spongy. Reach into the bowl and fold and knead the dough gently just to pull it together—don't overdo it.

    Flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Lightly flour the top of the dough and use your palms to pat it into a squarish shape that's 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Neatness doesn't count.

    Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut the dough into small pieces. You can really make these any size you want, but I usually cut them about 1 inch square because their flavor is so big. Place the nuggets about an inch apart on the baking sheets.

    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back at the midway mark, or until the nuggets are golden on top and more golden on the bottom.

    Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let the nuggets cool completely.

    Storing:
    These are good the day they are made and better a day later, when they are drier and crisper. In a tightly covered container, the nuggets will keep for about 2 weeks at room temperature. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

    From Dorie's Cookies (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Dorie Greenspan.
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