Lime Lattice Cookies

Recipe Number One Hundred & Ninety Seven:  Page 199.

I love limes; they have such a delightful, sharp and refreshing flavour. I don't think I've eaten lime cookies before though! As just the zest is required in this recipe, Mary suggests using the juice for either drinks or for adding to whipped cream. I loved the idea of squeezing myself a zingy drink. The weather is lovely and hot at the moment, so no doubt it would be guzzled down quickly!

I was feeling rather hot and bothered first thing in the morning. Thankfully Isaac mostly amused himself. He spent ages playing with a small strip of tin foil! He ripped it into several pieces, scrunched them up and placed them on the sofa. He lifted his hands above his head and then, with all his might, gave the sofa a good whack! This of course made the foil balls leap into the air. There were lots of giggles! Once the foil had lost its novelty appeal we got ready for the swings. It always takes us ages to get out of the house and today took even longer due to a sunscreen application. Isaac didn't help matters as, every time I touched him, he fell to the floor laughing!! We spent ages at the park. It was so nice not having to worry about squelching in mud; I even wore my flip flops. Summer must be here!!

Coming home and putting on the oven wasn't really my first choice. I was so hot I would have far rather folded myself into the freezer compartment! Unfortunately, these cookies would not make themselves and I was looking forward to having a nibble. Reading through the recipe, they didn't look as though they would take long to make - always a bonus.

Before leaving for the park I had taken the butter from the chilly confines of the fridge. As I measured a modest amount into the mixing bowl I wasn't surprised to find that it was barely solid! After tipping in a small quantity of sugar, I was able to cream the two together. Due to the ultra soft butter this was no hardship, and I was able to beat the mixture with just a wooden spoon. It was creamy and smooth within moments.

I only needed to include two more ingredients. First I tipped in some self-raising flour and then I moved my attention to the limes. I required the zest from two. I don't think the fruit itself was particularly ripe as they were as hard as bullets! The scent of zingy limes was rather overwhelming as I grated off the rind. It certainly cleared my sinuses! Now I was ready to mix it all together and form a dough. I was able to achieve this with the wooden spoon before moving on to my hands to bring the last few crumbs together. It was a soft dough and not in the least bit sticky. It was easy to divide up and roll into walnut sized balls. I placed the green speckled balls, spaced well apart, on a baking tray. The biscuits looked savoury rather than sweet. The green zest looked like chopped herbs!

I was to create a lattice pattern on top of each biscuit with a skewer. I don't have a skewer, well, not that I'm aware of! I tried a few different things but finally settled on using the prong of my little cake tester. It was very thin but, as I pressed it into the dough, I simply wriggled it from side to side to create a more definite indentation. It worked a treat.

I placed the two trays of biscuits into the oven and left them to cook for about ten to fifteen minutes. Mary says to leave until just starting to turn golden. I am not a big fan of making biscuits purely due to the cooking aspect! There is such a fine line between undercooked and burnt to a crisp. Mine usually burn! The smell of lime became even more pronounced as the cookies cooked. I managed to get both trays out of the oven just before they turned golden. Now it was time to transfer from the trays onto a wire rack to cool. Thankfully each cookie completed the journey unscathed!

I was so pleased that the lattice pattern hadn't completely disappeared. Some of the lines were vaguer than others but they still looked pretty! It didn't take long for them to cool down and I was ready to pounce. These cookies are dangerously moreish. They aren't chewy as I thought they might be; they have a crumbly melt in the mouth texture. The lime flavour was gorgeous but not overwhelming like the smell! These cookies are so easy to make and it’s really quick to whip up a batch. These are high up on my make again list!

Just as a footnote I would like to add that a mouthful of lime cookie combined with a square of milk chocolate is utter heaven!!! Next time I'll be adding chunks of chocolate for sure!

Speckled biscuits!