Lemon Juniper Cookies

Juniper berries have been used as medicine for centuries and in the kitchen. Delicious and healthy juniper berries are usually added to sauces for game dishes, fish stock, sauerkraut, or pickled vegetables, but they are rarely used in baking. I have used juniper berries in a very unusual way: as a spice together with some pink peppercorns for these delicious lemon cookies. The ground juniper berries give these cookies a sweet, aromatic and completely surprising flavour - be sure to try them! They are particularly tasty for the holidays, but of course also all year round, and go wonderfully with coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

3 tbsp Erythritol (or sugar)
40 Juniper berries
120 g Butter, softened
120 g Erythritol (or sugar)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Medium egg
1 ½ tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Pink peppercorns, crushed
120 g Fine polenta
240 g White spelt flour
2 Organic lemons, cut into 2-3 mm thick slices

Finely grind juniper and erythritol in a coffee/spice grinder. Place 2 tbsp of this in a bowl, set aside the rest for coating and topping.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the butter, erythritol, salt and the 2 tbsp of juniper sugar, cream together with a hand mixer. Add the egg, lemon juice and half of the crushed pink peppercorns, mix. Beat in the fine polenta and white spelt flour.
Divide the dough into 20 even portions and shape into balls. Roll each in the reserved juniper sugar, place on the prepared baking sheets. Press the balls flat, place a slice of lemon on each, sprinkle with remaining crushed pink pepper and the juniper sugar.
Bake each sheet in the center of the hot oven for about 20 minutes. Remove, cool slightly and leave to cool on a wire rack until the lemon slices are dry.

3 comments:

DEZMOND 22/12/24 13:05: Very unusual and interesting with that lemon on top. Under fine polenta you mean corn flour, or really polenta?
Angie's Recipes 22/12/24 14:17: Polenta...it's yellowish and looks like corn meal.
Christine 22/12/24 16:48: yummy