Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• at room temperature
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• ½ unwaxed lemon
• zest only
• 1 free-range egg
• lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g/7oz gluten-free plain flour
• plus extra for rolling
• 40g/1½oz ground almonds
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• pinch salt
• icing sugar
• for dusting

Directions

• Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar in a bowl until pale and light. Add the lemon zest and mix again.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula
• add the beaten egg and vanilla and mix again until thoroughly combined.
• Add the gluten-free flour
• ground almonds
• xanthan gum and salt and mix until smooth. Bring the dough together into a neat ball using your hands
• flatten into a disc
• wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Cover two baking trays with baking paper and lightly dust the work surface with gluten-free flour.
• Roll the dough out to a thickness of 2–3mm/â…›in and
• using the largest cutter stamp
• cut out as many shapes from the dough as you can.
• Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking trays and
• using the smaller cutter
• stamp out smaller stars from the middle of each biscuit. Gather the dough off-cuts into a ball and re-roll to make more shapes.
• Chill the biscuits in the fridge for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
• Bake on the middle shelf for about 10 minutes
• or until the edge of each biscuit is lightly golden-brown. Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 2–3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.