Make this classic cookie and impress your guests. This cake-like cookie has just a touch of lemon and is then frosted with vanilla and chocolate icings.

These fancy cookies are easy to make. The trick is getting them round and for that, you need a large ice cream scoop. And don’t get in a hurry. The dough must chill for an hour before baking them, the cookies must cool, and the frosting must set.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup very hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Baker’s note: all-purpose flour can be substituted but the cookie will not be as tender.

Directions

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
   
2. In a medium bowl or with your stand-type mixer, whisk eggs and sugar together until smooth.
   
3. Add the flour mixture, milk, cooled butter, and extracts. Mix until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
5. On a well greased baking sheet, use an ice cream scoop to scoop mounds of dough onto the sheet. The cookies will spread a great deal so leave about three inches of space around each cookie. With 1 1/2-inch domes of dough, only make five or six cookies per 11×17-inch baking sheet. Make sure the domes of dough are round to create round cookies.
   
6. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the edges are brown. Immediately remove them from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting

1. Mix the powdered sugar, the optional meringue powder, extract, and hot water together. Add more water to get a spreadable consistency, if necessary.
   
2. Divide the frosting into two equal portions. Heat the chocolate in the microwave until melted. Mix the chocolate into half of the frosting. If the frosting has cooled such that the chocolate is mot mixing smoothly, reheat the frosting in a double boiler until the chocolate melts that the frosting can be smoothly mixed.
   
3. Brush the crumbs off the backs of the cookies. With a spatula, spread vanilla frosting on one-half of each cookie, on the back side, and the chocolate frosting on the other half. Let sit until the frosting becomes firm.

Baker’s notes: The meringue powder helps the frosting set with a harder finish. The meringue powder can be deleted.