Lemon-Cinnamon Cookies

These Northern European cutout cookies are leavened with baking ammonia (ammonium carbonate) rather than baking powder, which is what gives traditional Scandinavian and German bakery cookies their signature dry, airy snap. Bright lemon zest and a full tablespoon of cinnamon balance the richness of a pound of butter cut into the flour.

The dough handles like a stiff shortbread. You roll it thin at an eighth of an inch, stamp shapes, and brush with beaten egg white before showering with sugar so the tops bake up glassy and sparkling. A drizzle of melted dark chocolate once cooled is optional but lovely against the cinnamon.

Kitchen Tips

• If you cannot find baking ammonia, substitute 1 teaspoon baking powder per teaspoon of ammonia. The texture will be slightly less crisp but still excellent.
• Baking ammonia smells sharp during baking. That sharp odor bakes off completely, leaving cookies with no ammonia taste at all.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to avoid overworking with extra flour, which will toughen the cookies.
• Bake until the edges are pale gold. These cookies firm up significantly as they cool, so pulling at true golden means overbaked.
• Store in a tin with a tight lid. Humidity is the enemy of a snap cookie.

Variations

• Swap half the lemon zest for orange zest for a Christmas market version closer to German Spekulatius.
• Add a pinch of cardamom and clove with the cinnamon for a warmer, spicier cookie.
• Sandwich cooled cookies with raspberry jam or lemon curd for a filled sandwich cookie.