White Chocolate Dipped Lemon Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 oz. vanilla candy melts or chopped white chocolate
• 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped, optional

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt until creamy. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, then mix again. Add the flour and continue mixing until the dough is fully combined; it may look crumbly and sandy at first, but it will come together if you keep going.
2. Turn the dough out and press it together with your hands so there are no gaps hiding in the center. On a lightly floured surface, form it into a 10-inch log. Wrap the log in parchment or plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.
3. During the last 15 minutes of chilling, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut the log into 1/3-inch thick rounds.
4. Place 12 slices on an ungreased 18 by 13-inch baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are set and the undersides are lightly golden, about 13 – 16 minutes. Leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes.
5. Bake the remaining dough the same way, using a clean, cool baking sheet for the next slices. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool all the way.
6. When the cookies are cool, melt the vanilla candy melts or white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, heating in 30 second increments and stirring thoroughly after each one, until smooth. Dip half of each cookie into the melted coating, gently shake away the extra, and set the cookies on a sheet of parchment paper.
7. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the dipped cookies before the coating starts to set. Let the coating firm up, then store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.