Dried Fruit Cookie Recipes - Melting Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup/90 g golden raising/sultanas

• 1 1/2 cups/225 g all-purpose/plain flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup/100 g granulated sugar

• 6 tbsp butter, cut up

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 3 tbsp dry white wine

• grated zest of 1 lemon

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Method:

1. Plump the raisin in hot water to cover in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.

3. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the egg, wine and lemon zest to form a smooth dough.

4. Knead in the raisins until well blended. Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic warp, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas 6. Butter two cookie sheets. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch (5mm).

6. Use a 2 inch (5cm) cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used.

7. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch (2.5cm) apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just golden. Transfer to racks to cool.