Melting Moments # 2

Four ingredients. That’s it. Flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and margarine come together into a dough that bakes into the most delicate, melt-on-your-tongue cookies you’ll ever make.

The cornstarch is the secret ingredient here. It replaces half the flour, which strips the dough of gluten and produces an impossibly tender, crumbly cookie that literally falls apart when you bite it. That’s the “melting moment” these are named for.

Baking low and slow is critical. These bake at a gentle temperature, and you’re looking for just the faintest golden edge. Overbake them and they turn dry and sandy instead of buttery and soft. They should barely have color when you pull them out.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough for the full hour. Warm dough is too soft to roll into neat balls and spreads too much during baking.
• Flour your fork lightly before pressing each ball flat. The dough is sticky and will cling to bare tines.
• Use real butter instead of margarine for a richer flavor, though margarine gives a slightly lighter texture.
• These are fragile. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them, or they’ll break apart.

Variations

• Sandwich two cookies together with lemon curd or raspberry jam for a filled version.
• Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or a pinch of lavender to the dough for a subtle floral note.
• Roll the balls in finely chopped pistachios before flattening for a nutty, colorful twist.