• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup (about 4 ounces ) packed brown sugar
• ½ cup (about 4 ounces ) granulated white sugar
• 1 cup ground almonds (can be prepared in a food processor from about 8 ounces whole or slivered nuts)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons ginger juice (extracted from freshly grated ginger)
• 1½ cups sifted (all-purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugars together until well combined and fluffy. (The Japanese traditional suribachi mortar happens to do a fabulous job of creaming untraditional materials such as butter and granulated sugar. Of course a blender, whisk, or even fork can perform the task simply enough.) Gradually beat in the ground nuts, then the egg and the ginger juice.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the butter and egg mixture, and beat to incorporate completely. Add the grated lemon rind and beat to combine.

Drop the cookie mixture by spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes; they’ll be nicely colored and still slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool slightly before removing to a rack to complete the cooling. The cookies will stiffen considerably as they cool.

Store extra cookies in an airtight jar or tin for several weeks, or freeze for up to 1 month.