Instructions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until fully combined. Reduce speed to low, and add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating until fully combined.

Roll a walnut-size piece of dough into a ball, then roll out into a rope about 3 inches long and 1/4-inch in diameter. Shape into a decorative S. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Keeps in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Comments: Venetians call these cookies "Buranei" after the island of Burano, where they originated. But when shaped into a circle, theyre sometimes called "bussolai," from the Italian word for "hole."

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