Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+ ½ cup more for kneading and rolling)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon table salt)
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons water (*see my note below)
6 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
(the melted butter must cool a bit or you’ll cook the eggs)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (or 2 teaspoons lemon zest)
1 egg white for “gluing” the bows

Directions

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and water very well. Add the melted (and cooled!) butter and whisk again. Finally whisk in the pure vanilla extract and lemon extract. (The lemon extract may curdle your mixture a bit, but continue whisking and you should be able to blend it smooth.) Now stir in the flour mixture that you set aside, a little at a time until a dough forms.

At this point, the dough should be formed but very wet and sticky. Using your hands, knead in the remaining ½ cup of flour, a little at a time, to rid the dough of stickiness. You want the dough to be soft and smooth and relatively dry, but be careful not to over-knead it. After a minute or two of kneading, you should be ready to roll—literally!

Roll out the dough: On a well-floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin layer—the thinner your layer, the crispier your cookies! You can even use a pasta rolling machine to do this job if you have one.

Slice dough into ribbons: After the dough is rolled flat, you’re ready to cut. A fluted roller is traditional, and although I have one, I’m using a pizza cutter in my photos because most US kitchen have one. First neaten up the edges of the ragged dough by creating a large rectangle. Then slice the dough into long strips 1-1/2 to 2-inches wide. Slice these strips crosswise to get ribbons of about 4-inches in length.

Form ribbons into bows: Place a bit of egg white in the center of each small strip—this will act as glue. Pinch the centers together to form a bow. To really secure it, I fold that pinch over one more time; otherwise, it may release during frying.

Step 6 – Fry the bows in hot oil (see a few tips below). Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and allow them to drain on paper towels. While still warm, generously dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar on both sides, or drizzle with warm honey.