When it comes to cookies, everyone has his or her favorites--including the professionals. And they wanted to share too.

This recipe comes from Mayi Brady of The Times’ Test Kitchen, who says the trick to light, moist and crumbly shortbread is in the handling. Once the flour has been added, over-beating or a heavy hand in rolling and cutting the dough will invariably produce a tough cookie. Another no-no is over-baking. These delicate cookies should not brown.

LEMON SHORTBREAD

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

* Beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and mix thoroughly. Blend in flour at low speed just until combined.

* Turn dough out onto lightly floured board, and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with floured round 2-inch cookie or biscuit cutter and transfer to ungreased baking sheet, 1 inch apart.

* Pierce each cookie completely through with fork 3 times. Combine remaining lemon zest and granulated sugar in small bowl. Brush each cookie with remaining lemon juice and sprinkle with little of lemon-sugar mixture.

* Bake at 350 degrees until set, 12 to 14 minutes. Do not over bake. Transfer cookies to rack to cool.

40 cookies. Each cookie:

74 calories; 47 mg sodium; 12 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

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Carrie Nahabedian, executive chef at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, says these cookies are her “absolute favorite.” Her mother, Helen, has made them every Christmas for the last 30 years and although she taught Nahabedian and her sisters how to make them, Nahabedian maintains her mother’s are the best.

CHERRY WONDERS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

1/2 teaspoon cherry juice

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

* Mix butter and sugar well. Add lemon juice, cherries and cherry juice. Sift together flour and salt and stir into butter-sugar mixture. Combine thoroughly with hands.

* Mold dough into 2 smooth rolls, 2 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. Wrap in wax paper, place on baking sheet and chill overnight.

* Remove wax paper, and cut dough into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Bake at 400 degrees on ungreased baking sheet until lightly brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

6 dozen. Each cookie:

39 calories; 42 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.01 gram fiber.