Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Classic lemon shortbread cookies are crisp, buttery, and melt in your mouth delicious. Glaze and zest from fresh lemons take this cookie over the top! A lemon lover's dream come true!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 12

chilling 2

Total Time 2 13

Servings cookies

Calories 91kcal

Author Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

Stand mixer with the paddle attachment Or an electric hand mixer

Ingredients

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup
6 ounces granulated sugar 1 cup
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
12 ounces all-purpose flour 2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon citric acid optional, just adds an extra lemon-tart flavor

Lemon Glaze

7 ounces powdered sugar, sifted 1 ¾ cups
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus more if needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Whisk together your flour, salt, and citric acid in a bowl and set it aside.
Cream your softened butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment for 1-2 minutes until it's light and fluffy.
Add in the room temperature egg, lemon extract, and zest and mix until combined.
While mixing on low, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture until the dough just begins to stick together. Do not over-mix.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half and press the dough into two log shapes that are about 3" in diameter.
Roll in sanding sugar sprinkles if you desire. It adds a nice sparkle to the finished cookie.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice your lemon shortbread dough into ¼" thick slices.
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with about 1" of space in between each cookie. They won't spread.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 12-14 min until slightly golden brown around the edges.
They will be soft when they first come out of the oven but once they cool down they will be perfect. Do not over bake!
Let your cookies cool for 5 minutes then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool down.

Lemon Glaze

Sift your confectioner's sugar and whisk in your lemon juice. Add more if the glaze is too thick.
Drizzle the glaze over the cookies with a spoon or a piping bag. The glaze will fully set up after 24 hours and then the cookies can be stacked or packaged.

Video

Notes

BEFORE YOU START

1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle.

2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe.

3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.

TIPS FOR THE BEST SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Don't over-mix your dough or you'll end up with chewy shortbread instead of crisp.
I find these cookies to be the easiest if I make the dough a day in advance. Knead the dough until it just starts sticking together then roll the dough into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap.
Let the dough chill overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours and the dough will be very easy to slice and bake. Chilling the dough also keeps the shortbread from spreading while it bakes.
Don't overbake your shortbread. There will be some very light browning around the edges and that's it. If you overbake them, they will be very hard and dry instead of light and crisp.

Nutrition