Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Any occasion is the perfect occasion to enjoy a plate of homemade lemon shortbread cookies. They're crumbly and sweet with a tangy lemon glaze on top.
Servings: 20 cookies
Equipment
- Circle Cookie Cutter 2¼-Inch Round
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1⅓ Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Pinch salt
- ¾ Cup salted butter at room temperature
- ½ Cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 1¼ Cups powdered sugar
- 2 or 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- lemon zest for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make the Cookies:
- Add the salt to the flour in a mixing bowl. Mix and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar. Mix until ingredients are combined.
- Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the flour in 2 increments. Mix until all the flour is mixed in. Don’t overmix.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic film, and flat it out into a disk shape.
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes or overnight.
- Line a plate with parchment paper. It will make it easier to release the cookies after the second refrigeration. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick disk.
- Use a 2¼ inch round cookie cutter and cut the dough into circles.
- Place the cut dough onto the prepared plate and refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch in between each.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges will be slightly golden and the center set.
- Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the glaze.
Make the Glaze:
- In a mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice (2 tablespoons). If you like a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, glaze the cookies with a palette knife.
- Add a sprinkle of lemon zest if desired.
Notes
Chill the cookies: Refrigerating the uncooked cookies helps them hold their shape in the oven. You can keep them refrigerated until you're ready to bake them, covering with plastic wrap if that's going to be more than 30 minutes.
Lemon zest: For the 1 tablespoon of lemon zest that goes in the cookies you'll need one medium lemon (more if you always want to garnish the finished cookies with lemon zest).
Glaze consistency: If your glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Cool before glazing: Let the cookies cool completely before adding the glaze, otherwise it will melt a little and look messy.
Lemon zest: For the 1 tablespoon of lemon zest that goes in the cookies you'll need one medium lemon (more if you always want to garnish the finished cookies with lemon zest).
Glaze consistency: If your glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Cool before glazing: Let the cookies cool completely before adding the glaze, otherwise it will melt a little and look messy.
Nutrition
Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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