Buttery and tangy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, these Lemon Shortbread Cookies only have 6 simple ingredients and taste like sunshine. Once you make the dough, you’ll roll it out, cut it into rectangles, and bake until golden. They’re finished with a sugary lemon zest topping for a final pop of citrus flavor.
Buttery Lemon Shortbread Treats
You’ll get lots of citrus flavor from both lemon zest and lemon juice blended into a classic buttery shortbread dough. More lemon zest is combined with sugar and flaky salt for a sweet and tart topping to these little gems.
This Lemon Shortbread recipe has a bright citrus flavor contrasted by the buttery dough. Because shortbread doesn’t contain any leavening agents, the cookies have a wonderful tenderness that melts in your mouth with each bite.
Not as sweet as a lemon bar and not as tart as lemon curd. They’re the perfect cookie when you want a simple buttery cookie. If you prefer chocolate, then try some chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, they will compliment these on a dessert tray.
You’ll start by mixing butter, sugar, and lemon zest, then fold in the dry ingredients until a dough forms. After a quick chill, roll it out and cut it into rectangles or any shape you prefer. Top each with a sugar-lemon-salt mixture for a sweet, tangy finish before baking.
These cookies provide the perfect punch of bright lemon flavor, even in the dead of winter when the sun sets before 6pm. You can make these for birthdays, baby or bridal showers, Easter, or any time when you need a zesty pick-me-up.
All you need is a cup of tea!
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Bright lemon flavor: These cookies have a vibrant lemon flavor that’s not overwhelming but adds just the right amount of brightness.
- Buttery and tender: They come out tender and crispy, but not to crispy, with a rich buttery flavor.
- Simple and easy: This recipe uses 7 ingredients, which you probably already have in your kitchen.
Lemon Shortbread Cookie Ingredients
- Lemon Zest: The secret to the bright, zesty flavor. Fresh lemons are key here.
- Pantry staples: Sugar, salt, unsalted butter, vanilla, and all-purpose flour.
How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Step One: Prepare the Lemon Sugar
Mix sugar, lemon zest, and salt together in a small bowl, then set it aside. The sugar granules and sale help release the oils in the lemon zest, boosting the lemon flavor.
Step Two: Make the Dough
Using a stand mixer, beat softened butter and sugar until smooth, then add in the vanilla and remaining lemon zest. Combine the flour and salt, then gradually add it to the butter mixture. The dough should start to form into a ball.
Step Three: Chill the Dough
Wrap the dough in plastic, and chill in the fridge to make it easier to roll.
Step Four: Roll and Cut the Dough
Roll the dough into a rectangle using a rolling pin, then cut it into small pieces. Place the pieces on a baking sheet.
Step Five: Bake
Press the lemon sugar topping into each one. Then, bake in the oven until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- Chill the dough: Don’t skip the chilling. It helps the dough set up and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Don’t overwork the dough: Shortbread dough can get tough if you overmix, so be gentle and don’t handle it any more than you need to.
- Be mindful of the baking time: These cookies bake quickly, so keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Press, don’t sprinkle: In order for the lemon zest and sugar mixture to stick to the cookies, you’ll need to press it into the dough, not sprinkle it.
- Double batch: These go quickly, so whip up a double batch, and you’ll have plenty to go around.
Shortbread Cookie Variations
- Simple glaze: Make a lemon glaze with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice and drizzle it on top of the cookies.
- Cutting the dough: You can cut the dough into rectangles as pictured, or you can use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes.
- Citrus swap: If you want to take a break from lemon, you can swap it with orange or lime zest instead.
Make Ahead and Storage
To make these Lemon Shortbread Cookies ahead of time, you can prepare the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. This gives the flavors time to develop.
If you want to freeze the dough, wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to a month—just let it thaw in the fridge before rolling it out.
Once baked, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw at room temperature before eating, they get pretty hard when frozen.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest 3 lemons, divided
- 1 ¼ cup sugar divided
- ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks) room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ½ cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt. Pinch them together with your fingers until the sugar has turned yellow. Set aside for the topping.
- Use a stand mixer to cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar, until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and remaining lemon zest and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and salt and add to the butter mixture on low speed until the flour is incorporated and it just starts to form large clumps. Dump it out onto a flat surface and knead it until it forms a ball.The dough should not be sticky. Flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dough on a cutting board dusted with flour and roll into a 9 x 9 inch square that is about ½ inch thick. Cut vertically into three 3-inch rectangles, then cut 1 inch slices, horizontally across each rectangle so that you have 24 rectangle cookies. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Top with the sugar mixture pressing it into the dough.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes until the edges just start to turn pale brown.
Notes
- Don’t over bake these cookies or they will get hard. Take them out when they are just starting to turn brown, they should be pale in color.
- Try not to overwork the dough, or it can get tough. Just mix in the flour until the dough starts to come together.
