Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Zest
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.
Servings 24
Calories 209kcal
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.
