Lemon Shortbread Cookies
These Lemon Shortbread Cookies are extremely easy to make. They are flavored with freshly grated lemon zest, a little bit of lemon extract for good measure, and an optional lemon glaze to boost the flavor to the next level.
Servings: 9
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 oz unsalted butter room temperature, 113 g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 65 g
- Zest of 1 - 2 lemons
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract optional, replace with vanilla extract if don’t have
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour 142 g
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
Lemon glaze (optional)
- 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice 30 g
- 1 cup powdered sugar 100 g
- Zest of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Whisk together sugar and lemon zest to release the essential oil. Add softened butter, and the extracts to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the sugar mixture. Beat using the paddle attachment until combined and fluffy.
- Whisk together flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until a dough forms.
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a rectangle. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- When the dough is ready, take it out of the refrigerator and roll it out into a 9”x6” rectangle. Cut into 9 cookies using a pizza wheel. Place the cookies in a container and freeze for about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- When the oven is ready, place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet 1 to 2 inches apart. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of cookies generously and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the edges start to turn light brown.
- Remove from the oven, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
- Optional: To make the lemon glaze, whisk together lemon juice, powdered sugar, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze or drizzle the glaze over the top of the cookies. Set glazed cookies back on a wire rack to allow the glaze to harden.
Notes
- An alternate way to prepare this shortbread dough is to shape it into a log, at least 6” long, refrigerate as directed then cut the dough with a sharp knife into ½” thick slices. This will yield a dozen smaller size cookies.
- This recipe is a small batch but it can easily be doubled or tripled.
- The lemon glaze is optional but it can give an additional boost of lemon flavor.
- If you don’t have lemon extract, you can skip it as long as you are using enough lemon zest to flavor the cookies.
- This cookie dough freezes well, and is perfect for making ahead. You can bake from frozen for 2 minutes longer.
Nutrition
Serving: 36g | Calories: 177kcal
