Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These tender Iced Lemon Shortbread Cookies have lots of buttery lemon flavor with a tangy lemon icing. They are so simple to make and keep well which makes them great for gifting and sharing on a dessert platter. They are so lovely with a cup of tea and are easy to decorate for the holidays, especially around Easter during Springtime. If you love lemon desserts, check out my Lemon Curd Crumb Cake and my Sour Cream Lemon Curd Cookies too!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Tender crisp shortbread cookies - these cookies have a buttery tender texture with a delicate crispness.
• Buttery lemon cookies - lots of lemon zest and tangy lemon juice ensures that these cookies pack a punch with lots of buttery lemon flavor.
• Easy to make - this is a simple recipe with basic ingredients that you can make by hand without a mixer. It's an eggless recipe so you can make these beautiful cookies even if you have no eggs.
• Perfect cut-outs - this dough holds its shape so you get clean edges on the cookies.
• Lemon icing - the tangy lemon icing is so bright and really adds a special touch. It hardens as it sets so you can stack them for storage.

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON SHORTBREAD

• All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for classic shortbread cookies.
• Unsalted butter - this recipe uses pure unsalted butter for the best flavor and tender texture. You can also use salted butter and then reduce the added salt by half.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar creates a tender and crisp texture and clean flavor so that the lemon shines.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is an excellent back note to lemon. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Lemon zest - use a full tablespoon from 1 large lemon or two small lemons for the most flavor and rub it into the sugar to extract the essential oils.
• Lemon juice - fresh lemon juice is in the cookie dough and also makes a tart and sweet icing that balances the not-too-sweet cookies.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR LEMON SHORTBREAD

• STEP 1). Make the dough. Combine soft butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix again. Finally, add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten into a disk.
• STEP 2). Chill the dough. Wrap the dough and chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm but still pliable.
• STEP 3). Roll the dough. Lightly sprinkle flour over a work surface. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick. You can also roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a 2" round or scalloped cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. Transfer cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart and bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are just lightly golden and the bottoms are golden. Keep any extra cut-out cookies in the fridge until ready to bake.
• STEP 4). Make the icing. Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. It should be quite thick and opaque so that it sets hard on the cookies once dry. If you think it is too thick to spread, you can add a tiny bit more lemon juice or milk until it reaches the desired consistency.
• STEP 5). Ice the cookies. Spoon the icing over the cookies and spread it out a bit, but not all the way to the edges (leave a small border). Finely grate some lemon zest over the icing while icing is still wet, then let cookies set until the icing is hardened before storing in an airtight container.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR LEMON SHORTBREAD

• Use room temperature ingredients. Ensure that the butter and lemon juice are at room temperature so that they blend evenly and don't separate. This step combines fat and water which are two ingredients that don't blend easily together when cold.
• Sift the dry ingredients. This is optional, but it will remove lumps if the flour has been sitting around for a while and will create a more tender texture as it separates the flour particles so they get more evenly coated with the butter.
• Chill the cookie dough. Time in the fridge allows the flour to fully hydrate and for the butter to firm up to help the dough roll smoothly and also allows the cookies to hold their shape.

RECIPE FAQ

STORAGE AND FREEZING

Gimme more lemon!

Looking for more recipes with lemon? Try these:

More cookie recipes

If you love making cookies as much as I do, check out these recipes:

If you love baking with fruit, check out these recipes!

Caramel Apple Cake

Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Cake Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipe Raspberry Almond Cake ULTIMATE Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Lemon Curd Frosting Creamy Raspberry Cheesecake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake Blueberry Swirl Lemon Loaf Cake