Lemon Shortbread Cookies
These perfectly cute Lemon Shortbread Cookies are great for Mother's Day but work for other occasions, too, like Valentine's Day. You can also use a differently shaped cookie cutter, and they can be enjoyed year-round.
Ingredients
- 1 stick ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large or 2 small lemons
- 1 egg yolk from 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups flour spooned & leveled, plus extra for rolling out the cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the butter on medium for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy, then add the brown sugar. Make sure to scrape down the bowl. Cream the brown sugar and butter for about 2-3 minutes or until it is a pale brown color (see photos). Scrape down the bowl once again.
- Zest the lemon(s) and measure out 2 teaspoons. Add the 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the butter and brown sugar mixture, followed by the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt. Cream these together. Squeeze the juice from the zested lemon(s) into a small bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon and add it to the bowl. Reserve the remaining lemon juice for the glaze. Mix one last time to incorporate the juice.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough starts to clump together. Stop the mixer. Dust your hands with flour, then bring the dough together into a ball with your hands.
- Place parchment down on your work surface & lightly dust it with flour. Place half of the dough on the floured surface and sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough out until it is about ¼-inch thick. Cut out the dough with a 2-inch cookie cutter of your choice. Place the cookies on your lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch in between each cookie. Repeat this process until you have used all of the dough. Place one baking sheet of cookies onto the middle rack of your oven. Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 10-12 min until the edges/bottoms have just begun to turn golden brown. Repeat with the second baking sheet of cookies.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 ½ tablespoons of the lemon juice. The glaze should be smooth and somewhat thick but still pourable. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies with a spoon or whisk. If you prefer a neater look, you can pipe the glaze onto the cookies with a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the tip snipped off.
- Store the cookies in a container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw them at room temperature or in the fridge.
Equipment
Notes
See the post for additional information and tips.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 63kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 28mgSugar: 7g
Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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