Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Try these other cookie recipes:

• Coconut Shortbread with Pineapple Cream
• Iced Lemon Lavender Cookies
• Chocolate Chip and Earl Gray Cookies
• Cranberry Orange Cookies

Ingredients needed:

The best part of this recipe is that you only need a few ingredients which means you can easily bake them almost anytime:

• Unsalted Butter – the butter is important here. Get the best quality butter you can afford for the best taste and texture. It needs to be softened.
• Powdered sugar – also known as confectioner’s sugar, you want to use this kind of sugar to help get the correct cookie texture.
• All Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Lemon Zest – for the lemon flavor!
• Vanilla extract – use a good quality pure extract for the best flavor

Mix the dough

1. Cream the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla, then add in the flour and salt and mix until just combined.

Press into the pan

1. Line a 9” square pan with parchment paper so the paper hangs over the sides.
2. Place the dough into the prepared pan and press the dough evenly into a pan. Using a flat bottomed glass helps to get it packed tightly and evenly.
3. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes into the shortbread. You could also use a fork.

Bake

1. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
2. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then lift the shortbread out of the pan by the parchment paper overhang.
3. Place the shortbread on the parchment paper onto a cutting board and use a long sharp knife to cut the shortbread into squares. 
4. Allow to cool all the way before drizzling with lemon icing.

How to make lemon icing

Lemon icing is super simple to make! 

Combine together powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make it drizzly – you can use more or less lemon juice to make the icing thicker or thinner depending on your preferences.

How to cut shortbread

It is essential to cut the shortbread when it is still hot from the oven. Let it rest about 10 minutes, and then use the parchment paper to carefully lift the shortbread out of the baking pan onto a cutting board. Use a smooth bladed knife to cut strips lengthwise, then rotate the bars (by the parchment paper) to cut strips going the other way. Cut small portions because these are rich cookies.

How to keep shortbread crisp

Let the baked shortbread cool completely on a wire rack before storing. If you are drizzling with the icing, that needs to be completely dry before storing, too. Shortbread keeps best in a metal tin or glass jar with tight fitting lids. They also keep well when stored in the refrigerator. Do not store them with other chewy cookies or in a plastic container because they will not keep their crispness.

Love Lemon?! Try these other lemon flavored desserts:

• Lemon Sweet Rolls
• Lemon Cakes
• Lemon Bars with Earl Gray Tea
• Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Buttercream