You'll love these tender buttery lemon shortbread cookies if you're a lemon lover. This lemon cookie recipe (based on my shortbread cookie recipe) is a delicious combination of fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and buttery shortbread cookie dough. These cookies require only 35 minutes of hands-on time before they're baked to perfection.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
This easy lemon shortbread cookie recipe comes together with just 6 simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry.
- They're buttery with a burst of lemon flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Perfect for easy entertaining or anytime you're craving cookies
- Keep well for weeks when stored properly, and can be made ahead of time
This cookie is so good and the lemon flavor is so perfect that I use it to make Lemon Sandwich Cookies.
And if you came to this recipe because you love lemon, try some of my favorite lemon recipes, including:
Lemon Shortbread Cookie Ingredients
Below are the ingredients that you'll need for this delicious lemon cookie:
- Fresh Lemon Zest. Depending on the size of the lemons, you'll need 2-3 lemons for enough zest. Use lemons with a shiny peel, as these are the ones that will have the most lemon oil and flavor in the peel. Do not use lemons with dried or shriveled skin; you won't get a lot of zest or flavor from them.
- Fresh Lemon Juice. The lemon juice bumps up the flavor in this delicious butter cookie.
- Egg Yolk. Most shortbread cookies don't have egg, but I added the egg yolk for color and richness. It also makes the cookie a little softer.
These cookies have a 3-2-1 ratio, which refers to the amount of flour, butter, and sugar: 12 ounces of flour, 8 ounces of butter, and 4 ounces of sugar. This ratio ensures that the cookies won't spread and they will hold their shape. This recipe will produce some of the best cookies you've ever tasted.
How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Step 1: Zest the lemons into the sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
Step 2: Add the butter. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice.
Step 3: Add all the flour at once and mix on low speed
Step 4: The dough will initially appear crumbly, but will eventually come together into large pieces. Mixing the flour in at a low speed is important to prevent the development of too much gluten.
Pour the shortbread dough onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to lightly knead the dough until it forms a uniform ball of dough. Roll the dough until it's 1/4-inch thick. The dough will have a crumbly texture at first, but will eventually come together as you knead it.
Step 5: Pour the shortbread dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is smooth. Roll the dough until it's 1/4-inch thick.
Step 6: Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or your favorite cookie cutters) to cut out the cookies and reroll the dough scraps to cut out the remaining cookies.
Step 7: Chill the unbaked shortbread cookie dough for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 days before baking.
Step 8: Bake the cookies at 300°F on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
The cookies are done when you see a little browning on the bottom edge of the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool briefly on the baking pan then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to Make Easy Lemon Glaze
This lemon glaze is easy to make and perfectly tart. You need two ingredients:
- Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar to avoid lumps in your glaze.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice and not bottled lemon juice for the best flavor. Adjust the amount of juice depending on how thick or thin you want the glaze.
Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir with a spoon until the glaze is smooth.
Drizzle the glaze over the cookies or spoon some of the glaze in the center of the cookie and use the spoon to spread the glaze evenly around the cookie.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Weigh the ingredients. The ratio of flour, butter and sugar are the key to the cookies keeping their shape. Too much flour will result in a dry, crumbly cookie and too little flour will result in a cookie that spreads.
- Use great-tasting butter. The taste of the butter is very prominent once the cookies are baked, so make sure your butter tastes great.
- Bake the cookies on parchment paper instead of Silpat. I noticed that the bottom of the cookies flares out just a little bit when baked on Silpat
- When baking multiple batches, don't place unbaked cookies on a warm baking sheet.
Shortbread Cookie Variations
There are multiple variations that you can try on your own and here are just a few ideas:
- Make Vanilla Shortbread Cookies by adding vanilla extract and vanilla beans to the recipe.
- Add your favorite spice: cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.
- Add chopped nuts, dried fruit, or dark chocolate.
- Make Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies by replacing the granulated sugar with light or dark brown sugar.
- Dip the cookie in dark chocolate or white chocolate.
The possibilities are endless and this is a great cookie recipe to experiment with.
If you make this lemon shortbread recipe please rate the recipe below.
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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest
- 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large (20 grams) egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 12 ounces (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar sifted
- 4-5 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Zest the lemons directly onto the sugar, until there is about three (3) teaspoons of zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, until the sugar has a sandy texture.
- Add the butter and salt to the lemon-sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, add the egg yolk and lemon juice and mix on medium speed just until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Add all the flour and mix it on low speed just until all the flour is mixed in. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has come together and forms large clumps.
- Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can also turn it out onto a large piece of parchment paper or Silpat. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle and lightly flour the top of the dough. Do not use too much flour, just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking.
- Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or board. Prick each cookie in the center with a fork. Pricking the cookies will ensure the steam releases as they bake and you'll end up with an even cookie.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookies on the baking sheet 1-1/2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 20-22 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and cool them for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire rack to completely cool. If you're using one baking sheet let it cool completely before baking the next batch of cookies.
- At this point the cookies are ready to eat.
Storing the Cookies
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Lemon Glaze (Optional)
- The cookies are delicious on their own but this lemon glaze amps up the lemon flavor makes a nice presentation if serving the cookies at a party.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and stir together. Add the remaining lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Use an offset spatula or the back of a small spoon to spread the lemon glaze across the top of the cookie. Lay the cookies on a flat surface and let the glaze dry.
- If serving the cookies right away and while the glaze is still wet make sure not to stack the cookies.
Notes
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - 2 3/4 cups (spoon and level, ~125 grams of flour per cup)
- Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (16 tablespoons)
- Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
Linda Harootunian says
Can I use good quality salted butter?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Linda
You can use salted butter. I usually say don't because the amount of salt can vary based on brand. But baking is sometimes about experimentation, so I say give it a try and see how it turns out. The cookies may turn out too salty. FYI: 1 teaspoon of salt = 2300 grams of sodium. Check your label to estimate how much salt is in the butter.
Can says
I tried this recipe in the spring and liked it so I've added it to my winter cookie platter for tea lovers. It has a simple buttery taste with that yummy lemon. ( I do like extra zest.)
We love the fact that it's my it too sweet, so I usually do a variety of plain, with lemon drizzle and one with full glaze.
I've made them with and without the egg and both have been delicious.
Thank you!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Can
Thank you for trying this recipe and leaving such lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoy and have made them part of your winter cookie platter.😁
Jennifer G. says
I just came across your website. Everything looks so beautiful and so well presented! Can these lemon shortbread cookies be made as a slice-and-bake, rather than rolling out and cutting? Thank you!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jennifer
Thank you for the compliment on my site. Yes, you can roll this dough into logs and slice and bake. Let me know if you have any other questions
Jennifer G. says
Thank you, Cheryl! 😊
Cheryl Norris says
You're welcome. Please let me know how they turn out.
Jennifer G. says
I made them this afternoon, and they are perfect!
I halved the recipe, just to work out the process and timings (and because I probably don't need to eat that many cookies 😊). I did the slice-and-bake method, and I ended up with 24 cookies each about 1¾" in diameter and ¼" thick. I baked 8 at a time on a quarter sheet pan for 18 minutes. I gave each one a thin coating of the glaze once they were cool.
Thank you again for a great recipe! I'll be making this again!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jennifer
I'm glad you love these cookies and plan to make them again. And I like your approach of making the half recipe for testing out the different method. It's what I do a lot of the time for new recipes.
Carol says
Really good recipe! Though instead of beating the dough until it came together, I put the crumbly dough in a tea towel and twisted tightly till it came together. No overmixing that way.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Carol
Thank you for trying this recipe. I appreciate. The technique of using the tea towel is a good idea - thank you for sharing that information.
Shelley Hoy says
Sounds so delicious! I would really like to make your recipe but am short on time. Do you think I could use it as a bar cookie? If so, any thoughts on pan size and baking time? My normal recipe is 240g of flour and I use an 8x8.
Thanks!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Shelley
Thanks for this question. You can do a press-in cookie with this recipe. I haven't done it, but I'm guessing that if you use a 9x9-inch pan, the cookie will be about 1/2-inch thick. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Shelley says
Thanks so much!
Cheryl Norris says
You're welcome
Denise says
Hello,
I have a question regarding your lemon shortbread cookies. For the measurements of the sugar and flour, do you weigh these ingredients or use metric measuring cups? I’ve only ever used Imperial measuring spoons and cups. I’d really like to make these cookies, they look so yummy.
Kind regards,
Denise
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Denise
Thank you for your interest in this recipe and the compliment. You'll get the most consistent results if you weigh the ingredients because the shortbread recipe is a 3-2-1 formula based on the weight of the flour, sugar, and butter. But in the recipe notes I have added the imperial measurements. Make sure you measure the flour using the spoon and level method without tapping the measuring cup. That will give you the closest measurement to 125 grams per cup for the flour. Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help.
Melanie says
Thank you so much for being so generous with your recipe and help; I can't tell you how many I have tired, but they never turn out quite as expected; so imagine my delight to find your outstanding recipe! Thank you so much!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Melanie
YAY! I'm so glad you found this cookie recipe and it met your expectations. Thank you for trying it and leaving this wonderful review.
Nina Fleishman says
Delicious and beautiful cookies!