Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon Shortbread Cookies

A stack of 6 lemon shortbread cookies surrounded by cookies and fresh lemon

5 from 88 votes

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon Shortbread Cookies

If you're a lemon lover, you'll love these buttery Lemon Shortbread Cookies. They have a beautiful lemon flavor with a melt in your mouth texture.

Prep Time35

Cook Time20

Chilling Time20

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Servings: cookies

Calories: 84kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

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

Weigh the Ingredients: It’s important to use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients to ensure these cookies come out right.

Imperial Measurements: If you don’t have a scale to weigh ingredients, use the following measurements. To correctly measure the flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it rises above the edge of the cup. Then use the straight edge of knife to level the flour. Do not tap the measuring cup.

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - 2 3/4 cups (~125 grams of flour per cup)
Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (16 tablespoons)
Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Kosher Salt: The cookies can be made without kosher salt, but I love my cookies to be a little salty.

Unsalted Butter: Use butter that tastes great all by itself as that along with the lemon will be the most prominent flavor. Recommended brands are Tillamook Butter, Kerrygold Butter, and Challenge Butter.

Freezing Unbaked Cookies: Unbaked lemon shortbread cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm (3 hours). Transfer to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, separating layers with parchment. Label with the date. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 2-5 minutes to the baking time.

Freezing Baked Cookies: Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Cool completely before freezing. Freeze the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm (about 2 hours), then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag with parchment between layers. Label with the date. Thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

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