Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are probably the first cookie I remember my mother baking. These cookies were a favorite during any holiday season.

She didn’t have a written recipe and just added what she thought the cookie needed. She was a very intuitive baker.

Over the years I have modified her recipe many times, adding a few things here and there depending on what I had or needed at the time. My favorite modification to this recipe is the addition of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.

These cookies have a delicate texture and a subtle lemon flavor that will please any lemon lover. The simple ingredients combine to make a delicious cookie perfect to share with a friend over a relaxing cup of tea. Try them with a cup of hot earl grey or rooibos tea.

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These cookies are not rolled and cut with a cookie cutter or shaped into a cookie tin like classic shortbread cookies. This shortbread dough is soft enough to roll into balls and flatten slightly.

They are slowly baked in a 300°F oven to allow them to have a delicate texture and keep their shape. A higher temperature will cause the cookie to rise slightly, giving them a dome shape.

For best results use fresh lemons and softened butter. Do not melt the butter, just let it come to room temperature and it should be soft enough.

If you choose to use unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp of salt with the dry ingredients.

Ingredients for Lemon Shortbread Cookies

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups salted butter (room temperature)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

1 tsp granulated sugar

How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Place the softened butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Beat well until the butter is creamy.

Add the icing sugar, cornstarch, and flour and stir by hand to incorporate the dry ingredients with the butter. Beat with the mixer on low speed for 1 minute and then on medium speed until the mixture resembles whipped cream, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 of the fresh lemon zest, rubbing it between your clean fingers before adding it to the bowl. This will help release the natural lemon oil and intensify the lemon flavor.

Add the 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and beat again to mix in the juice and zest, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.

Form the dough into small balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand or a floured glass.

Bake in a preheated oven at 300°F for about 20 minutes.

The cookies will be soft and slightly brown around the edges.

While the cookies are baking, add the remaining zest and 1 tsp of sugar to a small bowl.

Rub the zest and sugar between your fingers until the lemon oil is released and the zest is coated with sugar.

As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, top them with a few strands of the sugar-coated zest.

Transfer the cookies from the baking sheet to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen for up to 6 months.