These easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies are buttery, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth amazing! The flavors of bright lemon zest and fresh lemon juice make these lemon cookies sweet and perfectly tangy, and the best part is that they’re made with just six simple ingredients.
I am a huge fan of lemon desserts, and these lemon shortbread cookies are probably the easiest lemon cookie recipe ever!
A simple shortbread cookie dough is made with just six ingredients, then rolled out, cut, and baked – no chilling required!
Once the lemony cookies are cooled, they’re dipped into a powdered sugar glaze made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to give them even more sweet tart flavor.
It’s very difficult to eat just one of these, so feel free to double the recipe, especially if you plan to share!
If you’re a lemon dessert lover like I am, you have to try my easy lemon bars recipe! If you’re looking for a bit of a shortcut, my cake mix strawberry lemonade cookies are simple and delicious too.
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Shortbread Cookies with Lemon
- You’ll love the simplicity of this recipe! Shortbread, by definition, uses very few ingredients, so there are no eggs, leaveners, or fancy add-ins here.
- Amazing buttery texture. The main ingredient in shortbread is butter, which gives these cookies a wonderfully rich flavor and a tender, soft texture that is irresistible.
- Lots of lemon! There is lemon juice and lemon zest in both the cookie dough and the icing for these lemon shortbread cookies, which means that every bite will be bright, sweet, and perfectly tangy.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter: Because butter is such a big part of the flavor and texture of shortbread cookies, it is important to use fresh, high-quality, unsalted butter in this recipe. Let your butter sit out at room temperature until it is soft but still cool to the touch, about 2 hours. I don’t recommend using the microwave to soften butter, as it can get too hot that way.
- Powdered Sugar: The soft and tender texture of shortbread cookies is influenced by the sweetener used to make them. Powdered sugar makes softer cookies than granulated sugar does.
- Flour and Salt: We’re adding salt to the cookies to elevate the flavor of the lemon and sugar.
- Fresh Lemons: For this recipe, you’ll need at least two juicy lemons. First, remove the zest from them using a microplane rasp, then juice them, making sure to remove the seeds.
How To Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Get ready to bake cookies! Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C), and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest on high until light and fluffy.
- Add Flour: Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until the dough starts to come together, stopping to scrape down the sides frequently. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Add Lemon Juice: Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and continue mixing until the dough is well formed and will hold together in a ball.
- Roll out the Dough: Transfer the lemon shortbread cookie dough to a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disk. Roll out the dough until it is ¼-inch thick.
- Cut out Shapes: Use your favorite 2-inch cookie cutter to cut desired shapes from the dough. You can gently collect and re-roll the dough as needed until you’ve made cookies from all of it.
- Bake and Cool: Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, prick the centers with a fork, then bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shortbread looks dry and lightly golden. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
- Make the Lemon Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Add remaining lemon juice one teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Dip: Dip the cookies into the glaze and allow the excess to run off. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle lemon zest over the cookies. Allow the glaze to set completely (about one hour) before stacking and storing.
Top Baking Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar together well. It’s important that the powdered sugar dissolves completely into the butter during that first step. I suggest using a stand mixer for this, but you can also use a hand-held mixer if needed.
- Avoid overmixing the dough. If the shortbread cookie dough is mixed too much, the gluten in the flour will be overworked, and the cookies will become hard and tough. After adding the flour, mix the dough until it’s just combined.
- Chilling should not be necessary. I found that these cookies baked up wonderfully without chilling the dough. But if it’s particularly hot in your kitchen today, you may want to chill the dough for an hour or so before baking.
How to Store Lemon Cookies
These lemon shortbread cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Be sure to let the glaze on the cookies dry completely before stacking them. The icing will dry hard, but if you’re concerned about sticking, separate layers with parchment paper for storage.
I don’t recommend keeping these cookies in the fridge. The cool temperature will cause them to dry out more quickly than normal.
Other Delicious Lemon Desserts You Should Try
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Glaze
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
- Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies
- Lemon Muffins
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these cookies with limes?
You can! Using limes in this shortbread cookie recipe will work wonderfully, especially if you love the flavor of limes. You might also enjoy making my soft and chewy lime cookies.
What is the best way to zest a lemon?
To easily remove the outer layer of yellow zest, I suggest using a microplane. It’s the best tool for the job! You want to avoid cutting into the white pith under the zest, as that part can be bitter. Another tip: Always zest the lemons before you juice them- it’s nearly impossible to remove the zest from a lemon that’s been cut and juiced already.
These are the easiest and most delicious lemon cookies ever! Be sure to save this recipe by Pinning it – it will be perfect for your next party or as a special lemony treat for your family.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest from about half a medium lemon
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from about ¼ of a medium lemon
For the Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice from about half a medium lemon
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest for garnish, from about half a medium lemon
Instructions
To Make the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) or 140°C if using a fan oven. Line three half-sheet baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and lemon zest on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough starts to come together, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides frequently.
- Add the lemon juice and mix until the dough is well formed, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a disc. Roll the dough into ¼-inch thickness.
- Use 2-inch cookie cutters to cut desired shapes.
- Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, prick the centers with a fork then bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the shortbread looks dry and lightly golden. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
To Make the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Add remaining lemon juice one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Dip the cookies into the glaze and allow the excess to run off. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle lemon zest over the cookies. Allow the glaze to set completely (about one hour) before stacking.
Notes
- Cream the butter and sugar together well. It’s important that the powdered sugar dissolves completely into the butter during that first step. I suggest using a stand mixer for this, but you can also use a hand-held mixer if needed.
- Avoid overmixing the dough. If the shortbread cookie dough is mixed too much, the gluten in the flour will be overworked, and the cookies will become hard and tough. After adding the flour, mix the dough until it’s just combined.
- Chilling should not be necessary. I found that these cookies baked up wonderfully without chilling the dough. But, if it’s particularly hot in your kitchen today, you may want to chill the dough for an hour or so before baking.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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