Lemon Shortbread Cookies

If you have been on the hunt for lemon shortbread cookies recipes, your search is now over! Today I am sharing with you the only lemon shortbread cookies recipe you will need! Wonderfully lemony, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies, topped with a zingy lemon glaze. Trust me, this one is the ultimate recipe for lemon shortbread cookies, everyone loves them!

What is the difference between English shortbread and Scottish shortbread?

There is none! Shortbread is a traditional Scottish bake, and has been adopted and used in England and all around the world by many!

What is the difference between butter cookies and shortbread?

As with the difference between the meaning of biscuits in different parts of the world, so is there with shortbread, butter cookies and sugar cookies! Here is my definition of them:

Shortbread: a traditional Scottish bake, made with basic ingredients of flour, butter and sugar using the proportions of 3-2-1. That is, three parts flour, two parts butter and one part sugar combined make a basic shortbread recipe. Please note that traditional shortbread is a totally egg free bake.

Sugar cookies: this is similar to shortbread but with the addition of eggs and normally a little more sugar in the recipe. In the UK, we would call these biscuits. This dough can be rolled, cut and shaped more easily, and can make biscuits or cookies that have a firmer texture and more of a snap than cookies.

Butter cookies: these are firm and brittle when baked, in other words they snap and do not bend. But the key thing with butter cookies is that the dough is much softer and is piped rather than rolled and stamped out like the other two. Think Viennese whirls or other biscuits that are piped into shape, then chilled until firm before being baked.

Reasons why you’ll love this easy lemon shortbread cookies recipe

• Basic ingredients only. You only need butter, sugar and flour alongside lemons to make this lemon shortbread cookie recipe. Since these are staple pantry ingredients in most homes, you can probably make this any time the craving hits!
• No fancy gadgets required. This lemon shortbread can be made entirely by hand.
• Wonderful lemony flavour. These shortbread lemon cookies are zingy and fresh, with a wonderful simple to make icing glaze.
• Great for gifting or part of a Holiday Cookie Box. Lemon shortbreads make for fabulous edible gifting, brilliant for special occasions, festivals or just because!

Lemon shortbread cookies ingredients

• Caster sugar: for sweetness in this lemon shortbread recipe.
• Lemons: the star of this bake! I love using fresh lemons when baking, but remember to zest them before you juice for a much easier and stress-free bake!
• Butter: I use unsalted butter, so the lemon shortbread cookies are not salty.
• Flour: I use plain (all purpose) flour to make this lemon shortbread biscuit. Do not use self raising flour, as we want the shortbread not to rise and be puffy.
• Icing (powdered) sugar: gives sweetness to the lemon glaze.

What equipment do I need to make lemon shortbread cookies?

• Parchment/baking paper: to line the tins before baking the shortbread in them.
• Baking tray*: to chill and then bake the lemon shortbread cookies on. I would recommend at least couple of baking trays so you can chill the shortbread and bake on the same trays.
• Digital kitchen scales*: I provide all my measurements in cups too, however I would encourage all bakers to weigh out ingredients using weighing scales when baking. A set of digital kitchen scales is so useful and totally an essential baking tool for me.
• Measuring spoons*: a set of measuring spoons is essential for any baker. This is because these are more accurate than using everyday teaspoons and tablespoons, which can vary greatly in size.
• Mixing bowl*: used to make the lemon shortbreads dough in.
• Zester*: to get all that beautiful, deliciously flavourful zest off the lemons!
• Handheld electric mixer*: a useful tool to make life easier in the kitchen! You can, of course, make this whole recipe entirely by hand. But it will be quite the workout for your arm!
• Sieve*: useful to remove lumps from dry ingredients before blending everything together.
• Rolling pin*: for rolling out the lemon shortbread dough evenly. If you do not have a rolling pin, you can get creative! A tall glass or even a wine bottle works well too!
• Lemon squeezer*: makes getting the juice from the lemons a breeze!
• Cooling rack*: to place the baking tray on once out of the oven.

How to make easy lemon shortbread cookies

These lemon shortbread biscuits are so so easy to make, just beat the ingredients together to form a dough, then chill before baking. Once baked, make a simple lemon glaze to dip or pour over the shortbread cookies before leaving to set. Done!

For the lemon shortbread cookies

Step 1: Line the baking trays with parchment paper, then set them aside.

Step 2: Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Zest the lemons directly into the bowl with the sugar. This allows not only the flavourful zest to fall directly into the bowl, but any of the oils of the fruit will also bring beautiful flavour to the lemon shortbreads. Mix to combine. Add the butter into the lemon sugar bowl and beat it all together until smooth, light and creamy.

Step 3: Sift the flour into the bowl and beat again until the mixture is starting to clump together. Tip it out onto a clean work surface and squeeze it all, just to bring it together. Flatten it a little, then roll it out evenly to about ½” thickness.

Step 4: Using a cookie cutter or just a knife, cut the shortbread dough into evenly sized rectangles (or any other shape you wish). My rectangles were cut without a cutter and measure 3″ x 1½”. Place the shortbread rectangles on the prepared baking trays, making sure to space them out a little. Put the baking trays in the fridge to chill the shortbread for 30 minutes.

Step 5: About 15 minutes before you want to bake, turn the oven on to 180C/350F to preheat it. Once hot, bake the chilled shortbread biscuits for 8-10 minutes until the top looks dry and the edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays.

For the lemon glaze and decoration

Step 1: Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl to remove any lumps. Squeeze in enough lemon juice to make a thick glaze that drops lazily from a spoon.

Step 2: Dip a corner of a cooled lemon shortbread cookie into the lemon glaze. Use a spoon to help spread it evenly if you wish. Lay the shortbread bar back on the cooling rack, then zest some additional lemon zest over the cookies and leave to set. Enjoy!

Lemon shortbread cookies tips

Below I share all the top tips I can think of, including potential problems, to help you make the perfect lemon shortbread biscuits.

How can you tell when shortbread is cooked?

If you are wondering what shortbread should look like when it’s done baking, it will go from looking a little wet on top when baking to looking dry. The edges of the lemon shortbread cookies will be just beginning to turn golden, and when lightly pressed the shortbread will still be soft. It firms up as it cools, to a wonderful buttery crumbly biscuit.

Why is my shortbread dough too crumbly? How can I fix it?

If you find the recipe results in a dry dough, no need to fret! Simply add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to the lemon shortbread cookie dough and squeeze to bring it together. Then continue to roll and shape as before.

Should shortbread dough be kneaded or not?

Shortbread dough, like shortcrust pastry, should not be kneaded when bringing it together. Instead, squeeze to bring together into one larger dough, then roll and cut immediately before leaving to chill and baking. Kneading the lemon shortbread cookies before rolling and shaping is more likely to give you a tough biscuit rather than the beautiful texture we want in these lemon shortbread cookies.

Why does shortbread spread when baked?

Traditional shortbread recipes use a lot of butter. This is fabulous as it gives the shortbread that wonderful, melt in your mouth texture everyone loves about this unique bake. However, the downside is that butter does melt when exposed to high temperatures, and so can result in flatter, more spread out shortbread cookies. To combat this, I would highly recommend chilling the dough once cut and shaped but before baking. This will allow the butter to firm up again, so when it is baked it will allow the shape of the biscuit to set before the cookie spreads too much.

How to store these shortbread cookies

Once baked, cooled and decorated, these lemon shortbread cookies should be stored in a cool spot in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. I would recommend eating shortbread within 3-4 days of baking them, or they will start to go soft.

Can I freeze these lemon shortbread cookies?

Yes! I would recommend freezing the baked shortbread undecorated, adding the glaze later once you defrost it. You can also freeze the shortbread dough before baking.

To freeze the shortbread dough, simply wrap it tightly in cling film (cling wrap) and place it in a freezer bag or freezer safe container. The dough can be frozen for up to three months. To bake, simply thaw the dough in the fridge overnight or on the worktop for a few hours before shaping, chilling and baking as per the recipe.

To freeze baked lemon shortbread cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely. Place the baked shortbread in a freezer safe air tight container. If you are stacking the shortbreads in your container, I would recommend putting a layer of parchment paper between each layer of the biscuits. The lemon shortbreads will freeze well for up to three months. To thaw, simply leave at room temperature on a cooling rack for a few hours. Defrost the lemon shortbread cookies completely before adding the lemon glaze and decoration.

Quick tips for making the best lemon shortbreads

• Zest the lemons directly into the bowl with the sugar in before mixing together. Doing this means you will also get all the beautiful, flavourful oils of the fruit in the bake too. Trust me, it really does take it to the next level!
• Mixing the lemon zest (and oils!) with the sugar before adding the butter allows the sugar to absorb more of the delicious lemon flavours and oils, giving even greater flavour to the beautiful lemon shortbread cookies.
• I use a handheld beater to mix this shortbread together but it can easily be done by hand too.
• On this occasion, I have cut these into lemon shortbread bars rather than cutting into rounds. Feel free to use any shape cutter you wish, but keep in mind you may need to adjust baking time to suit the size of the shortbread cookie.
• Sifting the icing (powdered) sugar before making the glaze makes it so much easier to mix it into a smooth, lump free icing. I like to make my glaze really quite thick, as I like it to coat one corner of my lemon shortbread cookies. However, if you wish you can make it thinner and drizzle it all over the shortbread instead. Get creative and make something beautiful!
• The additional bit of lemon zest on the lemon shortbread biscuit when decorating is totally optional. You can leave it out, or even sprinkle with some yellow sprinkles instead.

Troubleshooting

If you have any other questions about this recipe, please leave me a comment below, I would love to help. And if you do make this recipe for lemon shortbread, please do consider leaving a rating and review below. I would really appreciate your feedback to grow my website and it really helps others looking for a similar recipe too. Additionally, you could also post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world. You already know I would love to see!

More lemon recipes from my blog for you to enjoy

Do check out these other yummy recipes on my blog too:

Vegan lemon drizzle loaf cake: This cake is totally and utterly delightful! It is all the things you want in a good lemon cake! It is light and fluffy and is packed with plenty of lemon flavour. Plus it is totally vegan. Heavenly!

Lemon curd tarts: A delightfully joyful bake, these lemon curd tarts are sure to make you smile! A beautiful buttery mini shortcrust pastry shell filled to the brim with a bright and zingy lemon curd. The whole thing just melts in your mouth and is pure sunshine in a mouthful!

Lemon cupcakes with lemon curd: Love lemon curd? Then these cupcakes are for you! Moist lemon cupcakes filled with tangy homemade lemon curd are topped with a swirl of sweet lemon buttercream and more lemon curd drizzled on top. Totally scrumptious!

Happy baking, my friends! x

Equipment for lemon shortbread cookies *

Baking tray	Digital kitchen scales
Measuring spoons	Mixing bowl
Zester	Handheld electric mixer
Sieve	Rolling pin
Lemon squeezer	Cooling rack