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–+ servings
Lemon shortbread cookies. Beautiful, buttery shortbread cookies, packed with zingy lemon flavour are dipped in a bright lemon glaze and sprinkled with more lemon zest for all the luscious lemon flavour! Recipe by movers and bakers
5 from 7 votes

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Experience the perfect balance of buttery richness and zesty freshness with these easy lemon shortbread cookies. Whether you’re looking for a light summer dessert or a simple handmade gift, these zesty lemon biscuits are a foolproof bake that requires just a handful of pantry staples.
Servings 18 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the lemon shortbread cookies

  • 130 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
  • 2 lemons, zest only (more if you want it zingier!)
  • 260 g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 390 g (2 ¾ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour

For the lemon glaze and decoration

  • 100 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • lemon zest, to decorate

Instructions

For the lemon shortbread cookies

  • Line the baking trays with parchment paper, then set them aside.
  • 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.
    130 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar, 2 lemons, zest only (more if you want it zingier!), 260 g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 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.
    390 g (2 ¾ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 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.
  • 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

  • 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.
    100 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted, 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 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 zest, to decorate

Video

Notes

  • 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.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 232kcal
    Course: Dessert, Snacks
    Cuisine: British, Scottish
    Keyword: Buttery Lemon Cookies, Easy Shortbread Recipe, Eggless lemon biscuits, Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Lemon shortbread with lemon glaze, Lemon Zest Biscuits, No-spread shortbread cookies

    Nutrition

    Calories: 232kcal