Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These Lemon Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, rich, lightly sweetened, and bright with lemon flavor! Enjoy the cookies, plain or topped with creamy and refreshing lemon icing.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Instructions

Making the Dough

Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer. Instead of a stand mixer, you can use a hand-held electric mixer.
Cream the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment, initially at low speed and then at medium to high speed, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
Turn the mixer to low, add flour, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough should be soft and hold its shape but not sticky or crumbly.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and, with your hands, form it into a disk. Roll out the dough to ¼ inches thick. If it seems too sticky, lightly dust it with flour.
Place the rolled dough on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cutting the Dough

Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge and cut it with a desired cookie cutter. (I used a 2¼-inch cookie cutter). Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Refrigerate the shaped cookies and chill for 15 minutes.

Baking the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes or until they are dry to the touch and lightly golden around the edges. If your cookies are smaller than 2 inches, keep an eye on them after the 10-minute baking time.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Making the Lemon Icing

Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream or milk in a bowl and whisk to a smooth consistency.
The consistency should be slightly thicker and spreadable. So, adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or cream.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread the icing on top. Top the icing with lemon zest if you prefer.

Storing Suggestions

Store the cookies without icing in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.
Once you ice the cookies, let the icing entirely set on the cookies. It will take 1 to 2 hours for icing to dry. Then, store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer.

Notes

Measuring: For the best results, measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. If using the cup method, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with a knife.
Dough: Do not overwork the dough; otherwise, it will end up in dense and crumbly cookies.
Make Ahead: You can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.
Cookie Shape: You can cut the dough with any of your favorite cookie cutters.
Yield: This recipe yields 12 cookies with a 2¼-inch cookie cutter. You can easily scale up the recipe for a large batch of cookies.

Nutrition (Approximate Values)

Calories : 181kcalCarbohydrates : 26gProtein : 1gFat : 8gSaturated Fat : 5gPolyunsaturated Fat : 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat : 2gTrans Fat : 0.3gCholesterol : 22mgSodium : 51mgPotassium : 17mgFiber : 0.3gSugar : 16gVitamin A : 254IUVitamin C : 1mgCalcium : 5mgIron : 0.5mg

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Ingredients

For the Cookies

For the Lemon Icing