Lemon Shortbread Cookies (5 ingredients)
This 5-ingredient recipe makes a delicate, crisp cookie with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and subtle lemon flavor. Each one is drizzled with a zesty powdered sugar glaze. The unbaked dough can be frozen for a month, and the baked cookies keep well for a week.
Servings 24 small
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour cake flour also works
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Extra lemon zest to decorate
Instructions
- Use a bowl and spatula, an electric beater, or a stand mixer. If using the last two, make sure you beat at the lowest speed.
For the cookies:
- Mix soft butter with powdered sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the grated zest and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Add the flour and salt. Do it in 2 parts, partially mixing the first before adding the second part. This will help integrate everything better.
- Don’t over mix at this point. We don’t want to overwork the dough after the flour is added as it will make the cookies tough.
- The final cookie dough is soft, pliable, and smooth.
- Wrap in plastic wrap or freezer sheets and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven at 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready a buttered baking sheet. Or line it with parchment paper.
- Roll the cold dough on a lightly floured surface. If too cold, wait 15 minutes and see how it goes. Don’t let it come to room temperature or anything like it; it should be cold but able to be rolled.
- As you roll, make ¼ turns and make sure it’s not sticking to the surface. You can also turn it over once during rolling.
- Roll it between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick.
- Cut shapes with your chosen cookie cutter or cutters and place on the prepared cookie sheet leaving an inch or so between them.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes, turning the sheet front to back at mid baking.
- Watch closely after 6-7 minutes as these cookies bake quickly. They should be dry and barely colored.
- Let cool completely on a wire cooling rack before glazing.
For the glaze:
- Mix the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice until well mixed.
- Keep adding lemon juice until it's thin as maple syrup and completely smooth.
- Put the cookies on a wire rack on a clean surface, like the kitchen counter.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and let them drip down. You can collect the drips before they dry and use them again.
- Sprinkle with some lemon zest if you want, let the glaze dry, and eat.
- Baked cookies, before glazing, keep in a metal tin or tight cookie jar for a week or more.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Lemon flavor: it takes quite a lot of zest and juice to make the lemon flavor shine. You can add pure lemon extract (start with a few drops so you don't over do it) to the cookie dough or the glaze for an extra boost.
Refrigeration time: it's essential that you refrigerate the dough for 1 hour (at least) before rolling and baking. It will help the cookies keep their shape and achieve that 'short' quality that will make them snap when you bite them.
Large batch: you can easily double or triple this recipe. Divide into two pieces (or three if making a lot of cookie dough) so you roll it a piece at a time and don't worry about it losing temperature.
Freezing: it keeps well frozen for a month. Maybe more. Always well wrapped. Check out our Freezer Baking guide with more tips.
