Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Buttery shortbread with bright lemon flavor and a sweet and tart glaze.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (plus more for topping )
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (optional, see notes)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Lemon glaze
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Place butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender combine butter and sugar until no large chunks of butter remain.
- Add lemon zest, salt, coconut and all-purpose flour and continue using the pastry blender to combine until the mixture begins to form a dough that you can press together easily with your hands.
- Divide the dough mixture in half. Take one half and use your hands to form a ball. Then place it on a lightly floured work surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick if using cookie cutters.
- Use cutters to create shapes and use the excess dough to form a ball again and repeat the process. Then repeat with remaining 1/2 of the dough.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, use a fork to combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and pinch of salt until smooth. It should be a consistency similar to elmers glue.
- Place cookie, top-side down in the bowl of icing then gently lift it out, let excess glaze drip back into the bowl then place it on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath (there will be some drippage).
- Continue the process with the rest of the cookies. Top with extra lemon zest if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*About using coconut flour – using coconut flour is optional! If you don’t have or want to use it, just use 2 cups of all-purpose flour (total) in the recipe. I like coconut flour for the flavor and texture that it adds but they are great without it too. Something to be aware of though–the coconut flour helps the cookies keep there sharp edges when using shaped cutters like I did–so if you really want that look, its best to use coconut flour. Otherwise, you will still have a very tasty cookie!
*About using cold butter vs. room temperature butter – I start with cold butter because I use a pastry blender to combine my ingredients. And starting with it cold means the dough will be cold enough for me to start working with it as soon as its mixed. You can start with room temperature butter, use an electric mixer and then chill the dough for about an hour before rolling it out.