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Home / Recipes
25 minutes
4.32 from 87 votes
30 Comments

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

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  • 391
by: Joanna Cismaru

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Lemon Shortbread Cookies – Classic shortbread with a lemony twist. Using only 4 ingredients and festive decorations, fill your house with the wonderful aroma of Christmas just in time for the holidays.

a pile of shortbread cookies decorated for christmas

I hope you guys are baking along with me because I’ve been having loads of fun. If you enjoy baking as much as I do, let’s get it done! Today, I have for you the easiest shortbread cookie ever, and this is actually the same as my classic shortbread cookie recipe but loaded with lemon zest and lemon juice.

What Ingredients Are in Lemon Shortbread Cookies

I love these cookies because they only require 3 ingredients, flour, butter and powdered sugar, then add whatever flavorings you like, in this case lemon. If you wanted a chocolate shortbread cookies, just add some cocoa powder.

shortbread cookies, freshly cut, ready to be baked in the oven.

Normally I just cut these cookies using a knife, but being Christmas and all, I wanted to use all my fancy cookie cutters and cut out some cute shapes. You could also just pat the dough in an ungreased cookie sheet, bake them and then cut them, whatever works for you.

shortbread cookies, freshly cut, ready to be baked in the oven.

How to Bake Shortbread Cookies

These cookies bake quickly, all they need are around 12 minutes in the oven and they are done. You should have enough dough to make about 3 dozen cookies but it really all depends on how big you cut them.

Can You Freeze Shortbread Cookies

Yes, absolutely! These cookies freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place shortbread cookies in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

shortbread cookies freshly baked out of the oven

Because it’s Christmas we decided to go nuts and have some fun decorating these cookies, but you don’t have to. We decorated them with melted chocolate, white, green, red, and salted caramel, hey don’t judge.

Normally I would just ice them with some lemon icing and make them all fancy and stuff, but this was about having fun. Of course, you don’t have to decorate them at all, simply enjoy them as they are because they do have a wonderful lemon flavor.

a pile of festively decorated shortbread cookies on a cooling rack

Craving More Cookies? Try These:

  • Lemon Shortbread Cookies
  • Chocolate Sugar Cookies
  • Thumbprint Cookies
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
  • Chocolate Pecan Pie Cookies
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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side view shot of christmas decorated lemon shortbread cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

4.32 from 87 votes
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 36
Print Pin Rate
Lemon Shortbread Cookies – Classic shortbread with a lemony twist. Using only 4 ingredients and festive decorations, fill your house with the wonderful aroma of Christmas just in time for the holidays. 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups butter salted, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. If cutting out cookies with cookie cutters, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Add the butter to the bowl of your mixer and blend until smooth on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest to the mixer bowl and continue mixing on low until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and mix until well blended.
  • Pat dough into ungreased cookie sheet. Alternatively you can roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch in thickness and cut them to your desired shape. I placed parchment paper on my cookie sheet but its not necessary.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes until just done (slightly golden in color). Do not let it get brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
  • Decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles or dip them in melted chocolate.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note: Video above is for the Shortbread Cookies which is similar. This recipe basically has the addition of lemon juice and lemon zest.
You can put this dough in the fridge ahead of time if you want to bake them later. Allow the dough to warm up on the counter before rolling, to make it easier to work with.
To freeze, place shortbread cookies in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 119kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 7g (11%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Cholesterol: 20mg (7%)Sodium: 1mgPotassium: 14mgSugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 235IU (5%)Vitamin C: 0.7mg (1%)Calcium: 4mgIron: 0.5mg (3%)
Course:Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:christmas cookies, lemon shortbread cookies, shortbread cookies
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
30-Minute One-Pot Meals Cookbook by Joanna Cismaru
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Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Kathy Wong says

    December 28, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    Do you have to wait for the cookies to cool completely before cutting if baking the dough in a pan?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      December 28, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      Just for about 5 minutes or so.

      Reply
  2. Kathy Wong says

    December 28, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    Do you use a fork in the dough for decoration or is there a reason to do this (saw it on your video).If i want to make your recipe in a pan, did you use an 8″ X 8″ pan? Your lemon glaze recipe sounds great, does it dry quickly? Would sprinkling powdered sugar be good as another topping instead of glaze?
    Thanks for sharing your recipe.!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      December 28, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      It’s just for decoration. Yes, that was an 8×8 pan but that was just half the dough since the other half was used to roll out cookies. Lemon glaze does dry quite quickly. You can sprinkle powdered sugar, or you can dip them in chocolate, nutella, etc.

      Reply
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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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