Best Lemon Shortbread Recipes

LEMON-BUTTER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift or whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl.
• Place butter in a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until very creamy. Add confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and flour mixture; mix until well combined.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are light brown on the bottom but still very light on top, about 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• Whisk melted butter and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add lemon zest and whisk again. Whisk in confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time. Add more lemon juice if necessary for a thin consistency.
• Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and transfer to a wire rack placed over waxed paper or parchment paper. Allow cookies to sit until glaze has set, about 2 hours.
• Store cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

ROSEMARY-LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly butter the foil and sides of the pan.
• Pulse the sugar with the lemon zest and rosemary in a food processor until well combined. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and reserve.
• Add the butter, salt and vanilla to the food processor with the sugar and pulse until combined. Add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. (After the last addition, you may need to stir and scrape down the sides of the food processor to incorporate all of the flour.) Continue to pulse until a dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking pan and press it evenly into the pan. Poke the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle it with the reserved sugar.
• Bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is golden, about 25 minutes. As soon as it's out of the oven, use a bench scraper or knife to cut the shortbread into 1-by-3-inch cookies. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies using the foil as handles. Cool completely on a rack.
• For the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in 1 tablespoon water or more for the desired thickness.
• Drizzle the icing over the cookies and allow to set, or serve the icing alongside to dip or drizzle upon serving.

LEMON & ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Combine the flour, rosemary and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Shape into two 12-in. rolls; wrap each in plastic. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla. Combine the flour, cornstarch, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. (Dough will be crumbly.) Shape into a ball., On a lightly floured surface, press dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-in. fluted cookie cutter; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick cookies with a fork. Reroll scraps if desired. , Bake until firm, 12-15 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely. , Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice; drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container.

ROSEMARY-LEMON SHORTBREAD SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, mix flour, rosemary and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Using a floured 7/8-in. round cookie cutter, cut out the centers of half of the cookies. Place solid and window cookies 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake until set, 9-11 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., To serve, spread lemon curd on bottoms of solid cookies; top with window cookies. If desired, top with additional rosemary and confectioners' sugar.

LEMON ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, salt, lemon zest, and finely chopped rosemary.
• Beat together the butter and sugar.
• Combine butter and flour mixtures.
• Gather dough together and form into a log.
• Wrap dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Remove dough from wrap and slice 1/4 inch thick disks
• Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned around edges.
• Mix icing ingredients together forming a thick paste (about the consistency of runny glue)
• Spoon icing onto cooled cookie and spread to the edge with the back of the spoon.

SHORTBREAD LEMON TART

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and orange zest. Whisk in butter until smooth. Set aside. , For crust, pulse first 6 ingredients in a food processor until mixture forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. , Pour lemon mixture into crust. Bake until center is almost set, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and, if desired, fresh raspberries.

EASY MINI LEMON TARTS WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, eggs, flour, and lemon zest for filling together in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
• Combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt for crust in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until the dough begins to come together in a ball.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, placing dough portions in each well of a nonstick 6-well mini tart pan. Press dough over the bottom of each well and up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until mini tarts reach room temperature.

LEMON SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in upper third. Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Gradually add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in lemon zest and juice.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined.
• Halve dough, and shape into disks. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch fluted cutter. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Bake until pale golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

SHORTBREAD LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, and lemon and orange zest. Add butter; cover and process until mixture forms a ball. , Pat into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake until set and the edges are lightly browned, 12-14 minutes. , In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Pour over hot crust. Bake until set and lightly browned, 14-16 minutes. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Spread over filling. , Bake until topping is set, 7-9 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into bars just before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until combined. Blend in lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla.
• Stir flour and salt into butter mixture. Transfer mixture to waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log (for slicing cookies) or shape into a disk (for using cutters); wrap dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cutter and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. (Or slice cookies and arrange on baking sheets). Gather and reroll dough scraps.
• Bake in preheated oven until edges are pale golden, but not browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 2 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool completely.

LEMON & GINGER SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and grease a 22cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin. Put the butter in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until soft. Beat in the sugar, then stir in the lemon zest and ginger.
• Stir in the flour and work with your hands to form a soft dough. Tip into the tin and press into an even, flat layer with your fingers. Prick all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 40 mins until pale gold. Cut into wedges then leave to cool completely in the tin. Remove from the tin and dust with caster sugar to serve.

SHORTBREAD THUMBPRINT COOKIES WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Combine butter, sugar, and almond extract for cookies in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour, a little at a time. Mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie with your thumb or a spoon.
• Bake in the preheated oven, 9 to 10 minutes. Add about 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd to each indentation and continue to bake until edges are golden, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let stand for 1 minute on the cookie sheets then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• While cookies are cooling, beat powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract for glaze together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

LEMON POSSET WITH SUGARED-ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Make the posset first. Put the cream in a big saucepan with the sugar and gently heat, stirring, until the sugar has melted. Bring to a simmer and bubble for 1 min. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Divide between pots or bowls, cool to room temperature, then carefully cover and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 24 hrs.
• To make the shortbread, heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Whizz the butter and flour together in a food processor until no lumps of butter remain (or rub together with your fingertips). Tip into a bowl and stir in the sugar, ground rice and almonds. Line the base of a roughly 22cm square tin with baking parchment. Tip in the mixture and press it down firmly, making it as flat as you can. Dredge with more sugar and bake for 25-30 mins until pale golden. Cool in the tin.
• Cut the shortbread into shards and serve with the possets and little spoons.

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH LEMON-ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the center position, without any racks above it.
• Place the cookies in a food processor; pulse to the texture of sand. Add the crushed cookies to a 10-inch springform pan and pour in the melted butter. Using your hands, mix together the cookie crumbs and butter until they are completely combined and hold together when pinched. Firmly press the cookie crust into the bottom of the pan. Press down on the crust with the bottom of a cup to ensure it is tightly packed.
• Bake the crust for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and let cool. When the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap it in foil three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan--this will prevent any water from getting into the cheesecake while it is baked in a water bath.
• For the cheesecake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Slowly turn the mixer up to medium-high speed; continue to mix for 2 minutes, until the ingredients are completely combined and smooth.
• Set aside 1/4 cup of the lemon curd and reserve it for the topping. With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining lemon curd into the cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and spread it evenly, making sure to flatten the top. Gently tap the pan a few times on a flat surface to even out the mixture.
• Use the reserved lemon curd to make a fun design in the top of the cheesecake. For instance, you can dollop 15 small dots, about a heaping 1/2 teaspoon each, around the border of the cake and then 6 small dots towards the center of the cake and 1 dot directly in the center. Drag a skewer around the center of the first ring of dots to pull the lemon curd into a teardrop shape. Repeat with the interior circle of lemon curd drops.
• Place the foil-lined springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a pudding-like jiggle. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before removing the pan from the water bath. Let the cheesecake sit another 30 minutes. While the cheesecake is still warm, run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then release the sides of the pan. (If you do this after the cheesecake has cooled completely, the cake may tear slightly.) Let the cheesecake cool completely before slicing and serving. Refrigerate any cheesecake not being served immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the foil and sides of the pan with butter.
• In a food processor, pulse the sugar with the lemon zest and rosemary until well combined. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and reserve.
• Add the butter, vanilla and salt to the food processor with the sugar and pulse until combined. Add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. After the last addition, you may have to stir and scrape down the sides of the food processor to help incorporate all of the flour. Continue to pulse until the dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out into the prepared baking pan and press it in evenly. Poke the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle it with the reserved sugar.
• Use a knife to cut the dough into approximately 3-by-1-inch rectangles (or whichever shape you prefer). Bake until golden brown at the edges and golden in the center, about 25 minutes. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a bench scraper or knife to re-cut the lines of the cookies. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies with the foil and cool completely on a rack.

CRANBERRY LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and lemon zest.
• Combine flour, salt and cranberries. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture, blending until smooth. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes (not included in prep time). to make it easier to handle.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/2-inch (1 cm) thickness.
• Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutter or knife. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake until lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minute
• Cool completely on wire rack.
• Icing:.
• Mix icing sugar and cranberry juice to form a pale pink icing. Keep covered until ready to use. Once cookies have cooled, decorate each cookie with icing and allow to firm up.

LEMON CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In medium bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Gradually add flour and cornmeal, beating just until blended. Divide dough in half. On waxed paper or plastic wrap, shape half of dough into 6-inch square. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.
• Heat oven to 325°F. On lightly floured surface, cut each square of dough into 6 rows by 3 rows. On ungreased cookie sheets, place rectangles about 1 inch apart. Prick with fork.
• Bake 17 to 19 minutes or until set and edges begin to brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

LEMON & RASPBERRY MOUSSE WITH PISTACHIO & GINGER SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. For the shortbread, butter a 20cm shallow cake or tart tin. Whisk the butter and sugar together until pale and well-combined, then fold in both gingers, the pistachios and a pinch of salt. Sift in the flour and knead to a soft dough in the bowl. Tip into the tin and press the mixture into the base in an even layer.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until pale golden and dry-looking. Cut the shortbread into slices or wedges while hot, then leave to cool in the tin - it will firm up as it cools. Sprinkle with the ½ tbsp caster sugar.
• To make the mousse, whip the double cream, lemon zest, lemon curd and yogurt in a bowl with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Spoon into small serving glasses or ramekins and chill.
• Mash half the raspberries with the icing sugar using a fork, or purée in a small blender along with any defrosting juices to make a coulis. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
• To serve, spoon the coulis over the mousses, garnish with the remaining raspberries and serve with the shortbread wedges alongside.

LEMON SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Make Classic Shortbread dough, beating 1 teaspoon lemon zest with the butter. Mix 2 cups confectioners' sugar with the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Spread over the finished shortbread and sprinkle with yellow decorating sugar. Slice into squares.

LEMON POPPY-SEED SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the zest and the vanilla, add the poppy seeds, the flour, and the salt, and beat the mixture until it is just combined. Press the mixture evenly into a buttered 8-inch-square baking pan and bake it in the middle of a preheated 300°F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is pale golden. Let the shortbread cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, cut it into 24 bars, and let the bars cool completely in the pan. Sprinkle the bars with the additional confectioners' sugar.