Best Lemon Thyme Shortbread Recipes

LEMON THYME SHORTBREAD COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, McCormick® Vanilla Extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and mix until fully combined, about 3 minutes.
• Add the flour, salt, and McCormick® Dried Thyme Leaves, and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and use the parchment to roll the dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice the log crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Place the dough rounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
• Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
• Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing or spread the icing over the cookies, then return to the wire rack. Zest the lemon lightly over each cookie. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

THYME, LEMON, AND SEA-SALT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Stir the flour, salt, lemon peel, and thyme together in a medium bowl. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms. Blend the lightly beaten egg, egg yolks, and water together. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture for brushing.
• Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the remaining egg mixture and blend together with your hands without kneading the dough together; the dough will look a bit crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough together once or twice, just until it sticks together. Press the dough into a 1-inch disc, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate until firm, about 1/2 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place it on a floured work surface. Press the dough into a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a larger 10-by-7-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough in half, forming two 5-by-7-inch pieces. Using a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Carefully place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet leaving a little room between each cookie. Brush the tops with the reserved egg mixture and sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top. Gently press the salt into the surface of each cookie so it does not fall off. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

LEMON-THYME SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F in a large bowl stir together flour, powdered sugar, cornmeal, thyme, and lemon peel. Drizzle with honey; do not stir. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Knead dough until smooth; shape into a ball.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, pat mixture into a 9-inch square. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut into desired shapes; do not separate. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 24 to 30 minutes or until bottom starts to brown and center is set.
• Remove from oven. While warm, remove shortbread. Cool completely on cookie sheet on a wire rack. If desired, drizzle honey over each cookie before serving and garnish with thyme sprigs. Makes 36 servings.
• To Store: Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

THYME AND LEMON SAVOURY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, salt, lemon zest and thyme.
• Rub in the butter with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb-like consistency.
• Using a wooden spoon, beat in the egg and yolks (reserve a small amount of beaten egg for brushing).
• Knead a couple of times then wrap and place in the fridge for half an hour.
• Unwrap and roll out until half an inch thick. Cut into whatever shape you wish - the traditional is strips.
• Use a fork to brick the tops of the biscuits, then brush with the remaining egg and sprinkle generously with the sea salt.
• Place in a pre-heated oven at 350F until golden (about 20 minutes). Turn out onto a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

LEMON-THYME SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add thyme and lemon zest, beating well.
• 2. In another large bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch and salt. Add to butter mixture, beating at medium-low speed combine. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 3. Roll dough into 3 (1 1/2 inch thick) logs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 5 days. (Dough may be frozen for up to a month.)
• 4. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 5. Bake until lightly golden, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store in an air tight container.
• 6. Cut shortbread dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place on prepared baking sheets.
• 7. VARIATIONS: Lavender Shortbread--substitute thyme with 2 tablespoons fresh lavender chopped. While I have used both rosemary and lavender, I chose not to combine them in one cookie, instead making two batches, each with a different flavor. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you may want to try tarragon, lemon balm, or even basil as your herb of choice in this recipe.

THYME, LEMON, AND SEA SALT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir the flour, salt, lemon peel, and thyme together. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms.
• In a small bowl, blend the lightly beaten egg, egg yolks, and water together. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture for brushing.
• Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the remaining egg mixture and blend together with your hands without kneading the dough together. The dough will look a bit crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough together once or twice, just until it sticks together. Press the dough into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate until firm, about 1/2 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
• Remove the shortbread dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place it on a floured work surface. Press the dough into a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a larger 10-by-7-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut the shortbread dough in half, forming two 5-by-7-inch pieces. Using a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Carefully place the shortbreads on the prepared baking sheet leaving a little room between each cookie. Brush the tops with the reserved egg mixture and sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top. Gently press the salt into the surface of each shortbread.
• Bake until the shortbreads are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Store the shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Originally published October 13, 2009.