Shortbread is that classic buttery and rich cookie and this lemon shortbread has an added delightful kick of lemon. Perfect for the lemon lover, it has a tender yet crumbly texture and this one melts in your mouth. They’re perfect with a cuppa!
- So simple to make
- Just 5 ingredients
- Great for making ahead.
- Buttery and delicious
- Perfect for gifting
Due to the buttery richness of shortbread, this shortbread cookie recipe uses a good hit of lemon zest for a gentle-yet-there lemony flavour. Working the zest into the sugar first is great for intensifying the lemon flavour too.
You’ll love these lemon curd cookies and these lemon glazed cookies too. Or try these extra special lemon meringue pie cookies.
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Ingredients
Just 5 ingredients makes this lemon shortbread so quick and easy.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is the key to super buttery shortbread. I don’t think these cookies need salt and salted butter will likely add too much of a salty flavour but use what you prefer.
- Caster sugar: While I use caster sugar (superfine sugar) in all my baking, white granulated sugar will work. Don’t use powdered sugar/ icing sugar.
- Flour: Plain flour (all purpose flour) is the main part of the dry ingredients.
- Cornflour: Known in some places as cornstarch, this is a very fine flour, or starch, often used for thickening sauces but it’s also wonderful in baking to get a soft texture. In shortbread, it gives an amazing melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- Lemon zest: Since fresh lemon juice will just add too much moisture to the dough and result in a different baked texture, we just need the lemon zest from two medium lemons. You could also swap the lemon for orange zest.
Just a touch of vanilla extract adds a warming depth of flavour if you want that, or you could add extra tang by using a little lemon extract. You could add some nuts to the dough too like pistachios or almonds.
How to make lemon shortbread
Shortbread is such a simple cookie to create and these lemon shortbread cookies are no different.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Blend sugar and zest
Start by blending lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips. A microplane is my favourite tool for zesting lemons.
2. Cream butter and sugar
Now, add the butter and beat until it’s looking light and creamy.
4. Shape
Press the lemon shortbread cookie dough into a 9 inch square baking pan or baking dish, lined with baking paper.
You don’t need to use a baking pan. You can roll the shortbread dough out with a rolling pin, and use cookie cutters to cut shapes or simply cut logs with a knife. Chill the dough first, then dust a clean work surface with a light sprinkling of flour. Cut your cookies, then transfer them to baking sheets and bake that way.
Use a knife to cut 9 rows then turn and cut 3 rows so you end up with 27 logs. Don’t move them, this is just scoring to make cutting the cookies easier after baking. Now, use a fork to prick each log 3-4 times. This is more for aesthetics than anything.
Sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of caster sugar and bake for 35 minutes. Once baked, re-cut those lines and let the lemon shortbread cool in the pan for at least 40 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack.
Tips and tricks
- Weigh your ingredients for the best results. Weighing things like flour and sugar will always give you a more accurate result than using cups. Adding too much flour can result in dry cookies. Plus, using a scale means you can measure directly into your mixing bowl and save on washing up cup measures.
- If your butter is too soft before you start, so that it’s greasy, it will mean you have a very soft dough. It will still work fine but you may find it harder to cut nice neat logs.
- If you’d like a glaze instead of sprinkling the sugar on top of the cookies, try the glaze from these lemon biscuits.
- For an even stronger lemon flavour in your lemon shortbread cookies, add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract to the mixture or use a lemon glaze as mentioned in the note above.
Storage
Since your lemon shortbread has fresh lemon zest in it, these cookies are best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. They will be fine at room temperature for a couple of days if you know you’re going to eat them quickly.
They also freeze beautifully, so you can make them up to 2 months in advance and store in the freezer in an airtight container.
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Did you try this easy lemon shortbread recipe? Show it some love in the comments section below.
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Ingredients
- 226 g unsalted butter softened (1 cup / 2 sticks)
- 105 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) (½ cup / 3 ½ oz)
- 260 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (2 cups / 9.2oz)
- 70 g cornflour (US cornstarch) (½ cup / 2 ½oz)
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar extra for dusting
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- standmixer or handheld electric beater
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan forced) / 350F. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with baking paper.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest and blend together with your fingertips until it’s like wet sand.
- Using the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat in the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour gently mixing om low until just incorporated.
- Press the cookie dough into your prepared pan in an even layer, making the top as flat as possible. If your dough is very soft, chill for 10-15 minutes before continuing.
- Use a paring knife to slice through the shortbread dough into 9 rows. Turn the pan 90 degrees and slice 3 rows so you should have 27 logs in the pan. Now use a fork to prick the tops 3-4 times.
- Sprinkle the extra caster sugar over the top, then bake for 35 minutes until just beginning to turn golden on top. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before using the knife to remove-cut those slices – don’t separate them.
- Leave to cool until firm in the pan then gently transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- All ovens vary – if you know your oven runs hotter than standard, take them out 2-3 minutes before the recipe suggest and allow them to cool to see if they crisp and cooked through.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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