Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Lemon shortbread cookies are made with a handful of simple ingredients. Fresh lemon zest gives these cookies a punch of bright flavor.

Shortbread cookies originated in Scotland during the 16th century. In the United States, Walkers is among the most popular and most commonly available Scottish shortbread. Shortbread was originally made with oats, but most of today’s shortbreads are made with wheat flour.

The classic round shape with fluted edges are meant to represent the sun and its shining rays. Here’s a delicious springtime inspired treat- lemon shortbread wedges!

The shortbread cookie dough is flavored with freshly grated lemon zest. After baking, it’s drizzled with a sweet lemon glaze.These lemon shortbread wedges melt in your melt. They’re crumbly, slightly sweet, and perfect with a a cup of coffee or tea!

Ingredients

Very few ingredients are needed to make shortbread cookies. As such, it’s important to use high quality ingredients. Use the good butter for this. Much of the flavor comes from the butter and lemon zest.

This recipe works with all citrus fruits. Try lime zest, orange zest, or grapefruit zest. Or, use a mixture of different citrus zest! Or, try it with ground nuts like these pecan shortbread cookies.

How to Zest Citrus Fruit

The peels of citrus (such a lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit) are rich in aromatic oils. These oils add bright flavor to baked goods and beverages.

When possible, opt for organic fruit for zesting. This is because pesticides often accumulate in the peel of the fruit. Otherwise, be sure to thoroughly scrub the citrus under hot water before use.

There are several ways to zest: peel in wide strips, thin ribbons, or fine gratings. Use a grater with tiny small holes for finely grated zest used in this recipe. (Recommended graters: classic microplane and fine grater.)

Rub the finely grated lemon zest into the granulated sugar. This helps to extract the lemon oils from the peel. It results with a bright, more flavorful finish.

NOTE: Be sure to avoid cutting into the white pith of the citrus. The pith is bitter and not pleasant tasting.

Assembly

1. Use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to combine dough.
2. The shortbread dough will form large clumps. Dump it into a 9-inch fluted tart shell pan.
3. Use your fingers or the flat bottom of drinking glass to press dough into an even layer.
4. TIP: Use a small piece of parchment paper to smooth out the shortbread dough!
5. Use the tines of a fork to dock the dough all over.
6. Bake just until the shortbread cookie begins to color. It is better to err on the side of under-baked versus over-baked.

Cut Shortbread While Warm

Carefully unmold shortbread from tart shell pan. Then, place on a cutting board.Use a sharp knife to divide the 9-inch shortbread into 12 equal wedges.

To achieve clean slices, it is important to cut while the shortbread is still warm! If you wait too long, the shortbread will cool and firm up. Room temperature shortbread will likely crumble and fall apart when you try to slice it.

A good rule of thumb, let the shortbread cool for 10-15 minutes. It will still be warm to the touch and easy to handle.

Quick Lemon Glaze

The simple glaze is a mixture of powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’s sugar), fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a touch of hot water.

For added flavor, try adding finely grated lemon zest. A drop of culinary lemon oil or a splash of lemon extract is another great way to incorporate flavor.

Unique Shortbread Recipes

• Black sesame shortbread cookies with hibiscus glaze
• Parmesan shortbread with caraway seeds
• Surprise pecan shortbread