These Lemon Shortbread Cookies are a delightfully sweet treat.
The buttery cookie dough is flavored with a subtle hint of lemon and topped off with an irresistible sprinkle of sugar. They are a delicious spring treat.
Lemon desserts are my favorite because they have such a bright and distinct flavor. If you love lemon desserts, give this Lemon Raspberry Loaf a try.
Jump to:
Healthy Benefits Of Lemons
I love using lemon zest in recipes because it adds a delightful burst of flavor. Plus, lemon zest adds nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium. The fiber, plant compounds and the essential oils in lemons can help lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and kidney stones.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These indulgent cookies are a delightful sweet treat, made with a rich buttery dough and delicately flavored with a hint of lemon. To finish them off, they’re rolled in sugar for an irresistible taste.
- In under 30 minutes these cookies will be ready for you to enjoy.
- They’re really easy to make, so your kids can help make them.
- As soon as the cookies start to bake, they will fill your house with a delicious aroma.
If you love fruit flavored cookies give these Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies a try.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to help you make this easy dessert recipe. All of these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store, or you might save some money by already having them on hand.
Flour: The base of these cookies is made with all-purpose flour.
Sugar: For this recipe you will need granulated sugar and powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.
Butter: I like to use unsalted butter when baking.
Oil: Vegetable oil is what I used for making these cookies.
Lemon: You will need the juice and zest of one lemon.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔀 Substitutions
Oil: You can use canola oil or melted coconut oil instead.
Butter: Salted butter can be used instead of unsalted butter.
🌈Variations / Options / Add-Ins
Here are a few ways that you can personalize this dessert recipe to your taste.
Spice: If you love a little spice in your desserts, try adding some ground ginger or cinnamon. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg for an extra special touch.
Jam: For a special treat, add some raspberry jam in the center of the cookies before baking! Just use a tablespoon to press down the cookie in the center before adding the jam.
Lemon Glaze: If you want more lemon flavor, top these cookies with a drizzle of simple glaze made with powdered sugar and lemon juice.
If you also like cookies with frosting on them, try these Lemon Cake Mix Cookies.
🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
You only need a few simple tools to help you make this recipe. Gather these tools and get ready to enjoy this sweet treat.
- cookie sheets or baking sheet
- mixing bowls
- electric mixer – hand mixer or stand mixer
🔪 How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Making these lemon tea cookies is so easy. Just follow the instructions below and you will have a sweet treat that’s full of fresh flavor in no time at all.
Step 1: Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Sift the dry ingredients
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Step 3: Cream egg and sugar
In a large bowl, cream together egg and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
Step 4: Add the butter
Add the butter to the egg mixture and beat until fluffy.
Step 5: Add powdered sugar, oil, lemon juice, zest
Mix in powdered sugar, oil, lemon juice and zest until well combined.
Step 6: Combine dry and wet ingredients
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a dough forms.
Step 7: Shape the dough into balls
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in a small bowl of granulated sugar.
Step 8: Place dough on cookie sheet
Once the cookie dough ball is coated completely in sugar, place 12 balls on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart (it’s best to bake each batch separately).
Step 9: Flatten the cookies
Use a fork to flatten each cookie, making a crisscross pattern.
Step 10: Bake the cookies
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 11: Cool the cookies
Allow the cookies to cool for 2 – 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
I love to serve these delicious cookies with a simple meal like this Snow Crab Salad or you could give this Cheeseburger Macaroni a try!
👩🍳 Pro Tips
Here are tips that you can use to make sure these cookies turn out well for you.
- Once you add the flour to the dough mixture, be careful to not overmix so that your cookies are not tough.
- When flattening the cookie dough with a fork, make sure to press down firmly so that you get a nice pattern, but leave the cookies at least 1/2 inch thick.
- Make sure to allow the cookies to cool slightly before you remove them from the pan, so that they don’t break apart.
- Fresh lemon juice really works best; to get the most juice out of a lemon, roll it gently along the counter with the palm of your hand before you juice it.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Just make sure that they are well wrapped or stored in an airtight container before adding to the freezer.
No, you could also use a silicone baking mat or just nonstick cooking spray.
🙏 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lemon Shortbread Cookies:
Ready to get cooking? Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.
📋 Recipe
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet or cookie sheet
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- fork
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar + ¼ cup in a bowl for coating
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Juice and zest of one medium-sized lemon approximately 1 tablespoon of zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream together egg and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
- Add the butter to the egg mixture and beat until fluffy.
- Mix in powdered sugar, oil, lemon juice and zest until well combined.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a dough forms.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in a small bowl of granulated sugar.
- Once the cookie dough ball is coated completely in sugar, place 12 balls on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart (it's best to bake each batch separately).
- Use a fork to flatten each cookie, making a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 2 – 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Once you add the flour to the dough mixture, be careful to not overmix so that your cookies are not tough.
- When flattening the cookie dough with a fork, make sure to press down firmly so that you get a nice pattern, but leave the cookies at least 1/2 inch thick.
- Make sure to allow the cookies to cool slightly before you remove them from the pan, so that they don’t break apart.
- Fresh lemon juice really works best; to get the most juice out of the lemon, roll it gently along the counter with the palm of your hand before you juice it.