Lemon Shortbread Cookies

5 from 12 votes

These Lemon Shortbread Cookies are sweet and bursting with bright lemon flavor.

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Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 70kcal

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

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 ½ 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.

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 ½ 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.