Lemon
Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Now, I am a huge fan of regular shortbread cookies, but every once in a while it is nice to add a little extra to your cookies. I was looking around for a different take on this classic cookie. This lemon shortbread recipe takes the tart, fresh flavor of lemons and contrasts it beautifully with the richness of butter.
A few tips with this cookie dough. It is important to stop mixing just at the point when the dough clumps together. This prevents the cookies from becoming tough. Over mixing this dough will make it a lot denser and loose the appeal of typical shortbread cookies. Refrigerating the dough makes the cookies crumblier and helps them maintain their shape while baking. Most importantly, don’t under bake these cookies. They should be golden brown when you pull them out of the oven.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Extra sugar to sprinkle on top
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a food processor or a spice grinder to grind together the sugar and lemon zest.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, butter, salt, and baking soda and beat on low speed until it resembles cornmeal.
- Add the lemon sugar, cream, and vanilla and beat until just clumped together.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After chilling, roll out the dough ½-inch thick on a lightly floured surface
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1-inch squares.
- Place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
- Bake the cookies straight from the fridge until they are golden brown, about 10–12 minutes. Let Cool for 2-3 minutes then remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy!