Name: Buttery Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 30 cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Flour; 1 tsp Baking Powder; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature; 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar; 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar; Lemon Zest (from 1 small lemon); 1 1/2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice; 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 cup Powdered Sugar; 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice; 1/2 tbsp Milk

If lemon desserts are your favorite, these Lemon Shortbread Cookies are a treat you have to bake! They melt in your mouth, with buttery, soft centers and just the right amount of lemon flavor. They're topped with a simple lemon glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest. You won't be able to stop at one!

Lemon iced and plain lemon shortbread cookies garnished with lemon zest on white parchment paper.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These delicious Lemon Shortbread Cookies are adapted from my popular Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies recipe!

This recipe calls for only 8 ingredients (no eggs needed!), makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies (using a 1 tablespoon-size cookie scoop), and is great plain or with a simple lemon glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest!

These thick, buttery soft cookies couldn't be easier to make, and your friends and family will love them. Enjoy!

Lemon shortbread cookies with center cookie cut in half with sliced lemon on white background.

What You'll Need

You'll need the following ingredients to make these homemade lemon shortbread cookies. The bulleted items are the key ones that need a little extra explanation.

Ingredients in various size bowls labeled as salt, baking powder, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, light brown sugar, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, and unsalted butter on a white marbled background.

Unsalted Butter. Use whichever unsalted butter you like, but I suggest a high-fat brand with 82%-85% butterfat. I used Kerrygold, though Plugrá, Minerva, Cabot, Vermont Creamery, and Vital Farms are good options too.
Powdered Sugar. This gives the lemon shortbread a lovely, tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Lemon Juice and Zest. I prefer fresh lemons over bottled juice, since you'll use both the juice and the zest. Fresh lemons also taste better!
Baking Powder. Classic shortbread has no leavening, but this version does. The small amount gives the cookies a bit of lift so they're less dense.

That's right, this lemon shortbread cookie recipe uses zero eggs! Leaving the egg out gives you a slightly crisp, crumbly texture.

For quantities and instructions, see the recipe card below.

Directions

Here's a quick overview of how to make these melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread cookies. The full printable recipe, which works with US customary or metric measurements, is in the recipe card below.

Whisked all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a large glass mixing bowl on a grey marbled background.

Step 1. Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. I like to do this in a separate bowl.

Whisked unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large glass mixing bowl on a grey marbled background.

Step 2. Beat the wet ingredients. This means the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Wet and dry lemon shortbread cookie ingredients mixed together in a large glass bowl on a grey marbled background.

Step 3. Combine the dry and wet mixtures.

Scoops of lemon shortbread cookie dough on a white parchment paper lined baking sheet using a cookie scoop.

Step 4. Scoop the dough and roll it into balls. I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop.

Lemon shortbread cookie dough with flattened tops using the bottom of a glass bowl.

Step 5. Flatten each cookie. I pressed with the bottom of a glass that I kept dipping in all-purpose flour so the cookies wouldn't stick to it.

Just baked lemon shortbread cookies on a white parchment paper lined baking sheet on a grey marbled background.

Step 6. Bake the cookies at 300ºF for 15-20 minutes. 18 minutes worked well for me. While one tray baked, I kept the rest of the dough chilled in the refrigerator.

Lemon shortbread cookies cooling on a wire cooling rack on a grey marbled background.

Step 7. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

Topping lemon shortbread cookies on a wire cooling rack with lemon glaze using a spoon.

Step 8. Glaze the cookies. Either dip them into the glaze or spoon it on, as shown. Set them on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath so any extra glaze can drip off.

Storage

Keep the lemon shortbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or up to 4 months in the freezer. If they're glazed, let the glaze dry fully before storing. I suggest layering the glazed lemon cookies with sheets of parchment or wax paper.

Plate full of lemon shortbread cookies surrounded by a lemon themed cloth napkin, lemons, and glass of milk on a white background.

Helpful Tips

Here are three tips for making the best lemon shortbreads!

Number of lemons. You'll need 2 small lemons (around 200 grams total), 1 for the cookies and the other for the glaze. If you skip the glaze, you only need 1 small lemon.

Chilling the dough. If you're baking on smaller cookie sheets one batch at a time, keep the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready for the next batch.

In my kitchen, when the weather gets warmer, I've noticed the dough spreads more in the oven if it sits out at room temperature while I bake several batches.

Lemon glaze. You can enjoy these cookies without the glaze, which is simply powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a little milk, but they're truly something special together. Seriously.

If you try this Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!