Tangy-sweet and buttery, these cut-out lemon shortbread cookies are a ray of sunshine on a plate. The texture strikes a wonderful balance of crumbly, crunchy, soft, and tender. Roll out the dough and cut into your choice of shapes. Enjoy plain, topped with sparkling sugar, or dipped in an easy lemon icing that sets.
One reader, Sue, commented: “These shortbread cookies are SO delicious! I made them as is and added a few green sprinkles on top after icing. Another great recipe in my Christmas cookie baking. Thank you, Sally! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Lisa, commented: “A delicious cookie with perfect shortbread texture. Nice and buttery, and the lemon adds freshness… They were very popular and I’ll definitely make them again. ★★★★★“
Among all the holiday cookies, from spiced (molasses cookies) to rich (crinkle cookies) to sweet (Christmas sugar cookies), it’s so refreshing to have a burst of citrus in the mix.
It’s why I love these lemon crinkle cookies and these cranberry orange icebox cookies at the holidays. (Though of course you can—and should!—make these sunny lemon treats year round!!)
Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe Snapshot
- Taste: Like all shortbread cookies, the flavor is buttery and not overly sweet. Using fresh lemon zest and juice in these cookies gives them pure lemon flavor.
- Texture: Because shortbread does not require leavener or egg, the texture is uniquely crisp, yet soft and tender. This is an egg-free baking recipe.
- Ease: You only need 7 basic ingredients to make the dough. An electric mixer, a rolling pin, and cookie cutters are the main tools to have on hand. A food processor, blender, or mini chopper is key for combining the sugar and lemon zest.
- Time: The soft dough needs to chill for 3 hours before you can cut it into shapes and bake the cookies.
Some of my favorite shortbread recipes include these shortbread wedge cookies (customizable with different add-ins); sweet & salty chocolate pistachio shortbread; and slice-and-bake-style pecan shortbread & brown sugar shortbread. Today’s recipe is practically the same as my beloved shortbread cookies, which are baked in round cake pans.
For today’s version, we are flavoring it with oodles of lemon and cutting it into shapes with cookie cutters, just like we do with sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies.
7-Ingredient Lemon Shortbread Cookie Dough:
Traditional shortbread recipes are made with a 3-2-1 ratio: 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter, and 1 part sugar. Sometimes there’s vanilla and salt, too, but there’s no egg and no leavening agent. As I have tested many, many shortbread cookie recipes over the years, I’ve played around a lot with the ingredients, so you’ll notice the ratio I use is not the exact 3-2-1 of traditional shortbread.
Here’s what you need for this lemon shortbread recipe:
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll start by pulsing the sugar together with the lemon zest in a food processor, which breaks it down into a finer texture and helps infuse more flavor into the dough.
- Lemons: You need 2 fresh lemons for this shortbread recipe—we are using both the zest and the juice.
- Unsalted Butter: As the base of nearly all shortbread recipes, butter supplies these classic cookies with flavor, and gives them that uniquely buttery, melt-in-your-mouth quality. Make sure you use room-temperature butter that’s still cool to the touch. If it’s too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream and the cookies will overspread and taste dense. If you’re a beginner baker, here is a helpful tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: We’re using less than in these regular shortbread wedge cookies, because we want the lemon flavor to shine through.
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides structure and produces sturdy, yet terrifically tender shortbread cookies.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch really is the “secret” to texture success here. It keeps the cookies extra soft, tender, and light, just like it does in peppermint meltaway cookies. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too.
- Salt: A pinch of salt keeps the flavor balanced.
How to Make Cut-Out Shortbread Cookies
Start by pulsing the sugar and lemon zest together in a food processor. (I use and love this one.) This step at the beginning is key to these lemon shortbread cookies, because it 1) breaks down the sugar granules and lemon zest into a finer consistency, 2) extracts some of the oil from the lemon peel, which moistens the sugar, and 3) infuses more flavor into the dough because it is then creamed with butter (fat carries flavor).
Beautifully infused lemon sugar:
Once you have your lemon sugar, from here on you’re making an easy 1-bowl cookie dough. Cream the butter and lemon sugar together, and then add the lemon juice and vanilla.
Finally, mix in the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed to begin bringing all of the ingredients together. The dough will be crumbly at first, but then clump up as you increase the mixer speed.
Roll Out the Dough Before Chilling
This is the same order of steps as my sugar cookies recipe, and we do it this way because after chilling, the dough will be quite stiff and much more difficult to roll out.
With a floured rolling pin, roll out the soft dough onto a floured piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat. We want to keep these shortbread cookies on the thicker side, so don’t roll it too thin. Between 1/4 and 1/2 inch is great.
Pick up the parchment/baking mat with the rolled-out dough on it and place the whole thing on a baking sheet and refrigerate it. This dough needs to chill for at least 3 hours before you cut it into shapes and bake it.
The number of cookies you get out of this dough will depend on the size of your cookie cutters. The cookie cutter I used here is 2.25 inches in diameter, and I was able to get 38 cookies after re-rolling the scraps. I use a fluted-edge cookie cutter from this set.
Use a fork to gently poke indents (not holes, don’t push all the way through) in the tops of the cookies before baking. Why? This is really just for looks! Feel free to skip, especially if you plan to cover them in icing.
Optional Toppings
These lemon shortbread cookies taste great as is, but you’ll especially love them topped with a creamy, dreamy lemon icing. You can simply dip the tops of the cooled cookies in it—no piping bags or tips required. If you want to pipe intricate designs on the cookies, use royal icing and see my how to decorate sugar cookies tutorial for inspiration. You could also use cookie decorating buttercream, or lemon buttercream, or the blueberry frosting from these lemon blueberry cookies. See frosting recipes for more options.
A sprinkle of fresh lemon zest over the icing adds a little extra zing and is the perfect finishing touch on the iced cookies. The icing sets after about 1 to 2 hours, or you can speed it up a little by placing the iced cookies in the refrigerator.
OR… if you don’t plan to ice these cookies, you can add a sprinkle of coarse sugar or sanding sugar sprinkles before baking, which gives the shortbread a sparkly crunch. I usually reach for white sparkling sugar sold as sprinkles in the baking aisle.
Can I Make These With Orange or Lime Instead of Lemon?
Yes! Simply replace the lemon juice and zest with either fresh lime or orange.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 36-38 2.25-inch cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Zesty, buttery, and tangy-sweet, these cut-out lemon shortbread cookies are simply sunshine on a plate. Enjoy plain, topped with sparkling sugar, or dipped in an easy creamy lemon icing. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. Be sure to refrigerate the rolled-out dough for at least 3 hours.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional (if not icing cookies): coarse sparkling sugar, for sprinkling
Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk (any kind), heavy cream, or half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: fresh lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cookies: Place the sugar and lemon zest in a small food processor, and pulse several times (about 12–15 times) until the sugar is moistened and lemon zest is finely chopped. This step is imperative and should not be skipped.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the lemon sugar and butter together on high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt and beat on low speed for 1 minute as the mixture begins to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat until the dough clumps together, about 1–3 minutes. The dough will be thick yet soft.
- Dust a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat generously with flour. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly thick. Transfer the rolled-out dough (still on the parchment/baking mat) to a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the dough scraps and continue cutting until all is used. *Work quickly. If the dough sits out for too long and the cookies feel room-temperature or soft to the touch, refrigerate the shaped cookies for 15 minutes before baking.* If desired, use a fork to gently poke holes in the tops of the cookies (don’t push all the way through). If using (instead of icing), lightly sprinkle coarse sparkling sugar on top of the cookies. It won’t stick at first, but it will as the cookies bake.
- Bake for 14–15 minutes, until the edges are set and just starting to turn golden. If your cookies are cut smaller than 2 inches, keep an eye on them after the 10-minute mark. If your cookies are larger than 2 inches, they may take longer to bake. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the icing: In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, milk/cream, and vanilla together until smooth. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies in the icing, and let any excess drip off over the bowl before placing the cookies on a cooling rack or baking sheet to dry. Feel free to top each with fresh lemon zest while icing is still wet. The icing sets after about 1 to 2 hours, so you can easily store, stack, and transport the cookies.
- Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies can be stacked. Cover and store iced cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover and store plain cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or iced cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 2, then flatten into a disc as we do with pie crust, wrap in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disc in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 3, then chill rolled-out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes–1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking. See this post on how to freeze cookie dough for a video tutorial.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Zester | Food Processor | Citrus Juicer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Baking Sheets | 2–2.5-inch Cookie Cutter (Round or Fluted) | Cooling Rack | Whisk
- Yield: The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. I usually use a cookie cutter that is 2 and 1/4 inches in diameter. Feel free to make your cookies larger or smaller, using any shape cookie cutter.
- Pulsing Lemon Zest + Sugar in Step 1: This step is key for 3 reasons because it: 1) breaks down the sugar granules and lemon zest into a finer consistency, 2) extracts some of the oil from the lemon peel, which moistens the sugar, and 3) infuses more flavor into the dough because it is then creamed with butter (fat carries flavor). If you don’t have a food processor or a blender, you can crush the lemon zest into the sugar with a mortar and pestle, or skip this step altogether. If you skip it, expect to lose some flavor.
- Sugar on Top of the Cookies: If you do not plan to ice these cookies, you can add a sprinkle of coarse sugar or sanding sugar sprinkles before baking, which gives the shortbread a sparkly crunch. This is optional. I usually reach for white sparkling sugar sold as sprinkles in the baking aisle.
- Can I Make These Cookies With Other Citrus? Yes. Simply replace the lemon juice and zest with either fresh lime or orange.
- Can I Double the Recipe? Yes. Simply double all of the ingredients.
- More Frosting/Icing Options: If you want to pipe intricate designs on the cookies, use royal icing and see my how to decorate sugar cookies tutorial for inspiration. You could also use cookie decorating buttercream, or lemon buttercream. See frosting recipes for more options.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made 3 batches this morning.
The only thing I didn’t like was using the cookie cutter on the very chilled dough it was hard to push the cookie cutter through the dough. Next time I will cut out all the cookies chill them for 3 hours. Then bake.
I added extra lemon juice to the dough and icing…love lemon! They were great.
Great recipe .. I have fluted cutter but my fluted edge always just turns out round….no flute! I chill cutouts before ba
Hi John, is your butter starting off a bit too soft? Here’s more about what room temperature butter really means (it may be cooler than you think!). You can also try increasing the chill time before placing the cut-out dough into the oven. Hope this helps for your next batch!
Sunshine in a crisp & delicate cookie! If you love lemon, if you love shortbread, this is on point. I have no patience for rolling out dough and using cookie cutters. I use this as a slice and bake following the directions from the pecan shortbread. It worked perfectly.
I also make this as a slice-and-bake. It’s fewer steps that way!
Hi Sally! I’m interested in trying these for a friend’s birthday – do you think the addition of dried lavender would work well in these cookies? If so, how much lavender would you recommend?
Hi Cassie! You can try adding 1-2 tsp dried culinary lavender to these cookies! We’re unsure the best amount without testing it ourselves. Let us know if you give it a try – sounds lovely 🙂
I tried this out and did a half batch, had to add a little bit more flour as a result. The cookies came out delightfully buttery and lightly lemony, and I used the extra lemon sugar I ended up making by accident into lemonade. Great recipe for the late spring going into early summer vibes.
Hi Sally! Do you think we can use a cookie press of this cookie?
Hi Lily, this dough isn’t ideal for a cookie press. See our spritz cookie recipe and the recipe notes there for a lemon version. Let us know if you try it!
Hi, i tried these and the taste was great. However i was not able to get the shape well. It was spreading while baking. I even froze the left over cookies and cooked from that, still was spreading. What should i do to get them right. I really want to make them. thanks
We’re so glad you gave these a try, Umang! Make sure to start with proper room temperature butter. Here’s more tips for preventing cookies from spreading for your next batch!
Thankyou
Can I roll the dough into a log, freeze, and slice then cookies instead?
Hi Nabiha, you can form these cookies into logs, yes.
Hands down, best cookies ever! Thanks for the easy instructions!
I have made these several times. I use the whole lemon (peel and all) in the blender since I can’t zest properly. Works perfectly!!!
These are fabulous. Have you ever tried making them with coconut oil instead of butter? I’m interested in trying a vegan version (not that I don’t love butter)
Hi Becca, we haven’t tested a coconut oil version, but let us know if you do. The taste and spread of the cookies will certainly change. We’re so glad you enjoyed them!
Amazing recipe yet again! I love the light shortbread texture with the sweet icing and on top of all that the lemon makes it on the verge of perfection!
Needless to say I have made these a few times per requests.
And the only reason I say (verge) of perfection is because I have noticed I have trouble rolling out the dough evenly, but that is on me so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Awesome! My huband loved this dessert for our birthday’s
I made these per the recipe. I baked them in a convection oven and adjusted the temperature to 320 F and watched them closely to assure they were not over baked. I also made some with the lemon icing and some topped with sparkling sugar. The lemon icing was clearly the winner for me as the lemon flavor was much more pronounced. If you like a more subtle lemon flavor, the sparkling sugar with the slight crunch of the sugar was good as well. I shared them with friends and family and the were a hit!
This is a really great recipe. I’m not the biggest shortbread fan, sometimes it feels too heavy, but the lemon and the cornstarch really lighten the cookie and flavor wonderful way. I iced half of the batch and left the other half plain (no icing or sanding sugar) due to the preference of a family member. They were a hit with everyone! Totally worth the effort of pulling out the food processor.
Very easy to put together. Don’t skip the icing with a sprinkle of lemon zest! It definitely needs the punch of lemon. Mine had a flour-y flavor. Could be just the lemons needed more time to ripen. I’ll try again. It was exciting to be ale to bake a beautiful-looking cookie and not use any eggs.
I made these as a treat for my daycare parents. They absolutely raved about these, and one mom ran back to the house and asked for a couple extras
Great!!! My whole family loved these cookies. What else could you put on top of them instead of the glaze?
Hi Scarlet, anything you would like, from a royal icing to a buttercream – you can browse our frosting recipes here.
Yours are my go-to recipes! I recently made the pecan shortbread and it was devoured! So delish. I would like to try the lemon shortbread but am lazy…can I slice and bake the lemon as I did with the pecan?
Definitely!
It said 2 cups of flour so I put in 2 cups, when it came out very powdery and didn’t want to form a dough, I then realized it says 2 cups, 250grams. I accidentally put in 500 grams, so I had to add more butter and lemon juice. Just a caution, make sure to double check. Honestly it’s so confusing and I hope my cookies come out good, they’re in the fridge chilling right now.
Let it sit in the refrigerator for 3 hr & it’s as hard as a rock. Cannot get cookie cutter though it without making a mess. Letting it sit out now to soften.
These were very good-as are all of your recipes! I rarely try others because I know yours will always be good! I was just wondering, would this dough work as slice and bake? Like the brown sugar shortbread (I love them!) or pecan shortbread. Thank you!
Hi Judy, that should work just fine! We’re so glad you loved these cookies.
I love this recipe! I’m having difficulty printing it tho. Is it possible for you to email it to me?
Hi Debbie, did you try the “print recipe” button on the recipe card? If you jump to recipe from the top of the page you should see print recipe right there!
Debbie, try moving it to a different browser first. Sometimes I have to move it to Chrome to print.
I followed your recipe exactly & they came out so lemony good! I iced about half of them with sprinkling of lemon zest & the other half I just did the sparkling sugar. Best results of the fluted shape were when I put baking tray in freezer for about 15-20 min & then baked. And I liked cookie better closer to the thicker 1/2”. All that fresh lemon & zest were the key I believe. Thank you for the posted recipe!
Would it work to bake this recipe in the 8″ round pans without chilling first?
Hi Cl, we can’t see why not! We love to make wedge shortbread cookies.
This recipe is amazing. I wish I could post a picture! Many times, your version of the recipe doesn’t come out the same follow the instructions and yours will come out exactly stated delicious lemon flavor, and the shortbread cookie is way better than tasteless. Sugar cookies.
A delicious cookie, with perfect shortbread texture. Nice and buttery, and the lemon adds freshness. I didn’t ice them or top them with sugar, since I was making plenty of sweet cookies, and they were great without added sweetness. I used a small star cutter. They were very popular and I’ll definitely make them again..
Sally, what if I replace the sugar with powdered sugar, and omit the cornstarch? This year I tried a different cookie recipe and enjoyed the melt-in-the-mouth texture achieved with powdered sugar. in this recipe, would I use the same volume or the same weight of powdered sugar?
Hi Kathleen, that would require some testing – let us know what you try!
I hate messing with cookie cutters, so I just rolled the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 54 small squares with a pizza cutter before putting them on paper-lined sheets and into the fridge for 3 hours. I like small cookies, and these were 1-2-bite sized – perfect IMHO. While baking, I checked them at 10 min, as suggested, but ended up baking for 12-13 minutes. After reading your tips for cookies, I baked one tray at a time on the middle rack for the first time ever. It made a difference, cooking them more evenly than my usual 2-at-a-time method. I lightly iced the cooled cookies and was able to sprinkle about half with the zest I had left. Absolutely delicious with or without sprinkled zest! I will definitely make these again. I always go to your website first for recipes I can depend on. This one is going in my favorites file.
Cookies are delicious! Using a 2 ⅜-inch round cookie cutter and rolling to ⅜-inch thickness yielded only 20 cookies (not very close to the recipe’s stated 36-38 2 1/4-inch cookies). The first sheet of cookies spread to 2 ¾-inch wide when done, and I lost the lovely fork prick in the spread. I placed the second sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking, which yielded a 2 ½ inch cookie with discernible fork pricks and a somewhat sharper edge.
There something super off about the # of cookies this recipe makes. I made it exactly as written, rolled it to 1/2 inch thickness and only got 15 cookies. Using a 2.25” cutter. I think the thickness listed in the recipe must be wrong. Should it be rolled to 1/4” thick?
Hi Iris, the thickness should be just under 1/2 inch. I updated the wording so it’s a bit clearer. Are you re-rolling the scraps?
Thank you! I refilled the scraps to 1/4” and got another 13 cookies. I think maybe the sweet spot would be 9mm. The 1/4” was just a hair too thin. I’ll try this next time – they taste delicious.