Crispy Lemon Shortbread Cookies

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The lemon trees in my backyard are so full of bright yellow lemons the branches are drooping, which is actually a good thing since it makes it easier to reach the tall branches. I love my trees but picking the lemons requires full body armor because lemon trees are notorious for having thick and super pointy thorns.   Since I have deer in my yard this is one thing they won’t eat, so my lemons are safe, however, the rest of my garden is fair game.

Now that my lemons are picked it’s time for lots of lemon treats. Cookies and lemonade are always a must and these Crispy Lemon Shortbread Cookies are a favorite.  Grated lemons flavors these buttery slice and bake cookies and a pretty yellow sanding sugar add a delightful crunch.

It is amazing how three simple ingredients. flour, butter, and sugar can bake into these delightful cookies. If you like, add in the flavoring of your choice such as vanilla bean, citrus, ginger, or pecans to name some of my favorite flavors. Honestly, plain shortbread’s are delicious too!

~Let me entice you with the taste of these shortbread cookies~

These shortbread’s are slightly sweet with a rich buttery taste and the bits of lemon peel add some zest to these slightly crumbly cookies that melt in your mouth.

Did I mention how easy these cookies are to make? Another reason to love them.  You simply beat the softened butter with a mixer, add in the sugar, flour and for this recipe the grated lemon.  Mix to combine and you are done.  Fast and easy!

One thing I have added to these cookies is rolling them in colored sanding sugar.  This is optional but I love the color and crunch it gives to the shortbreads.  Since I bake a lot I keep white sanding sugar on hand and color it to go with what I am baking.  You can also use regular sugar.

It is easy and actually kind of fun to color the sugar.  Simply put your sugar in a bowl, add a few drops of gel food coloring and stir.  Pretty amazing!

Once your dough is made divide it in half and roll into logs about 2 inches wide. Wrap the logs in wax paper and chill for about an hour.  At this point, you can wrap these cookie rolls in plastic wrap for another day or freeze them.

If you want to roll the dough in the colored sugar do this immediately after you roll it into the logs.   You have to do this while your cookie dough is warm so the sugar will stick to it.

After the dough is chilled simply cut into 1/4″ slices.  When you slice the dough you can see all the lemon peel speckled throuhout.

Mix ~ Roll ~ Slice ~ Bake

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5 from 6 votes

Crispy Lemon Shortbread Slices

A crispy shortbread cookie filled with zesty lemon.

Course Cookies

Cuisine Dessert

Keyword lemon, shortbreads

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

chilling 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 34 cookies

Calories 85kcal

Author Jere@ One Hot Oven

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3 lemons, grated approx. 1/4 cup
• 2 cups sanding sugar, optional
• food coloring, optional

Instructions

• Add the softened butter to a large bowl and beat well.
• Gradually add the sugar and mix to incorporate
• Add the cake flour 1/2 cups at a time and mix well after each addition.
• Add in the grated lemon and mix well.
• Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 1 1/2" - 2" round log.
• Immediately roll each log in the sanding sugar if using.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm for an hour

Ready to bake

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
• Slice the dough into 1/4" thick slices and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden.
• Cool then store in an airtight container.

Note: These cookies can be frozen. When ready to bake, defrost slightly and slice and bake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal

Shortbread cookies can be stored in a sealed container for up to three weeks.  Ours never last that long!

Our course I am having some tea with my cookies.

If you love lemon recipes here is a favorite – Sweet, Tart and Tangy Lemon Cake. This tasty cake is moist with bits of lemon in the cake and it’s topped with a sweet lemon glaze.

Don’t forget to pin to your cookie board on Pinterest.

Do you need some baking supplies for this recipe?

I love using sanding sugar on my cookies for extra flavor and decor.  Use gel food color to tint your sugar with all these pretty colors.

I get asked about my copper cooling rack. This round rack is the perfect size for a batch of cookies and the copper color is so pretty. A super important tool for the kitchen is a Microplane grater/zester, it the perfect way to grate lemons.