Lemon Shortbread Heart Cookies are thin, crisp and lightly flavored with fresh lemon zest. Even better, these are made in a food processor, which makes quick work of the dough.
The cookies are buttery and delicate and each cookie gets a quick dunk in a lemon glaze that sets firm and glossy as it cools.
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Before You Start
- This is an easy cookie recipe made in a food processor, which makes quick work of the dough. If you don’t have one, no problem. I also include instructions for making the dough with a standard electric mixer.
- No eggs needed.
- Your butter should be cold.
- Chill dough for an hour before rolling and cutting into shapes.
How To Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread dough is one of the easiest cookie doughs to work with, especially when you want clean edges from cookie cutters.
Because there’s no baking powder or baking soda, the cookies don’t puff or spread as they bake.
And because shortbread cookies are made without eggs, they're a good option for cookie eaters with egg allergies.
I’ve made many versions of this dough over the years, and it’s the one I come back to when I want something reliable.
The lemon zest adds flavor and the glaze finishes them without tipping into overly sweet territory.
If you’re in a shortbread mood, you might also like:
If you love lemon desserts also try:
Lemon just happens to be a particularly good match here, it brightens the butter and powdered sugar.
How To Make Lemon Shortbread
Combine butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and flour until a dough forms.
Roll the dough between sheets of parchment and cut into heart shapes or use any cookie cutter you like.
Bake just until set and lightly golden at the edges.
Cool completely before glazing.
While the cookies cool, make a powdered sugar glaze.
Dip the tops in lemon glaze and let set until firm.
Tips for Success
Fresh lemon is essential since you'll need the peel and a bit of juice.
You’ll need a zester to grate the lemon rind. I use a Microplane, which is sharp and easy to handle.
PRO TIP: Immediately after using a zester, rinse it out with soap and hot water. Citrus rind residue dries quickly and then you're scrubbing forever to get the zester clean.
Don't overwork the dough. Stop the food processor or the hand mixer just as it forms a clump.
Shortbread dough tends to be on the drier side, in part because there's no egg. You may have to scoop up leftover bits of dough and pat them into place.
Butter should be cold when making shortbread dough. Forget, momentarily, what you've learned here about room temperature butter for cookies.
Do you love anything lemon? Check out my Lemon Dessert recipes category.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
You can bake these cookies and store them on the counter in a tin for up to three days. After that, they start to get a bit stale.
But lucky for us, shortbread, like most cookie dough, freezes really well.
Wrap dough in wax paper or plastic wrap. Then tuck it inside a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to three months.
Or freeze the already-baked cookies following the same procedure for freezing the dough. The cookies will last, well wrapped, for up to three months in the freezer. For the best appearance, freeze them without the glaze. Apply the glaze after thawing.
See the ultimate guide for freezing cookies and cookie dough for more information.
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Recipe
Lemon Shortbread Hearts Cookie Recipe
Lemon shortbread heart cookies are crisp, tender and full of fresh lemon flavor with a simple lemon cookie glaze for a sweet but tart flavor.
Ingredients
- Two cups all purpose flour
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, cubed
- Lemon Glaze
- 1&½ cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Grate zest.
- Cut each stick of butter into slices then dice into cubes.
- In the bowl of a food processor-8-cups or larger, pour flour, both sugars and salt. Pulse briefly, 3 to 5 seconds to combine. Add lemon zest and butter cubes. Pulse again, this time for 15 to 20 seconds until the dough has small flecks of butter and has started to combine. Don’t over mix.
- Take dough out of the food processor onto wax paper. Gather together with your hands to combine. This is similar to making a pie crust. Don’t overwork the dough but just keep pushing any loose flour together until the dough is well-combined. Flatten into a circle. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or slide into a plastic bag. Put dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
- Put parchment paper on counter and using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a ¼ inch. Cut with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. These cookies won’t spread so you can fit several on one cookie sheet depending on what size cookie cutter you’re using.
- Bake at 350F° for 10 to 12 minutes. Look for golden edges when the cookies are done baking.
Make Lemon Glaze
- In a medium-sized bowl or in a stand-mixer, combine confectioners’s sugar and lemon juice until opaque and glossy-about two minutes. Stir in teaspoon of zest (optional).
- Let cookies cool completely before glazing.
- To glaze cookies, dip the top of each cookie in the bowl of lemon glaze, give a shake to remove any excess glaze. Put cookies on a rack or on a sheet of wax paper to let dry..
Notes
No food processor? You can make this recipe by hand or using an electric mixer.
Recommended Products
This post and/or recipe may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I'll earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure policy.
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Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet - USA Made Aluminum Commercial Quality Sheet Pan for Baking or Roasting, Encapsulated Galvanized Steel Rim Prevents Warping, 2-Pack -
Cuisinart Food Processor, Pro Custom 11 Cup, Brushed Chrome, DLC-8SBCYP1
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Cuisinart HM-90BCS Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer with Storage Case, Brushed Chrome
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Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester Grater, 18/8, Black - Lemon Zester & Cheese Grater & Vegetable Grater - Citrus, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic, Ginger, Nutmeg, Chocolate - Stainless Steel Grater
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1 cookieAmount Per Serving Calories 37Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 3mgSodium 31mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 0gSugar 7gProtein 0g
Nutrition information is approximate because I am not a registered dietician.
Cookie Baking Advice
You may find these baking posts helpful: from How to Avoid Flat Cookies, How to Freeze Cookie Dough, Room Temperature Butter for Baking to Salted or Unsalted Butter for Cookies? to Do I Need A Cookie Scoop?, Cookie Size Chart to What Should a Beginner Bake? to Where Can I Buy Sprinkles?, Why is my sugar cookie dough too sticky? and Cookie Holidays. What is Sanding Sugar and Do I need Parchment Paper? might also be helpful. This Cuisinart 5-speed is my favorite hand mixer. Why do my hand mixer beaters fall out? Cookie dough freezes great as do already baked cookies but find out what other desserts you can freeze.
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