Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Jump to Recipe

No Eggs!

"Zingy, buttery, and bursting with sunshine—these lemon shortbread cookies are like a happy little hug for your taste buds! 🍋✨ With a texture that’s perfectly crumbly, lightly crunchy, and oh-so-tender, every bite is pure joy. Roll out the dough, grab your favorite cookie cutters, and let the fun begin! Enjoy them just as they are, dress them up with a sprinkle of sparkling sugar, or go all in with a zesty lemon glaze that sets like a dream. Cookie magic awaits!"

Let’s talk shortbread magic! ✨ Traditionally, these melt-in-your-mouth delights, just buttery brilliance. lemon shortbread bliss! 🍋💛

Here’s the two secret weapons you’ll need to whip up sunshine in cookie form:

Granulated Sugar + Lemon Zest: First up, giving these two a spin in the food processor. Why? Because it transforms them into this ultra-fragrant, fine-textured lemon sugar that seriously packs a punch. It’s like giving your dough a head start on flavor fireworks! —it’s the game-changer. Pulsing the zest and sugar together does three fabulous things:

• Breaks everything down nice and fine,

• Releases natural lemon oil (hello, juicy flavor!),

• Infuses every bite with sunshine before the butter even hits the bowl.

Cornstarch: Okay, here’s the 2nd secret weapon! A little bit of cornstarch makes these cookies lighter, softer, and more tender than your average shortbread. Think melt-in-your-mouth magic ✨ I also sneak it into other cookies too, since I have figured out the magic secret to better cookie-ing —shhh!

From there, it’s one-bowl wonder time! Cream the lemon sugar with butter, add in your lemon juice and vanilla, then slowly bring in the dry team. Start on low speed—things will look a little crumbly at first, but don’t worry. Turn up the speed just a bit, and boom: dough magic happens.

✨ Optional Toppings – AKA the Fun Stuff! ✨

These lemon shortbread cookies are totally delicious on their own—bright, buttery, and bursting with flavor! But if you’re in the mood to dress them up a bit, you’ve got options… and oh boy, they’re delightful. 💛🍋

Lemon Glaze! Creamy, dreamy, sweet-tart goodness you can just dip the tops of your cooled cookies into—no fancy piping tools needed. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy! Want to get a little fancy with some piped designs? Grab some royal icing and let your inner cookie artist shine.🎨 Seriously, lemon on lemon? Chef’s kiss. 💋🍋

💫 Sprinkle a little fresh lemon zest over the icing—it adds that extra zing and makes your cookies look like they belong in a sunshine-filled bakery window. The icing will set in about 1 to 2 hours at room temp, or you can pop them in the fridge to speed things along.

Get ready to roll, cut, and bake your way into lemony cookie heaven? Let’s do this! 🍪🍋💫

Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Servings – 36 2" cookies or 18 3" cookies Prep and Chill Time: 3 Hours and 30 Minutes

Cook Time – 14 Minutes

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled

• 1/3 cup cornstarch 

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• coarse sparkling sugar, for sprinkling un-glazed cookies before baking

Glaze, optional

• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 Tablespoon milk or cream

• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• fresh lemon zest, for garnish

Directions:

Cookies:

In a small food processor, pulse sugar and lemon zest 12–15 times until the zest is finely chopped and the sugar is moistened—don’t skip this step!

In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer with a paddle, beat the lemon sugar and butter on high until creamy (2–3 minutes). Scrape the bowl as needed.

Add lemon juic, honey and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix on low to start, then on medium until dough clumps together; about 1–3 minutes. Dough will be thick and soft.

Roll dough on a floured parchment or silicone mat to 1/4–1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet and chill for at least 3 hours (or up to 2 days).

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Cut out cookies with a cutter. Re-roll scraps and repeat. If dough softens, chill shapes for 15 minutes before baking. Optional: poke tops with a fork or sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 14–15 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden. Smaller cookies may need less time; larger ones may need more. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Glaze;

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl.

Add the milk and melted butter and whisk until smooth. If the icing is too thick, whisk in additional whole milk 1 teaspoon at a time until thinner.

If desired, whisk in food coloring.

Dip cookies into icing or use a spoon to spread it into a thin layer on tops of cookies.

Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze fully sets, about 1-2 hours. minutes.

Notes:

Storing cookies:

• Iced cookies: Store at room temp for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• Plain cookies: Store at room temp for up to 5 days.

• Once icing sets, cookies can be stacked for storage or transport.

Don't want to glaze your cookies? No problem!

Before baking, just sprinkle on a bit of coarse sugar or sparkling sanding sugar for a subtle shimmer and a sweet crunch. I love using white sparkling sugar—it’s like edible glitter for cookies and makes them look oh-so-fancy. ✨

Whether you go simple or all-out fabulous, these lemon shortbread cookies are ready to shine! 💛🍪🌟

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. 😉

Can I freeze the cookies?

Both plain and iced cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. If icing the cookies, be sure the icing is fully set before layering them between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. To enjoy, simply thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. 💜

This website is the project of an unpaid hobby,  fully maintained and supported by CWT. There are NO paid affiliations, professional photographers, nutritionists or paid product reviews associated. CWT is not a certified artist, dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe at that given time. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you and your health, CWT recommends running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can and will vary depending on national brands used per recipe. Anything created by using CWT's recipes, or tutorials is fully the readers responsibility. CWT is not responsible or will be held liable for the outcome of the readers completed project or recipe(s).

"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 and again."