These buttery, melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread cookies feature fresh lemon juice and zest and are finished with a bright strawberry glaze. Light, tender, and full of fresh fruit flavor, they’re a perfect spring and summer treat.
The crumbly shortbread texture pairs beautifully with the tang of lemon and the sweet, fruity strawberry glaze. These cookies aren’t overly sweet, bake quickly, and are easy to make—so it’s okay if you reach for seconds.
Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
- Unsalted butter – ½ cup (8 tablespoons) softened. Leave at room temperature about 1–2 hours before using.
- Powdered sugar – adds sweetness and helps create the tender, crumbly texture.
- Lemon zest – adds concentrated lemon aroma and flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – brightens the dough with citrus flavor.
- All-purpose flour – provides structure. Use a good-quality AP flour; measure carefully.
- Salt – a pinch to balance and enhance flavor.
Strawberry Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Freeze-dried strawberries (or fresh puree, see notes)
- Vanilla extract
- Milk or half and half
How to Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough begins to come together. It will be sandy at first; continue beating 3–5 minutes until you can press it into a ball.
- Use a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough. Press the scoop against the bowl to pack and level, then roll each portion between your palms into a smooth ball.
- Place dough balls on the prepared sheet about 1½ inches apart. Dip the back of a ½ cup measuring cup in flour and press each ball into a ¼-inch-thick disc.
- Bake 7–10 minutes, until the tops are no longer glossy but not browned—typically about 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While cookies cool, make the glaze: pulse freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor to a powder (about 2 tablespoons). Combine the strawberry powder with powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk or half and half. Whisk until smooth. Add more milk if needed so the glaze can be drizzled but won’t run off the cookies; if too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Spoon about ½ teaspoon glaze onto each completely cooled cookie and smooth with the back of the spoon, leaving a narrow rim. Garnish with extra lemon zest if desired. Let glaze set or enjoy immediately.
Variations and Substitutions
You can substitute fresh strawberries for freeze-dried in the glaze, though proportions will differ. Puree fresh strawberries and omit added milk; start with a small amount of powdered sugar and adjust until you reach a spreadable glaze. For extra lemon punch, add 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract to the dough. Food coloring is optional if you want a brighter hue.
A Few Notes For Making These Cookies
- Soften butter properly. Leave butter at room temperature 1–2 hours. Soft but not greasy butter gives the best texture.
- Measure flour accurately. Weighing flour is best. If using cups, fluff the flour, spoon it in, and level with a knife to avoid a dense cookie.
- Beat the dough until it comes together. It may look crumbly at first; keep beating until it forms a cohesive ball you can press together.
- Cool cookies completely before glazing. Warm cookies will cause the glaze to melt and slide off.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
You can prepare the dough 1–2 days ahead: form it into a ball, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. When ready, scoop and shape as directed. The glaze can also be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container; bring it to room temperature before using. Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Both baked cookies and dough freeze well.
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, handheld electric mixer, cookie scoop, baking sheet, whisk.
More Irresistible Dessert Recipes You Will Love!
- Carrot Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Hummingbird Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce
- Peanut Butter Cake with Strawberry Frosting
- Chocolate Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Brown Butter Praline Poke Cake
If you try this Lemon Shortbread Cookies recipe, please leave a rating and a comment to let us know how it turned out. Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Strawberry Glaze
Ingredients
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- ½ cup (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (50g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (plus more for topping)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries, packed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk or half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add flour and salt and beat until dough comes together, about 3–5 minutes.
- Scoop 1½ tablespoon portions, roll into balls, and place on the prepared sheet. Flatten to ¼-inch discs using a floured ½ cup measuring cup.
- Bake 7–10 minutes until tops are no longer glossy. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Pulse freeze-dried strawberries to a powder and combine with powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk smooth and thin as needed.
- Spoon ~½ teaspoon glaze onto each cooled cookie, smooth, and garnish with lemon zest if desired.
Notes
- Weigh flour for best accuracy. If using cups, fluff, spoon, and level the flour.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Both dough and baked cookies freeze well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 116 kcal | Carbohydrates: 12 g | Protein: 0.2 g | Fat: 7.8 g