Lemon shortbread cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These light buttery lemon shortbread rounds are perfect to serve with tea or coffee.  Don’t be fooled by their simplicity, as they have a wonderful lemon tang to them, and sometimes that is all you need to add a little extra to a winter hot drink.  If you like you can coat them with white chocolate to make them sweeter.

 

Lemon shortbread cookies

Lemon shortbread cookies

The secret to perfect shortbread is to keep the ingredients cold, and not to overwork the dough.  I like to use a Magimix and I just blitz the butter and icing sugar together for these light and super fine shortbread rounds.  The addition of cornflour makes them even lighter, but if you do not have any cornflour then just use normal flour, but remember to add the extra amount of flour as the replacement.  This will make a slighter coarser cookie.  If you prefer them crisper and darker in colour, you can extend the cooking time by a few minutes.

This is the first time I have used lemon oil in baking, as I always have an abundance of lemons from my garden, but it is wonderful as only a few drops creates a beautiful sharp lemon flavour.  Make sure that you buy organic lemon oil or lemon oil that can be consumed.  The bottle must say  that you can use it safely for internal purposes as this is not the case with every brand.  These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for weeks.

 

Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Course: Baking
Keyword: cookies, lemon shortbread
Servings: 20 (6cm cutter)
Ingredients
  • 230 g flour (1 2/3 USA cups)
  • 40 g corn flour (1/3 USA cup)
  • dash of salt
  • 225 g unsalted butter (cold and firm) (1 USA cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 drops lemon oil (Use organic if possible and make sure it is an edible oil )
  • 70 g icing sugar (confectioners sugar) (1/2 USA cup)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160ºC (325ºF)

  2. Sift the flour, cornflour and salt into a bowl.

  3. Cut the butter into squares and beat with the icing sugar in a mixer for a minute or two until the icing sugar and butter are soft and well combined.

  4. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon oil.

  5. Gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.  Do not overwork it.

  6. Remove the dough and wrap in greaseproof paper.  Place in the fridge for at least an hour.

  7. Roll the dough on a lightly floured board until it is about 1/4inch thick and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.

  8. Place on parchment on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20minutes depending on your oven until pale golden in colour.

  9. Cool on a baking rack.

  10. You spread some melted white chocolate with a few drops of lemon, onto one side of the cookie for a sweeter and more lemony flavour.

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2 Comments

  • Reply ratna July 18, 2018 at 2:45 AM

    Oh how beautiful! They look perfect. What is the flower in the last picture Ev?

    • Reply Shades of Cinnamon July 18, 2018 at 8:40 AM

      Hi Ratna, It is a Blushing Bride Protea . They are native to South Africa but they can be found around the world now. The story has it that they’re nicknamed blushing brides because men on their way to propose to their loved ones would wear one in their buttonhole, and everyone in town would know (hence the bride’s blushes) – true or not, it’s such a sweet story!

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