My Shortbread recipe was the first I really mastered as a teenager beginning to bake. This new version uses that as a base, but modifies it into a delicious Lemon Shortbread.
I love a good Scottish Shortbread. It’s so buttery and scrumptious. The fresh zing of lemon plays very well with that inherent butter flavor and texture.
This is not a crisp shortbread like the traditional Walker’s brand (which is delicious in its own right). No, this shortbread is cakey and soft, only crisp at the very edge.
Sometimes the first piece out of the pan can even be fussy and break in half; a metal pie spatula helps, but sometimes it can still happen. That’s no major problem, though, because of every bite of Shortbread is good, even if it’s not perfectly photogenic.
This new version does have a photogenic advantage, though, because the glaze is so very pretty. It should be just thick enough to drizzle, though if it’s a touch watery, that’s not the end of the world.
Enjoy this Lemon Shortbread for breakfast or snacks, or in proper fashion at tea time.
Bready or Not Original: Lemon Shortbread
Equipment
- 2 pie plates
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Apply nonstick spray to both pie plates.
- Stir together the lemon zest, flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, egg yolk, lemon flavor, and vanilla extract. Use hands to compress dough together to make a ball. Divide in half, placing one in each pie plate. Flatten dough with palms to create an even surface. Prick surface all over with a fork then use a knife to slash dough into triangular wedges.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until edges are golden brown and middle is set. Remove from oven and cut again along slash marks. Let shortbread cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to create a glaze with a consistency to drip and keep shape. Drizzle all over shortbread. Let set, then cut again along existing marks.
- Shortbread keeps for several days at room temperature. It can be stored covered in pie plates, or stacked in a sealed container with wax paper between the layers.
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