Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies
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Honey lemon shortbread cookies are perfect for a girly event like a baby shower but even the most manly-man will devour these cookies.
I am so excited to be teaming up with a whole bunch of food bloggers to throw a surprise virtual baby shower for Liz of The Lemon Bowl. Liz is a good blogging friend who helped with the planning of Taste of MI.
Liz is also one of the most positive, encouraging people I know (it’s almost annoying sometimes…kidding, Liz!). She also isn’t afraid to give you a reality check/wake up call when you need one. And I think that’s what true friends do.
Today we’re celebrating! Liz is having her second baby boy! I cannot wait to meet this little guy and see if he is as cute as his big brother (no doubt in my mind, he will be!). Liz is a great mom and she is going to have so much fun watching her two boys play together and grow close.
Having two kids is the most amazing thing ever, Liz. It’s so special to watch your kids develop such unconditional love and affection for each other. And now I’m going to cry.
Love you, Liz. Congrats!!!
For Liz’s shower, we asked everyone to make a recipe that included lemon as a recipe. It was an easy theme to come up with!
I made honey lemon shortbread cookies for the shower. You’ll enjoy the rich buttery goodness of these indulgent cookies. Honey and lemon are a match made in heaven! The sugar on top gives the cookies such great texture and crunch. Plus, they are slice and bake cookies which are so convenient. Simply freeze the dough until you’re ready to bake them.
Shortbread cookies are so good!
I love that you can freeze the dough and slice off what you need when you’re ready to bake them! Try:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup honey
Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, more as needed
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar for 3 minutes, or until light in color and fluffy. Add honey and lemon zest; beat until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
- Add flour mixture gradually and continue to mix until just combined.
- Divide dough in half. Shape dough into logs (about 2 inches in diameter). Roll up in parchment or wax paper and freeze dough overnight.
- To Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Take dough out of the freezer and slice into ¼ -inch slices (see note). Place on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets.
- Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until just golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing to a cooling rack.
- When cookies are completely cool, prepare icing. Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add honey; stir well. Thin with additional lemon juice, if necessary.
- Place baking sheet or parchment paper beneath cooling rack to catch drips. With a spoon, lightly drizzle icing on cookies. Let icing harden completely before storing cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Makes about 5 dozen. Bake as many cookies at a time as you wish. The dough keeps well in the freezer until you're ready to use it.
- If you'd rather not ice the cookies, they are great without icing or you can brush the unbaked cookies with additional honey, and sprinkle them with granulated sugar, turbinado sugar, or colored sugar; bake as directed.
- Recipe card updated after retesting 12/8/2022.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Lauren says
I dipped half the cookie in a lemon glaze (make sure to add zest to it) and even though the cookies don’t need it, it made them even more delicious. People still bring these up and I brought them into work over a month ago at this point.
Rachel Gurk says
Yum! I bet that was so good! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment :)
Aubrey says
Hi! These look really lovely. Was wondering: is it possible to refrigerate the dough flat and cut them out into shapes after? Would the shape hold or does the dough spread too much? Thank you! :)
Rachel Gurk says
I’ve never tested the recipe that way so I’m not sure. Let me know if you try it!
Veronika says
Hi, did you try this? I really want to know if it’s ok to roll out and cut shapes xxx thank you.
Christy @ My Invisible Crown says
I love shortbreads so these sound perfect! I don’t know Liz but I saw lot’s of yummy things on Instagram the day of the shower. Looks like you guys did a great job!
Deborah says
I love shortbread and I’m really loving this flavor combination! Thank you so much for being such a great host!
Nikki @Seeded at the Table says
Such beautiful cookies, Rachel! Thank you for hosting this shower. What a great turn out!! :)
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Aww, what a sweet post. Thank you for organizing the shower! You three did an awesome job. :)
And these cookies look amazing. Lemon shortbread are definitely the best type of shortbread!
Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats says
I love shortbread! These cookies sound perfect! Such a wonderful and fun surprise! Thank you for putting it all together!
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
Such beautiful cookies, I bet they are perfect with a cup of tea! Thanks so much for the work you did you organize this event!
Laurie {Simply Scratch} says
Ohhhh yes, yes and YES! Honey and lemon IN A SHORTBREAD?! It’s pure genius!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
These are incredible!! Shortbread cookies are one of my favorites!
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain says
Rachel, these are stunning! Thanks so much for helping to put all of this together! You are a rock star my dear!
Javi Trulove @ T3treats says
Awwww such an amazing treat… this cookies are to die for.. perhaps i can make a sandwich with them and filling it with some cream cheese… my mouth is watery right now hehhee