Glazed Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Lemony, buttery and delicious. What’s not to love?

La dolce limone [pr: la • dol-chey • lim-onay] is Italian for “the sweet lemon.” If the Italian grammar police were a thing, they’d totally come after me. In Italian, technically it should read “il” dolce limone instead of “la,” since limone is classified as a masculine noun. Am I the only one who finds assigning a gender to an inanimate object a bit antiquated, or just a little bizarre in general? Why do gendered languages exist you might wonder? Here’s a really insightful blog on Why Languages have Gender if you’re interested in learning more about it!

Luckily, la dolce limone is a reflection of me, rather than a fruit. It’s a play on the famous expression, “la dolce vita,” but with a fresh squeeze of lemon.

There’s actually a lot of meaning behind the name la dolce limone for me. Firstly, I love to cook with lemons. The fresh zing that it brings to any dish or dessert is my absolute favorite. When I was visiting the Island of Capri, Italy a few years ago, I was enamored by the beautiful lemon groves sprinkled all over the island. I indulged in the world-famous limoncello that originates in this region and enjoyed all of the lemony food I could get my hands on, especially these lemon pastries called Delizia al Limone (Lemon Delight) which were bursting with the taste of lemony custard. 

I adored all things lemony before this trip, but Capri really sealed the deal. Since then, I’ve always kept some fresh lemons on hand. I hope you’re a citrus fan, because you’re going to see a lot of lemony dishes and desserts on this blog!

Okay, I realize most of you are just here for the recipe so I won’t keep rambling on and on about my lemon obsession. But for inquiring minds, read on to discover the other meaning behind the blog title. It might even make you laugh. 😉

Now, for the reason you’re really here. Enter these Lemon Glazed Shortbread Cookies. They’re super buttery and super good. After my Capri trip, this was the first lemony dessert I made and it did not disappoint!

Lemon Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Buttery soft cookies with the perfect amount of lemon zing – perfect for a light afternoon treat or post-dinner party dessert.

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the shortbread cookies:

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest

For the glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 1 ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tbsp milk

Method

 

For the shortbread cookies:

1. Arrange rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice. I love using my KitchenAid Stand mixer for this, but any mixer will get the job done!
3. Once incorporated, add in the salt and mix again.
4. Sift in the flour, mixing in a little at a time to ensure you don't have a massive flour disaster (I learned the hard way!) It might look a little grainy like sand at first, but keep mixing it until it gets a bit more smooth.
5. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Roll the ball into a log and chill for at least an hour. This will ensure that the cookies stay in their pretty circular shape when you bake them, versus melting into runny, thin cookies!
6. Once chilled, cut the log into ¾' circular cookies and transfer to a lined baking sheet. I love to line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup. It's a win-win!
7. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Watch the first round of cookies carefully because all oven temperatures vary.
8. Remove the cookies when you think they are just about done. They should be slightly golden. brown on the bottom. They will set and firm up a bit on the hot pan. Let them cool on a wire wrack for optimal cooling.

To prepare the glaze & dress the cookies:

1. Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Let cool until glaze firms up.
2. Using a small spoon, put a dollop of lemon glaze on each cookie. You could also just drizzle them with the glaze, but things might get a little messy. Finish dressing the cookies with a sprinkle of leftover lemon zest. Enjoy!

Notes

Did you try this recipe? Be sure to tag me, @la.dolce.limone over on Instagram! 

…oh, hi there! Glad you made it this far down the blog without closing your browser.

For those wondering, the second meaning behind the blog title might be one you’re familiar with. I have been known to get a wee bit, dare I say, “hangry” at times. Come on now, don’t we all? My family has always joked if I am ever being sassy, I’m probably just hungry so give me a chicken biscuit and that will shut me up. This is where the “sour” aspect of the lemon comes into play!

Anyways, there you have it folks. The dual meaning behind the name la dolce limone, and a limone-inspired dessert to match. I hope y’all enjoy these cookies as much as I do, and if you make them, be sure to tag me over on Instagram, @la.dolce.limone. Ciao! -Jess