Description
Delicate lemon meltaways dance with buttery shortbread magic, offering a perfect balance of zesty citrus and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Crisp, elegant cookies promise a delightful escape into sweet sophistication you’ll savor with each tender bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 milliliters) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet to ensure easy cookie removal and cleanup.
- Cream butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until achieving a light, airy texture, approximately 2-3 minutes of vigorous mixing.
- Incorporate lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending thoroughly until ingredients are fully integrated.
- Separately whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt, then gradually fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture, creating a smooth, soft dough.
- Chill dough for 20-30 minutes if too soft to handle, which will help with shaping and prevent sticking.
- Form small, uniform dough balls approximately 1 inch in diameter, spacing them evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Gently flatten each dough ball using the bottom of a glass or fingertips, creating consistent cookie thickness.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until cookie edges develop a delicate golden hue.
- Allow cookies to rest briefly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- Prepare lemon glaze by whisking powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice, adjusting consistency as needed with additional sugar or juice.
- Once cookies are entirely cooled, generously drizzle or spread lemon glaze over the tops, allowing glaze to set before serving.
Notes
- Chill the dough if it feels too soft to prevent sticky, misshapen cookies during shaping and baking.
- Use fresh lemon zest and juice for the most vibrant, bright citrus flavor that makes these cookies truly special.
- Adjust glaze consistency by adding powdered sugar or lemon juice gradually to achieve the perfect drizzling texture.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain their delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg