Sweetheart Sweet Tart Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipes

LEMON-BUTTER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift or whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl.
• Place butter in a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until very creamy. Add confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and flour mixture; mix until well combined.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are light brown on the bottom but still very light on top, about 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• Whisk melted butter and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add lemon zest and whisk again. Whisk in confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time. Add more lemon juice if necessary for a thin consistency.
• Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and transfer to a wire rack placed over waxed paper or parchment paper. Allow cookies to sit until glaze has set, about 2 hours.
• Store cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

SWEETHEART COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk; mix well. Stir in the flour by hand. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough for 2-3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. , Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indention in the center of each. Fill each with 1/4 teaspoon preserves. , Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. Dust warm cookies with confectioners' sugar if desired. Cool.

SWEETHEART (SWEET & TART!) LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Position rack in middle of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla, until smooth and creamy - about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.
• On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing until it is incorporated and the dough holds together in large clumps and comes away from the side of the bowl.
• Form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out to an EVEN ¼-inch+ thickness. Using a 3-inch long heart-shaped cutter, cut out the hearts. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1"apart. Gather together the dough scraps, roll, and cut out additional hearts.
• Bake one sheet at a time, until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide, metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Glaze: In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest (or vanilla) together with enough cream to form a thick, spreadable glaze. Use a thin metal spatula to spread HALF (right or left half) of each cookie heart with glaze. Let the cookies sit until the glaze is firm. Cookies can be layered between sheets of waxed paper in a tightly covered container and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes apx. (24) 3-4" cookies.