Description
Buttery lemon shortbread squares – an easy and delicious citrus twist on classic shortbread cookies. Made with simple ingredients, these irresistible little squares are sweet, salty, and perfect for holiday gifting!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cups (148g) granulated sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 1–1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3–1/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Use your fingers to massage the zest into the sugar for a minute or two, until fragrant and completely incorporated.
- Add the butter to a stand-up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute), scraping down the bowl with a spatula, as needed. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the flour, and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be thick and clumpy.
- Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Prick with the flat end of a wooden skewer, every half-inch or so.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until just golden. Remove from the oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing into bars. Enjoy!!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Sweet Paul Magazine.
Keywords: lemon shortbread, shortbread squares, butter, sugar, bars, egg free cookie, holiday cookie