Rosemary lemon shortbread cookies are rich and buttery, with citrus notes from lemon and herby-ness from aromatic rosemary. Chewy and tender with a slightly crisp exterior, they are perfect for the holidays, or an anytime snack with afternoon tea!
Shortbread is the perfect foil for almost any flavor due the buttery richness of the cookie [see: cardamom shortbread cookies]. Herbs in particular can cut through that richness while adding beautiful aromatics to baked goods.
Rosemary is a fantastic pairing for bright lemon in this shortbread cookie recipe: fresh citrus brightens up the cookies while rosemary gives them an earthy, herb-forward flavor that rounds out the overall flavor.
If you are a lover of rosemary, try my pecan rosemary chocolate bark or sourdough rosemary focaccia).
These aromatic shortbread cookies make a great holiday gift or anytime treat to pair with your afternoon coffee or tea. And your kitchen will smell incredible when they are baking in the oven.
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⭐️ Why These Cookies Are The Best
- Bright citrus and herby rosemary make the perfect shortbread pairing
- Chewy and tender with a slightly crisp exterior
- A great addition to your holiday cookie platter or to enjoy with afternoon tea or coffee
- With "Make ahead and bake later" instructions
🍋 Ingredient Notes
- Lemon zest - The oils in the zest are what gives these cookies that bright lemon flavor.
- Fresh rosemary - I recommend using fresh rosemary for these cookies. However, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary if you don't have fresh on hand.
- Salt - A small amount of salt is always needed in baked goods to enhance the flavors.
- Egg white - Brushing your cookies with egg white will give them a beautiful sheen and help the sugar adhere.
🔪 How To Make These Cookies
Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor. Add butter; pulse until moist clumps form.
Transfer dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a log. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut ¼"-sized discs from log and place on baking sheet. Using a pastry brush or back of a spoon, lightly brush each cookie with a slightly beaten egg white.
Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake cookies until barely golden, about 12-14 minutes. Cool pan on rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove cookies onto rack with a spatula. Cool completely.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Make sure your butter is cold. Room temperature butter will cause your cookies to spread and flatten out when baking.
- When zesting your lemons, be sure to avoid the white pith. You only want the yellow zest. The pith tastes bitter and will add bitterness to your cookies.
- Make ahead: After rolling your dough into a log, you can place it in the freezer for up to one month. When ready to bake, thaw dough and slice and bake according to recipe instructions below.
- Don't overbake. These cookies should not brown in the oven, but stay lighter in color.
- Chill that dough. Chilling your dough helps to firm up the butter and retain some structure, and it will prevent your cookies from spreading too thin.
- How to store: Store your cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: Store your completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to make fun holiday shapes. Simply roll out chilled dough to a little less than ½-inch thickness, and use your cookie cutters to cut desired shapes.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
While both are delicious, shortbread is much denser and richer due to the amount of butter. Sugar cookies are lighter and firmer, and they contain leavener to help the cookies rise.
In this lemon shortbread cookie recipe, we combine our ingredients in food processor. After forming our dough into a log, it gets chilled in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. They are then baked for 10 minutes, resulting in rich and buttery cookies with citrus and herby notes.
Make sure your butter is cold when making shortbread. Room temperature butter will cause your cookies to spread and flatten out when baking.
🍪 Related Recipes
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Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor. Add butter; pulse until moist clumps form.
- Transfer dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a log. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut ¼"-sized discs from log and place on baking sheet. Using a pastry brush or back of a spoon, lightly brush each cookie with a slightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
- Bake cookies until light golden, about 12-14 minutes. Cool pan on rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove cookies onto rack with a spatula. Cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is cold. Room temperature butter will cause your cookies to spread and flatten out when baking.
- After rolling dough into a log, you can place in freezer for up to one month. When ready to bake, thaw dough and slice and bake according to recipe instructions.
- When zesting your lemons, be sure to avoid the white pith. You only want the yellow zest. The pith tastes bitter and will add bitterness to your cookies.
- Don't overbake. These cookies should not brown in the oven, but stay lighter in color.
- How to store: Store your cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to make fun holiday shapes. Simply roll out chilled dough to about ½-inch thickness, and use your cookie cutters to cut desired shapes.
Sarah Baumeister
The rosemary adds a little "something" to the lemon flavor. Loved it.
Gastronotherapy
So glad you loved them, Sarah!
Jill
These were delicious. The rosemary really added a nice touch!
Andrea
Wow, rosemary and lemon are a perfect combination of flavors for shortbread cookies. Yummy!
Gastronotherapy
I agree, Andrea! They both complement the buttery richness of shortbread!
Biana
Wow! I love rosemary and lemon combination, but never used them in cookies. Your cookies sound amazing.
Cookilicious
We loved this recipe! The cookies turned out perfect! Thank you.
Gastronotherapy
hooray! you are welcome!