Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Buttercream (7 ingredients)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus more as needed)
• Pinch salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, add butter and cream slightly with a hand mixer. Add powdered sugar and mix into the butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and whip everything together.

3. 3

   Add flour and salt to the top of the butter mixture. Add the cornstarch and lemon zest to the top of the flour and whisk together a little before mixing into the butter. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until just mixed in.

4. 4

   Refrigerate the dough: Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, press down into a thick disc, and refrigerate for about an hour.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Roll out your dough to about a 1/4 - 1/2 “ thick and cut your cookies with a cookie cutter shape of your choice. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then move them to a wire rack.

6. 6

   While the cookies are cooling, make the buttercream. In a small bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt, and mix until combined. Add the lemon juice a little at a time until spreadable — about 1 tablespoon. For a looser, pourable glaze, add up to 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice.Note: If the buttercream ever looks curdled, keep beating for another minute or add a tablespoon of powdered sugar until it smooths out.

7. 7

   Spread buttercream over each cookie and sprinkle a little extra lemon zest on top if you like. If your glaze is looser, place cookies on a wire rack, pour glaze over the top, and add a little lemon zest if you like.