One Bowl Lemon Shortbread Cookie Bars with Quick Lemon Glaze
I could continue to go on and on about how much I love shortbread… and I will. The cookie itself is so easy, especially pressed into a pan, like this recipe, and cut into rectangles or squares. Shortbread also requires very few ingredients (no eggs!) and comes together quickly, making it the perfect recipe for beginner bakers as well.
It’s always funny to me that lemon is a winter fruit when it gives such warm weather vibes, but luckily for most of us, we can leverage lemons most of the year, making this dessert easy to make in all seasons. You do want to use fresh lemons for this recipe, as the zest is a key player for bringing out that lemon flavor. The zest of most fruits contains delicious oils, so when it’s added to the dough, it infuses it with even more flavor.
If you love these bars as much as I do, please rate and review them below and tag @accentgolden in your posts on social!
LEMON SHORTBREAD BARS
These shortbread bars are the perfect balance of buttery, sweet, and tangy. The shortbread itself isn’t overly sweet, but balanced with the lemon glaze, it makes for the best melt-in-your-mouth bite. Bonus points: this lemon shortbread comes together in one bowl and requires no eggs! It’s a great recipe for winter, when lemons are in season, as well as warm weather vibes.
Why do you add butter to the lemon glaze? Butter adds a richness to the glaze, balancing beautifully with the tartness of the lemon. Additionally, it makes the glaze almost fudgy in consistency and gives that delicious crackle as it sets.
INGREDIENTS
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens and binds your shortbread as it bakes and cools
- Lemon: The zest plays a key role in flavoring the shortbread, while the juice brings the tang to your glaze
- Unsalted Butter: Brings a delicious richness to your bars and a crackly set to your glaze
- Flour: Binds your bars together and provides structure as they bake
- Cornstarch: The secret to the deliciously soft chew of this shortbread
- Salt: Brings all the flavors together
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens your glaze without leaving any grit
How do you make soft shortbread cookies? There are two key factors to soft shortbread. First, swapping in some of the flour for cornstarch gives the best chew. Second, only just baking your bars! Pull them from the oven as soon as you see that light golden rim. They will cool completely in the pan and have further time to set as they cool.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON SHORTBREAD BARS WITH LEMON GLAZE
Grab a large mixing bowl and cream together your sugar, lemon zest, and butter. Adding your lemon zest now will ensure all those lemony oils flavor your dough from the start. Directly into your bowl, sift your flour, cornstarch, and salt, then mix until just combined. Dough’s done!
Grease and line a 9”x9” pan with parchment paper, leaving “handles” of paper sticking out of either side, and press your shortbread dough evenly along the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the butter to firm back up.
While your shortbread dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 315°F. Remove your shortbread from the fridge and place it in the oven to bake for 22-27 minutes, until just lightly golden along the edges. Don’t over-bake if you want soft shortbread! Remove the pan from the oven and allow the shortbread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
While your shortbread cools, make your lemon glaze. Melt your butter in a bowl in the microwave before sifting in your sugar and whisking it in together with your salt. Add in your lemon juice and whisk until combined. Pour your glaze over your shortbread, spreading with a spatula to make an even layer, sprinkle with lemon zest, and allow it to set in the pan for at least 35 minutes. Use a knife along the edge of the pan where the parchment is not, to loosen the shortbread from the sides. Lift and remove the shortbread from the pan, slice into bars, and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love these cookie bars
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- If you prefer a crunchy sugar topping, you can make a two-ingredient lemon sugar to sprinkle over shortbread or on top of your glaze. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar into a bowl and top with 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. Rub your zest into your sugar until fragrant and evenly dispersed – you want all those lemony oils mixing with your sugar granules. If you want to omit the lemon glaze, sprinkle your lemon sugar over your shortbread as soon as it comes out of the oven. The heat from the bars will melt the sugar a little, making it stick. Otherwise, sprinkle over your glaze after you’ve poured it, before it sets. I would recommend doing either the glaze or the lemon-sugar.
- Lemon pairs beautifully with so many herbs. Add in a tsp of your favorite herb, freshly chopped, to your glaze for a delicious balance.
- You can cut these into thin bars or triangles if you prefer those over squares. For rectangles, cut your baked shortbread into 1”x3” bars instead of the 3”x3” bars. For triangles, cut into squares and then cut each square in half diagonally.
- When lining your pan with parchment, leave “handles” sticking out of either side of your pan. This will make it easy to lift your bars out of the pan once they’ve cooled.
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
Raw shortbread dough will last in the fridge for 1-2 days. You can also shape your dough into a log, place it in the fridge, and then slice into discs; then you can freeze the disks for up to three months in an airtight bag or container.
The baked and glazed shortbread bars should be stored in a container at room temperature and will last up to a week, though they are best within the first 1-2 days. You can also store these in the freezer where they will keep for up to six months!
MORE SHORTBREAD RECIPES
I just love an easy cookie, and shortbreads are that! Try these Earl Grey Lavender Shortbread Cookies for a cozy floral twist or these Rosemary Thumbprint Cookies made with rosemary shortbread and filled with a two-ingredient white chocolate ganache!
Equipment
- Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- 9×9 baking pan
- Microplane or Zester
- Knife
- Whisk
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
- ½ c sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest plus extra for topping
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Start by making your bars. In a bowl, cream together your sugar, lemon zest, and butter
- Sift your flour, cornstarch, and salt into the bowl, mixing until just combined
- Grease and line a 9”×9” pan with parchment paper and press your dough evenly into the pan before placing it in the fridge for 10 minutes
- Preheat oven to 315°F
- Bake the shortbread for 22-27 minutes, until just lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 15 minutes
- While your bars are cooling, make your glaze. To a bowl with your melted butter, sift in your powdered sugar and whisk in your salt. Add in your lemon juice and whisk until combined
- Pour your glaze over your bars and spread into an even layer. While the glaze is wet, sprinkle any extra lemon zest over the top, and allow to set for at least 35 minutes
- Use a knife along the edge of the pan where the parchment is not, to release the shortbread from the sides. Carefully remove from the pan, slice into 9, 3”x3” bars, and enjoy!
