Soft, buttery, and bursting with tangy lemon sweetness, these shortbread bars come together in a single bowl and are topped with a simple lemon glaze.
Equipment
- Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- 9×9 baking pan
- Microplane or Zester
- Knife
- Whisk
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
BARS
- 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
GLAZE
- 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!
Notes
*Don’t over-bake your shortbread! You want your bars to be soft with a little chew, so they should be set with a light golden rim around the edges
*For the lemon zest, you will need three average-sized lemons. Two will give you the zest you need for the shortbread itself, and the third will provide a little extra for topping your bars once you’ve spread on the glaze
