| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | about 32 cookies |
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Instructions
- For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly butter the foil and sides of the pan.
- Pulse the sugar with the lemon zest and rosemary in a food processor until well combined. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and reserve.
- Add the butter, salt and vanilla to the food processor with the sugar and pulse until combined. Add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. (After the last addition, you may need to stir and scrape down the sides of the food processor to incorporate all of the flour.) Continue to pulse until a dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking pan and press it evenly into the pan. Poke the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle it with the reserved sugar.
- Bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is golden, about 25 minutes. As soon as it’s out of the oven, use a bench scraper or knife to cut the shortbread into 1-by-3-inch cookies. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies using the foil as handles. Cool completely on a rack.
- For the icing: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in 1 tablespoon water or more for the desired thickness.
- Drizzle the icing over the cookies and allow to set, or serve the icing alongside to dip or drizzle upon serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 32 servings |
| Calories | 173 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 23 mg |
| Sodium | 31 mg |
Reviews
These were absolutely amazing. I used two lemons for zest and probably more chopped rosemary. The dipping glaze isn’t needed. Perfect on its own.
These are absolutely delicious! My favorite cookie. Very simple to make. I do not use the glaze on it but I’m sure it’s excellent with the drizzle! Next time I plan on switching from lemon to orange
I made these…they were easy to make (even for a non baker); with just the right amount of rosemary and lemon! I did make the drizzle but didn’t use all of it…just the tiniest of drizzle in a thin line and it was perfect!
I made this wtih 4 teaspoons rosemary, per suggestions, but the second batch had 2 tablespoons and was amazing. I did use the drizzle, but only a little of it. Fantastic cookies!
perfect every time I’ve been making them for years, ever since I saw Valerie B make them on her show. Great for gifting around the holidays too!
Love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My go to shortbread recipe! I have made these so many times and they ALWAYS get rave reviews. I don’t add the icing – I just sprinkle the reserved sugar mixture over the cookies before baking and they come out delicious!
I love this recipe. After making it the 1st time I decided I could substitute blood orange for the lemon and cranberries for the rosemary (used about a cup) it was fabulous. Now my family loves both!
These were great! I went pretty generous on both the lemon & rosemary. They didn’t even need the icing, perfect sweetness for my taste.
So amazing and simple! I used Lavender instead of Rosemary and added the juice of a lemon to the batter and it came it out great. Will be a go to! Love Lemon and Love Valerie!