A buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread is one of my favorite tea-time treats, and this version feels especially right for the season. Light and lemony, softly floral, finished with a simple glaze that settles into the surface of the cookie.
The dough itself is a lovely canvas — easy to adapt with different florals, citrus, or a touch of spice. It’s the same base I use for my sourdough linzer cookies; here, the glaze takes the place of jam, but you could just as easily swap in your favorite preserves and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter. The star of any shortbread — choose a good-quality butter.
Powdered sugar. For a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Granulated sugar. Adds sweetness and a bit of crispness.
Lemon zest. For brightness.
Egg yolk. Adds richness and helps bind the dough.
Sourdough discard. Optional, but I love the soft, tender texture and gentle tang it brings.
Rosewater. For a subtle floral note.
All-purpose flour. Hayden Flour Mills All-Purpose is my go-to.
Variations
This dough is easy to adapt with different citrus, florals, teas, and spices. A few combinations I love:
orange blossom + vanilla bean
chamomile + vanilla extract
lavender + lemon zest
Dress them up
Finish with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice or blood orange juice.
Or fill with your favorite jam and dust with powdered sugar for a linzer-style cookie — strawberry, raspberry, and apricot are all lovely with rose.
Glazed Sourdough Lemon Rose Shortbread
Ingredients
Lemon Rose Shortbread
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup (50g) sourdough discard, optional
2 tsp rosewater
2 1/4 cups (270g) all purpose flour
Powdered Sugar Glaze
2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp rosewater
dried edible flowers, optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the butter, sugars and lemon zest. Beat together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk, rosewater and discard if using and continue to mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed, until the dough starts coming together. Don’t over mix.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into two discs. Place one between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat. Place the sheets on a cookie sheet and transfer to the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 48 hours. Or place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the fridge/freezer and peel off the parchment paper. Using a cookie, cut the dough into desired shapes. Re-rolling the scraps as needed.
- Place the cut-outs on your cookie sheets, about 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool completely.
Lemon Rose Glaze
- To a medium bowl, add the sifted powdered sugar, rosewater and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add more juice, 1 tsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Dip the top of the cookies into the glaze and allow the access to flow off. Transfer to a cookie rack placed over a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with dried edible flowers. Allow to firm for a few hours or overnight.
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