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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Lemon Cut Out Cookies

    Published: Aug 3, 2024 by Cara · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    stacks of lemon cut out cookies on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.
    hand holding up a lemon cut out cookie with a bite taken out.
    a lemon cut out cookie with a bite taken out stacked on another cookie on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.
    stacks of lemon cut out cookies on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.

    Lemon Cut Out Cookies are soft, buttery, lemon shortbread cookies bursting with fresh lemon flavor that require no chilling and hold their shape perfectly when baked. Perfect cookies to decorate for Easter, Valentine's Day, or Christmas cookie platters. 

    Delcious enjoyed just as they are or frosted with Creamy Lemon Cream Cheese Icing or Easy Buttercream Frosting. 

    stacks of lemon cut out cookies on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.
    Jump to:
    • ​❤️You're Going to Love These
    • 🍋Ingredients
    • 🍊Variations
    • 🥣Instructions
    • ☑️Tips
    • 🎁Storage
    • 🎆More Delicious Treats
    • 💌Let's Stay in Touch
    • 📖 Recipe

    Hey, lemon lovers! These lemon shortbread cookies have YOUR name all over them. They're rich and buttery, soft and perfectly crumbly, and oh-so lemony.

    And since these cutout cookies don't spread, they hold their clean, crisp edges and look amazing decorated for Christmas, Easter, or any special occasion. 

    ​❤️You're Going to Love These

    • Soft, buttery shortbread with fresh lemon flavor
    • No spread lemon cut out cookies that hold their shape when baked
    • ​Fast and easy recipe with no chill time required
    • Beautiful cookies to decorate for Christmas, Easter, or birthday parties
    lemon cut out cookies frosted with lemon cream cheese frosting.

    🍋Ingredients

    See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.

    lemon cut out cookie recipe ingredients.
    • Unsalted butter. Use room temperature butter -- which means it's firm enough to leaven an indent when pressed, but not soft and squishy. 
    • Lemon juice and zest. It's important to use fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest for that bright lemon flavor that bottled lemon juice just doesn't deliver. 
    • All-purpose flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife (instead of scooping straight from the bag) so you don't accidentally add too much. Too much flour can make the cookies dry and crumbly -- and not in the yummy-crumbly-shortbread kind of way. 
    • Salt. Salt enhances the butter and lemon flavors. If you use salted butter, you can skip the salt. 

    🍊Variations

    • Try different flavors of citrus juice, like fresh orange juice or fresh lime juice. 
    • Add a little bit of almond extract for a unique flavor combination. 

    🥣Instructions

    whipped butter and sugar in a white mixing bowl.

    Step 1: Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. Start on low speed and increase to medium-high. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the liquid is incorporated. 

    lemon shortbread cookie dough ball in a white mixing bowl.

    Step 2: Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it into 2 portions, and pat them into thick discs. 

    hands pressing using a rolling pin to roll out lemon cut out cookie dough.

    Step 3: Working one portion at a time, roll the dough between layers of floured parchment paper or on a floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. 

    lemon cookie dough cut outs on white parchment paper.

    Step 4: Cut the dough with 2-3" cookie cutters. Use any fun shapes you love (or round, ha!). Re-roll and cut the scraps. 

    baked lemon cut out cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    Step 5: Place the cookie dough cut-outs on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. Bake at 325 for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom just starts to turn golden brown. 

    lemon cut out cookies decorated with lemon cream cheese icing.

    Step 6: Cool cookies on the pan for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, decorate with soft cream cheese lemon icing (pictured), lemon glaze, or your favorite royal icing recipe.

    👉Top Tip: ​To easily roll the dough to an even thickness, use rolling pin guides or place dowels or thin cutting boards on either side of the rolling pin. 

    ☑️Tips

    • There is no need to chill the dough to prevent spreading. If the dough is too soft to work with, wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and chill for 30-60 minutes. 
    • Check the baking time early so they don't overbake and become dry. 

    🎁Storage

    • Store plain or decorated lemon cut-out cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 10 days. If decorated with cream cheese frosting, store in the refrigerator. 
    • Freeze lemon cookie dough in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. 
    • Freeze baked cookies (frosted or unfrosted) between layers of parchment or wax paper for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator if iced with cream cheese frosting.  
    hand holding up a lemon cut out cookie with a bite taken out.

    🎆More Delicious Treats

    • strawberry jam cookies on white parchment paper.
      Strawberry Jam Cookies
    • candy cane shortbread cookies on white parchment paper.
      Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies
    • stuffed strawberry cheesecake bites on a white plate.
      Stuffed Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
    • no spread cut out cookies on a cookie sheet with a rolling pin.
      No Spread Cut Out Cookies

    💌Let's Stay in Touch

    Follow Midwestern Holidays on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    a lemon cut out cookie with a bite taken out stacked on another cookie on a blue and white towel on a wooden cutting board.

    Lemon Cut Out Cookies

    Cara Lanz
    Lemon Cut Out Cookies are soft, buttery, lemon shortbread cookies bursting with fresh lemon flavor that require no chilling and hold their shape perfectly when baked. Perfect cookies for Easter, Valentine's Day, or Christmas cookie platters. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24
    Calories 131 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 ½ cups flour
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
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    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 325 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Start on low speed (so you don't get powdered sugar all over the place!), then increase speed to medium-high.
      Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and whip until fluffy again and the liquid has been absorbed.
    • Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball, Divide the dough into two portions and pat them into thick discs.
    • Roll out each portion of dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼" thickness. Cut with 2-3" cookie cutters, re-rolling and cutting the scraps.
      There is no need to chill the dough to prevent spreading. If the dough is too soft to work with, cover and chill the dough for at least 30-60 minutes, up to overnight.
    • Place the cutouts at least one inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn light golden brown.
    • Cool cookies on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.

    Notes

    • This recipe makes about 16-24 cookies, depending on how thick you roll the dough and the size of your cookie cutters. 
    • ​To easily roll the dough to an even thickness, use rolling pin guides or place dowels or thin cutting boards on either side of the rolling pin. 
    • There is no need to chill the dough to prevent spreading. If the dough is too soft to work with, wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and chill for 30-60 minutes. 
    • Check the baking time early so they don't overbake and become dry. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 131kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 85mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 237IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
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    Cara Lanz midwestern holidays

    Hi, I'm Cara! Here at Midwestern Holidays, every day is the most wonderful time of the year. Let's celebrate with fast and easy recipes for all the holidays and special moments in life.

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