These lemon and rosemary shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious! They are simple to make and delicious with Meyer lemons and fresh rosemary. Offer them as a seasonal treat or enjoy them on the darkest winter days. They’re delightful!

Bright Citrus Recipes for Winter

The dark and dreary winter is often brightened by beautiful citrus. Even though I don’t live in a place where citrus can grow naturally, I still enjoy it while I can.

There are many ways to use and preserve citrus, and I often turn to making lemon or grapefruit curd, as I can’t get enough of the stuff.

But, I’ve been on a shortbread kick lately, and that’s what these beautiful Meyer lemons (mailed to me straight from Texas by my friend over at Schneiderpeeps) were calling to me.

Meyer lemons have a really nice flavor and work really well in these shortbread cookies, but use regular lemons if that’s what you have.

Simply add a fresh herb from the winter garden to make them even more sophisticated, and you’ve got some super tasty lemon and rosemary shortbread cookies!

Lemon and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies Recipe

These lemon and rosemary shortbread cookies are one of my new favorites! They are nice and lemony, which I love, and the rosemary really compliments the flavor well.

You don’t have to use Meyer lemons in this recipe, any lemons will do (although Meyer lemons are pretty amazing). Even oranges or tangerines would work well.

You can also change up the fresh herb if you don’t want to use rosemary. Thyme would be lovely, or even mint or oregano. If it’s summertime and you have fresh lavender, that would be outstanding!

Make the Dough

Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir to combine.

Then add the flour, arrowroot, rosemary, and salt. Stir everything together until the dough begins to hold together.

Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a log shape.

Wrap and Chill the Dough

Wrap the dough log in parchment paper, twisting the ends to help hold it together. Put the dough in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm.

You can store the dough for several days in the fridge, or for several weeks in the freezer, if need be.

Slice and Bake the Cookies

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the dough log into ¼ inch rounds.

Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. They don’t really spread much.

If you’re feeling fancy you can gently press some rosemary sprig ends into some of the cookies.

Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes. Check them closely after 25 minutes, as they will start to brown pretty quickly.

Take them out when only the edges just barely start to turn golden. The centers will still be fairly soft.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool.

These shortbread cookies are simple to make, yet fancy enough for company!

I will definitely be making these lemon and rosemary cookies again. In fact, I still have several more Meyer lemons that I needs to use up!

More Herbal Shortbread Cookies

I have several other shortbread cookie recipes for you to enjoy. They are the perfect cookie!

• Calendula and Thyme Shortbread Cookies
• Lemon + Lavender Shortbread Cookies
• Conifer Needle Shortbread Cookies

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4.67 from 12 votes

Lemon and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

These lemon and rosemary shortbread cookies are easy to make and delicious! They are simple to make and delicious with Meyer lemons and fresh rosemary. Offer them as a seasonal treat or enjoy them on the darkest winter days. They're delightful!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Chilling Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 18 cookies

Calories 166kcal

Author Colleen @ Grow Forage Cook Ferment

Equipment

• ▢
  Medium Bowl
• ▢
  Wooden Spoon
• ▢
  Microplane (for zesting)
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Baking Sheet
• ▢
  Cooling Rack

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 14 Tbsp (2 sticks minus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 3/4 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest a microplane is the best tool for this
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• ▢ 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary minced
• ▢ pinch salt

Instructions

• Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest, and stir to combine. Then add the flour, arrowroot, rosemary, and salt.
• Stir everything together until the dough begins to hold together. Take it out of the bowl and form it into a log shape.
• Wrap the dough log in parchment paper, twisting the ends to help hold it together.
• Put the dough in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm. You can store the dough for several days in the fridge, or for several weeks in the freezer, if need be. 
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice the log into 1/4 inch rounds. 
• Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. They don’t really spread much. If you’re feeling fancy you can gently press some rosemary sprig ends into some of the cookies.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check them closely after 25 minutes, as they will start to brown pretty quickly. Take them out when only the edges just barely start to turn golden. The centers will still be fairly soft.
• Let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool.

Notes

• Use regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons if that's what you have.
• The dough log can be stored for several days in the fridge, or for several weeks in the freezer, if need be.
• If you want to make different shapes, instead of forming the log you can alternatively refrigerate the dough as a flattened disk, then roll it out on a floured board and use cookie cutters.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 166kcal