Best 5 Citrus Shortbread Recipes

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Indulge in the delightful world of citrus shortbread, where buttery textures meet the vibrant flavors of zesty citrus. These cookies are a true testament to the culinary magic that can be created with simple ingredients. With just a handful of pantry staples, you can embark on a delightful baking journey that yields tender, crumbly shortbread infused with the refreshing essence of citrus. This recipe collection presents a variety of citrus shortbread variations, each offering a unique flavor profile that will tantalize your taste buds. From the classic lemon shortbread to the invigorating orange and ginger combination, these recipes promise a burst of citrusy delight in every bite. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, this article provides detailed instructions and helpful tips to guide you through the baking process, ensuring perfect results every time. So, gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and prepare to embark on a delightful citrus shortbread adventure!

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

CITRUS SHORTBREAD COOKIES



Citrus Shortbread Cookies image

This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law, one of the best cooks I know...and given that we're from south Louisiana, that's saying something. With the chopped up dried cranberries, these are as pretty as they are tasty.

Provided by Donna

Categories     Desserts     Cookies     Fruit Cookie Recipes     Cranberry

Time 4h35m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest, or more to taste
2 cups sweetened dried cranberries, chopped

Steps:

  • Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts and orange zest. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the cranberries; mixing just enough to evenly combine.
  • Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, then roll into logs about 7 inches long. Wrap each log in wax paper or plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
  • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Remove wax paper, and cut the cookie dough into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until firm but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 152.5 calories, Carbohydrate 20.2 g, Cholesterol 20.3 mg, Fat 7.8 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 1.2 g, SaturatedFat 4.9 g, Sodium 72 mg, Sugar 10.4 g

STAMPED CITRUS SHORTBREAD



Stamped Citrus Shortbread image

Use cast-iron cookie stamps to leave imprints on this beautifully textured shortbread, which is flavored with tangy orange and lemon zests. The stamps, which are available online, are a fun way to shape and decorate cookies without much effort. (Don't be afraid to be generous with the flour, on the cookie balls and on the stamps themselves, shaking off excess so you still get a clean imprint.) But if you don't have stamps, you can roll and cut the dough using a simply shaped cutter, or roll the dough into a log for slice-and-bake cookies.

Provided by Susan Spungen

Categories     snack, cookies and bars, side dish

Time 40m

Yield About 2 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 12

2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/3 cup/45 grams cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar
1 orange (preferably tangelo)
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup/75 grams sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, plus more as needed

Steps:

  • Prepare the cookies: Add flour, cornstarch and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Zest half the orange and half the lemon directly into the bowl. Reserve the lemon and orange for the glaze. Cream the butter mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and lemon extracts and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl a few times as needed.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough in half and let one piece warm up for 30 minutes if it has chilled longer than an hour. Return the other half to the refrigerator. Portion the dough into pieces roughly the size of walnuts (a scant 2 tablespoons/about 35 grams), then roll each piece into a ball between your hands. One at a time, dip a ball of dough into flour and set on work surface. If dough balls soften too much, return them to the refrigerator to firm up for a few minutes. You want it cool, but malleable. Dip cookie stamp in flour, and press down on the ball of dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove stamp. (If dough sticks to stamp, carefully peel it off. Don't worry about excess flour as you will brush it off after chilling.) Trim the edges using a 2-inch cookie cutter, and transfer dough rounds to 2 parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, arranging them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
  • Once you have stamped out all the cookies, knead together the scraps to make a few more. Chill in the freezer until very firm, about 10 minutes. When cold, brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
  • Bake until cookies just start to turn golden underneath, 12 to 14 minutes, switching the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time.
  • Make the glaze while the cookies bake: Zest the remaining skin from the reserved lemon and orange into a small bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar, butter and orange juice and whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more orange juice. If it is too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. It should be the consistency of thin custard.
  • Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, and transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Pick up a cookie, and using the back of a small spoon, spread a generous teaspoon of glaze on a cookie, letting any excess drip onto the next cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are glazed. Cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

CITRUS SHORTBREAD COOKIES



Citrus Shortbread Cookies image

A lemon drizzle adds a bit of sweetness to buttery shortbread triangles.

Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens

Categories     Dessert

Time 50m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 7

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Add flour, lime peel and orange peel. Beat on low speed until mixture is blended. Gather dough into a ball.
  • On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 8x6-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. (If dough cracks around edges, press edges to smooth.) Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares, then cut each square diagonally in half into triangles. On ungreased cookie sheet, place triangles 1/2 inch apart.
  • Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
  • In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lime juice with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 120, Carbohydrate 15 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Fat 1, Fiber 0 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 3 1/2 g, ServingSize 1 Cookie, Sodium 40 mg, Sugar 7 g, TransFat 0 g

MICHELLE OBAMA'S CITRUS SHORTBREAD COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY



Michelle Obama's Citrus Shortbread Cookies Recipe by Tasty image

In this recipe from Michelle Obama, lemon and orange zest add a refreshing brightness to buttery shortbread cookies.

Provided by Tikeyah Whittle

Categories     Desserts

Time 55m

Yield 25 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 9

3 sticks unsalted butter
1 ½ cups caster sugar, divided, plus 2 tablespoons
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons amaretto
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 cups cake flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg white, beaten

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Grease a 17 x 12 x 1-inch (43 x 30 x 2.54 cm)+ baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1½ cups of caster sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat until fluffy.
  • Add the amaretto, lemon zest, and orange zest and beat until just combined.
  • Gradually add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until no dry spots remain, being careful not to overwork the dough.
  • Spread the dough evenly on the prepared pan, making sure the top is as smooth as possible. Brush the dough with the egg white, then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and let the cookies cool inside for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut while slightly warm.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 95 calories, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 0 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 2 grams, Sugar 5 grams

CITRUS SHORTBREAD



Citrus Shortbread image

We prepared three batches of shortbread using a different zest in each, then cut each kind into a different shape.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Number Of Ingredients 6

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange, lemon, or lime zest
1 teaspoon pure orange, lemon, or lime extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Steps:

  • Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light-colored and fluffy. Beat in sugar, zest, and matching extract.
  • Mix together flour and salt and mix into butter mixture on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.
  • Knead a few times on a lightly floured board and roll out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes with well-floured cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick each cookie with a fork a few times and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake shortbread for about 20 minutes, or until it just begins to brown. Cool completely on a rack. Shortbread will keep for a few weeks in an airtight container.

Tips for Making Citrus Shortbread Cookies:

  • Use high-quality ingredients: The quality of your ingredients will greatly impact the taste of your cookies. Use real butter, fresh citrus zest, and high-quality flour.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy: This will help to incorporate air into the dough, resulting in a light and tender cookie.
  • Chill the dough before baking: This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
  • Bake the cookies until the edges are just starting to brown: This will help to ensure that the cookies are cooked through without becoming too dry.
  • Let the cookies cool completely before serving: This will help to allow the flavors to develop and the cookies to set.

Conclusion:

Citrus shortbread cookies are a delicious and easy-to-make treat that are perfect for any occasion. With their bright citrus flavor and buttery shortbread texture, these cookies are sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them. So next time you're looking for a sweet treat to bake, give these citrus shortbread cookies a try.

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