Almond Lemon Shortbread Cookies are the perfect cookie for enjoying with a good cup of coffee or tea. They are tender with flavors of butter, toasted almonds, and a hint of lemon. These cookies may look unassuming, but they are just the thing for when you want a non-complicated munch. They are fragrant with notes of citrus and toasted almonds. These almost melt in your mouth with just the right amount of texture to make them beautifully crumbly. They may look plain, but they will fill your mouth with an explosion of toasted almonds and lemon.
Over Christmas, one of my incredible neighbors brought over a big tin of cookies. There was an enormous assortment of different baked goods, including peanut butter balls and toffee studded chewy ones that my brothers inhaled when they arrived. It seemed every time I was looking, one of them was over at the tin looking at what was in there. I only got to sample a little bit of the ones they liked. However, in the same tin, there was an unassuming plain-looking round cookie that my brothers didn’t even bother trying. I already knew about these Almond Lemon Shortbread Cookies, as I had already been given a sample when my neighbor was baking them. I knew how special they were, and I was keeping my mouth shut, hoping to be able to eat some of them when everyone was gone! My strategy worked, and when the festivities were finally over and done, I had a little pile of these wonderful cookies sitting all alone in the tin. I could enjoy these really awesome cookies all to myself with some espresso.
Of course, I had to make them myself, and my neighbor was kind to share the recipe with me. The original recipe called for cashews, but he substituted almonds for them, as it is what he had. I expanded on that idea by toasting the almonds before finely chopping them, adding even more almond flavor. The lemon zest is really what makes these gems so special. The oil in the zest gives these cookies their distinctive lemon flavor that permeates these beauties.
These Almond Lemon Shortbread Cookies are not tricky. There is no extra chilling time or frosting, so they can be quickly made. I did use a cookie scoop to help me scoop them into balls, and I lined my baking sheets with Silpat to make clean up easier, all of which are staples in my kitchen. You can use the links if you need to purchase any of them. (I get a small commission at no cost to you from Amazon. If you use any link on this page, please consider helping fund my food journey.)
I love a good simple cookie with a nice espresso or coffee. Almond Lemon Shortbread cookies are just the ticket. They keep for a couple of weeks, and they do make great gifts, though I like to keep them around for my morning break. That is all for this week. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there. We all need to get through this crazy world together. Please think of others on your choices. Have a great week!
- ¾ cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
-
Preheat the oven to 350°
-
On a cookie sheet or baking pan, toast the almonds in the oven until they are barely golden around the edges and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful. They will go from beautifully toasted to burnt very quickly.
-
Let them cool and then finely chop them or process them in a food processor until finely chopped, do not over process, as they will go from chopped to almond butter. You will end up with a little over ½ cup finely chopped almonds.
-
Turn the oven down to 325°
-
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
-
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.
-
Gradually add ½ cup of the sugar and beat until very light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
-
Add the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, and the vanilla.
-
Beat until thoroughly combined.
-
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and finely chopped almonds. Or you can do this by hand. The mixture will start by looking like sand but will come together into a dough with a bit of effort.
-
Shape the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls. A cookie scoop is excellent here.
-
Roll each ball in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and place it on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.
-
Flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass to around 1/4 inch thick. I used a 3-inch diameter glass, and they pressed out close to the edge.
-
Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest lightly on top of the shaped cookies.
-
Bake for 17-19 minutes or until the cookies are set, and the edges are just lightly browned.
-
Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These will keep in a container for a couple of weeks.
