Lemon zest gives a gentle zing to these crisp butter rich biscuits (cookies). Lemon Butter Biscuits or Cookies that are truly melt-in-the mouth sensations!
These delicious lemon butter biscuits (cookies) are a doddle to make. They have a high butter content, which gives them a uniquely delicate crispness that crumbles in your mouth to release a burst of sugary lemon flavour. The perfect biscuit with a nice cup of tea as an afternoon treat.
This easy lemon biscuit recipe started life as Ginger Shortbread Biscuits in a 1970s edition of a Marks & Spencer publication called Picnics and Barbecues. The photograph in the cookbook shows pretty star shaped biscuits as the finished result. However, when I first made the biscuits it became clear very rapidly that rolling out the biscuits was going to be a challenge. Even after chilling the pastry, the dough refused to co-operate, alternating between a chilled dough prone to cracking and a sticky, buttery mush.
Deciding that life was too short to do battle, I ditched the plan to roll out the pastry and used instead the technique of forming the soft pastry into a cylinder roll shape using greaseproof paper. This roll is then chilled for at least an hour or two. To make these delicious biscuits, you simply cut slices from the roll, place on a baking tray and bake. See the photos below. So easy!
After the rolling out challenge, and having tasted these wonderful crisp butter biscuits, I started to query whether or not they were truly shortbread biscuits. After looking more into what makes a shortbread, it seems to me that recipes for shortbread biscuits generally have a higher flour to butter ratio. So I ditched the shortbread name. I also felt that the rich butter taste of these buttery biscuits worked better when flavoured with lemon, rather than ginger. And that's how the original ginger shortbread recipe morphed into an easy lemon biscuits recipe.
Have a go at both and see what you think! I have given the ingredients for the ginger version in the More Ideas section below.
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🍋 Ingredients
- fresh lemon (preferably unwaxed lemon) - only the zest is used, no lemon juice
- sugar
- unsalted butter
- plain flour
See the Recipe Card below for details of quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- fine grater
- mixing bowl (optional)
- greaseproof/baking paper
- sharp knife
- baking sheet
- cooling wire rack
🔪 How to make Lemon Butter Biscuits (Cookies)
Step 1. Take the cold butter out of the fridge in good time so that it becomes soft enough to easily press the tip of your finger in and leave an indentation.
Step 2. Finely grate the zest from the fresh lemon.
Step 3. Add the finely grated lemon zest to the sugar and mix in thoroughly. [I found it easier to mix the ingredients on a worksurface rather than in a mixing bowl.]
Step 4. Cut the softened butter into chunks and place onto a worksurface. Add the sugar and lemon zest mix to the butter pieces. Next to the sugar, butter and lemon zest pile, pour the flour into a mound.
Step 5. Using your fingertips, work the sugar and butter together until thoroughly mixed. Then gradually work the flour into the sugar and butter mixture.
Step 6. Place the dough onto the greaseproof/parchment paper and shape the cookie dough into a cylinder.
Step 7. Wrap the greaseproof paper around the cylinder shaped dough. Use the paper to help with the shaping. Place in a fridge and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours.
Step 8. Cut the chilled dough into slices about 0.5cm thick. Start heating the oven: 160 degrees C, 325 degrees F, Gas Mark 4.
Step 9. Put a sheet of parchment paper onto a baking sheet and place the slices onto the lined baking tray, spaced apart. The dough slices will spread slightly during cooking.
Step 10. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes (160 degrees C, 325 degrees F, Gas Mark 4), until the biscuits are very slightly bronzed at the edges.
Step 11. Whilst the lemon cookies are still hot, sprinkle with a little caster sugar for decoration.
Time for afternoon tea! Enjoy these delicious homemade lemon biscuits with a refreshing cup of tea.
💭 More ideas
- If you would like to try out the original ginger version of these sweet buttery biscuits, swap the lemon zest with 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. Add the ground ginger to the flour.
- How about a softly spiced biscuit? Swap the lemon zest with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of ground mace. Add the ground spices to the flour. The ground mace is a delicious complement to the sweet cinnamon, and gives a gentle warmth.
- The traditional Tosset Cakes (we would think of these as a cookie or biscuit nowadays), have a high butter content similar to these lemon biscuits and an unexpected spice combination of caraway and coriander that is truly wonderful. Swap the lemon zest, and lemon flavour, with about ½ teaspoon each of caraway and coriander seed. Grind the caraway and coriander seeds well. You need a slightly rounded teaspoon of the ground mixed spices.
- These delicate butter biscuits are a perfect accompaniment to many types of puddings. Why not try making mini versions to serve with: Strawberries and Raspberry Whipped Cream, Orange Sorbet.
🍲 Storage
- Once cooled, you can store the cooked biscuits in an airtight container, such as an airtight tin, for about a week.
- I have kept the uncooked dough in the fridge for about 2 to 3 weeks, and baked fantastic biscuits using this dough.
- At the time of writing I have not attempted to freeze the dough, but would imagine it would freeze well. I will update the post once I have tried this out.
👨🏻🍳 Top tips
- Make sure you have the flour ready in place on the worksurface next to the sugar and butter before you start to mix the sugar and butter together with your fingers. Your fingers will get covered in butter (think of it as a spa treatment for your hands!) and you want to avoid touching anything until you have finished mixing all the ingredients together.
- Before baking, leave the chilled biscuit dough in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to develop, particularly if making one of spiced biscuit variations (see the More Ideas section above).
- If the dough has been chilled for a long time, take the dough out of the fridge three or four minutes before slicing to avoid the cold, solid dough crumbling when cut.
📋 Recipe Card
Lemon Butter Biscuits (Cookies)
Ingredients
- 250 g butter (preferably unsalted)
- 125 g sugar (preferably caster sugar) + extra for sprinkling
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 250 g plain flour
Instructions
- Take the butter out of the fridge in good time so that it becomes soft enough to easily press the tip of your finger in and leave an indentation.
- Grate the zest from the lemon.
- Add the lemon zest to the sugar and mix in thoroughly.
- Cut the softened butter into chunks and place onto a worksurface. Add the sugar and lemon zest mix to the butter pieces. Next to the sugar, butter and lemon zest pile, pour the flour into a mound.
- Using your fingertips, work the sugar and butter together until thoroughly mixed.
- Gradually work the flour into the sugar and butter mixture, using your fingers, until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
- Place the dough onto greaseproof paper, wrap the greaseproof paper around it and shape into a cylinder shape. Place in a fridge and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours.
- Cut the chilled dough into slices about 0.5cm thick. Start heating the oven. 160 degrees C, 325 degrees F, Gas Mark 4.
- Put a sheet of greaseproof paper onto a baking tray and place the slices onto the paper, spaced apart. The dough slices will spread slightly during cooking.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes (160 degrees C, 325 degrees F, Gas Mark 4), until the biscuits are very slightly bronzed at the edges.
- Whilst the biscuits are still hot, sprinkle with a little caster sugar for decoration.
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