The Small Bites · About 24 rounds
Lemon Shortbread Rounds
Buttery, bright, and better a day old.
Three-ingredient shortbread plus a lemon. The dough keeps in the freezer for a month, which means warm cookies are always twenty minutes away — the most useful hosting habit on this list.
What You Need
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar, plus more for dusting
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
How It Comes Together
- 01
Rub the Zest In
Work the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until it smells like a lemon grove — this is where the flavor lives.
The sugar turns faintly yellow and damp.
- 02
Bring the Dough Together
Beat in the butter, then the flour and salt, just until it holds. Roll into a log, chill an hour, slice into ¼-inch rounds.
- 03
Low and Slow
Bake at 325°F for 18–22 minutes until the edges barely color. Dust with sugar while warm. Pale is correct — golden is overdone.
