Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies Recipe with Zesty Glaze

These lemon poppy seed shortbread cookies with lemon icing deliver bright citrus flavor and a rich, buttery texture.

This recipe was originally created for Go Bold With Butter.

If you want a cookie that’s both easy and a little refined, these lemon poppy seed shortbread cookies are an excellent choice. They’re intensely lemony, with the subtle crunch of poppy seeds—an enduringly popular flavor pairing.

What is a shortbread cookie?

Shortbread is a simple cookie made primarily from butter, sugar, and flour — often roughly one part sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts flour. Shortbread contains no eggs or chemical leaveners. In this version, lemon zest, vanilla, and poppy seeds add citrus brightness and texture.

The high butter content produces a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a pronounced buttery flavor that defines shortbread.

Ingredients you’ll need

Gather the essentials (full recipe measurements in the recipe box below):

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh lemons (zest and juice)
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Poppy seeds
• Powdered sugar (for the glaze)

How to make lemon shortbread cookies

1. Prepare the dough. Use the creaming method: beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, then add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, and poppy seeds until a stiff dough forms. Creaming the butter and sugar with the zest helps intensify the lemon flavor.
2. Shape and chill. Form the dough into a 2–3 inch diameter log, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour (up to several days).
3. Slice and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the chilled log into ½-inch rounds and place them a few inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake about 10–12 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. For crisper cookies, bake until the edges brown slightly.
4. Glaze. Whisk powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice into a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle sparingly over cooled cookies and allow at least 15 minutes for the glaze to set.

Enjoy these delicate, citrus-forward shortbread cookies with tea or coffee. Note: the glaze won’t fully harden, so cookies are best served on a single layer rather than stacked. They’re still delicious unglazed if you prefer.

Shortbread cookie tips

• Use high-quality butter—it’s the primary flavor driver in shortbread.
• Start with butter slightly softened, not melted; remove from the fridge 30–60 minutes before mixing.
• Measure flour accurately (spoon into the cup and level) to avoid dense cookies.
• Use plastic wrap to shape the dough log for a cleaner process.
• Shortbread dough freezes and stores well. Dough keeps in the fridge for up to a week and freezes for months when double-wrapped. Baked cookies store at room temperature for a week or can be frozen for about a month.

More lemon desserts

If you enjoy these cookies, consider trying other lemon treats such as lemon pound cake, lemon bars, lemon poppy seed scones, berry shortcakes with lemon curd, or lemon spritz cookies.

Recipe