Lime shortbread cookies are sweet, tender, and buttery, with plenty of fresh lime flavor. They're the perfect cookie for summer!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender, buttery shortbread cookies are filled with lime zest and topped with a simple lime icing. Like a bowl of lime sherbet in cookie form!
Chill, slice, and bake: Form dough into a log, chill for 30 minutes, then slice and bake.
Yield: 36 cookies.
Similar to: Strawberry Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Dippers
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour adds structure to your dough and balances with the butter, while salt enhances the flavor of your cookies. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flours and don't recommend making substitutions. Instead, search for a recipe developed for the flour you'd like to use.
- Wet ingredients - Unsalted butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and lime zest add flavor and moisture to your cookies. If you'd like to use salted butter, omit the salt listed in the recipe.
- Icing ingredients - A simple lime icing is made with confectioner's sugar, lime juice, and lime zest. The lime in this recipe could be substituted with lemon to make lemon cookies if desired.
How to make lime shortbread cookies
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lime zest and mix to combine.
- Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine with butter mixture.
- Form into a cylinder and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Slice into ¼ inch rounds.
- Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until cookies barely brown around the edges.
- While your cookies cool, prepare the icing in a small bowl.
- Add icing to completely cooled cookies and allow to set for several hours before stacking and storing.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland baked goods.
Tips for shortbread cookies
Texture of shortbread - Shortbread cookies are dense, delicate, and buttery. They don't contain eggs or leavening agents, so they don't puff up in the oven or have the chewy texture of a chocolate chip cookie. The dough will look a little crumbly once you're done mixing, but holds together when pinched between two fingers. This is normal.
Measure your flour accurately - Shortbread cookies can be more finicky than your average cookie. While you may be thinking that less ingredients = easier, this is not always the case! Proper measuring of flour is especially important when making shortbread cookies.
Dough too sticky? - If it's sticking to the bowl and hard to roll into a ball, it needs more flour. If your dough presses easily into a ball without sticking to your hands, it's just right.
Dough too dry? - If your dough looks very dry and doesn't hold together at all, too much flour was added. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough comes together.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the lime juice and zest can be substituted with equal amounts of lemon or orange.
Shortbread dough is very delicate and crumbly once mixed, but holds together when pinched between two fingers. This is normal. If your dough is so crumbly and dry that it doesn't hold together, too much flour was added (this is the most common mistake I see in baking). If this happens, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your dough comes together.
Shortbread cookies may spread in the oven if the dough is too warm. If your dough feels warm, return it to the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Dough can also spread if you've used grease instead of parchment. For this recipe (and most cookie recipes), I recommend using parchment instead of greasing your baking sheet.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Iced Lime Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (85 g) confectioner's sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, measured properly
- ½ teaspoon salt
Icing
- 2 ½ tablespoons (35 g) lime juice
- 1 cup (113 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
Cookies
- In a bowl, add butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lime zest and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, sift (or whisk) together flour and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Dough may look crumbly, but will hold together when pinched between two fingers.
- Shape into a long, round tube about 2 inches thick and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into ¼ inch slices and place on lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies barely begin to brown around edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Icing
- While cookies are cooling, add confectioner's sugar, lime juice, and lime zest to a bowl. Stir to combine. If too thick, add another splash of lime juice.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, use a knife to ice each cookie with a thin layer of icing. Allow to dry at room temperature until icing has set.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Measuring flour: Use a scale and the gram measurements in the recipe card for accurate results. If you don't have a scale, stir your flour to loosen it, then spoon into a measuring cup. Level off the top with a knife. Scooping with the measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. This results in a crumbly, dry dough.
- Storage: Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, you can place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- Storing dough: Raw cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Cookie dough and baked cookies freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen dough to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Pro tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions!
Our family loves these cookies! The lime frosting is amazing on the cookies. I have used regular white sugar instead of confectioner's for the cookie itself. It seems that you can't tell the difference. Any thoughts on that deviation from the recipe? Thanks, Cindy
Yes, granulated sugar also works great as a substitute in the dough! It makes a slightly sandier texture but a great cookie nonetheless.
I have made these yummy cookies 3 times now! The first ones were perfect! The last two batches were super dry. I'm not a seasoned baker so I follow the recipe closely. I bake the cookies on a silicone sheet and have all three times. Any ideas?
Hi Valeda, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies! Shortbread cookies can turn out dry and crumbly if too much flour is added to the recipe. Did you weigh your flour using a kitchen scale, or use measuring cups? If scooping with a measuring cup, sometimes up to 25% extra flour can get compacted into the cup, adding extra flour to the dough, causing the cookies to turn out dry. If your dough looks dry and crumbly, try adding a tablespoon of milk to help bring it back together.
Such a great recipe! Have made them 3 times now!! My husband prefers his thin and unfrosted. I like mine a little thicker with the frosting! Easy to make them customized!! Thank you!
I've just made this for the first (but not last) time and we just loove them, my husband and I. So easy to make but soo delicious!
Definitely one of the best cookies I've ever tasted!!
Delicious!! Easy to make and our whole family loved them. The sweet and citrus are balanced perfectly. We'll definitely make these again.