Nutty brown butter shortbread and the the bright, sunny flavor of citrus come together in these irresistible cookies that are so tender they literally melt in your mouth. When properly chilled, these shortbread cookies retain their definition when baked, so cut them into whatever shapes you like. Drizzle them with sweet tart lemon icing and just try to not eat them all yourself.
Shortbread is a simple combination of flour, sugar, and butter. And what's not to love about that? But shortbread is also the perfect base from which to showcase other flavors... like nutty brown butter, bright citrus, and a generous amount of vanilla.
Brown butter and citrus is an enticing flavor combination. The earthy, nuttiness of brown butter seems to ground the bright, dazzling flavor of citrus. The combination reminds me of something from a romantic comedy, where a fun character who's prone to flights of fancy meets a reliable sort with a tendency to get stuck in their ruts, but together they bring out the best in each other.
Not only are the flavors in these cookies a match made in heaven (or Hollywood), the texture positively melts in your mouth, which is exactly what I want from something made with a delightfully exorbitant amount of butter.
You too? Then put on an apron and pull out the butter because this just might become your new favorite cookie recipe.
xo
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Shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth and hold their shape
There are a few different techniques for making shortbread, and most of the differences have to do with how you mix the ingredients together.
The method you'll find here involves creaming butter with powdered sugar (confectioners or icing sugar) then blending in a few egg yolks before adding the flour. The effect is the very definition of something so tender that it melts in your mouth.
Because the dough is so soft and tender, it's imperative that you don't skip the steps requiring refrigeration of the dough and the raw cookies after they are cut into shapes. The cookies must go into the oven cold in order to hold their shape. But, when properly chilled, they retain their definition quite well, so cut them into whatever shapes you fancy.
For example, when cut into holiday shapes and decorated with white and dark chocolate fondants, these make the most delightful Christmas Cookies. Here's how to make those: Frosted Brown Butter Citrus Christmas Cookies
One more tip: I like to use a relatively even combination of orange, lime, and lemon zest in these cookies. But feel free to use just one kind of citrus, or any combination you like.
These buttery little shortbread cookies are perfectly delicious naked and unadorned, but if you're a citrus lover like me, you won't want to skip the drizzle of lemon icing.
Step by step photos and instructions
To brown the butter, cut it into chunks and dump them into a light-colored saucepan. (Dark pans make it difficult to tell when the butter is browned.) Set the pan over medium heat and cook until the butter is melted and begins to boil.
As the butter simmers, foam will form on the surface. Stir constantly, and pay attention to the color of the butter underneath the foam. When it's done, the butter beneath the foam will be golden brown with dark brown specks on the bottom of the pan and will smell nutty.
Once browned, pour the butter into a small bowl. Be sure to scrape all the brown flecks from the bottom of the pan into the bowl - those brown specks contain a lot of flavor. Let the butter cool until it's solid but still soft.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter with the powdered sugar and citrus zest until the mixture looks fluffy and is the consistency of frosting. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla, then the flour and salt.
Divide the dough in half, form each half into a disk, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove one of the discs of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out in between two sheets of parchment paper into an oval that's about ½-inch thick.
Flip the whole thing over and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper.
Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes.
Use a flat spatula to move the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Leave about 2-inches of room between the cookies. Cover the cookies loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Bake the cookies until they are just barely beginning to brown around the edges.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a wire baking rack.
Let the cookies cool completely, then drizzle with lemon icing.
More delicious ways to use brown butter and citrus
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Citrus Shortbread Cookies
Brown butter shortbread and bright citrus come together in these irresistible cookies that are so tender they literally melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 30 tablespoons (15 ounces/ 424 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (170 grams) powdered/ confectioners sugar
- 3 heaping tablespoons citrus zest (*See note)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table table salt, OR 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Lemon icing *Optional
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Instructions
- Put 16 tablespoons (226 grams) of the butter into a saucepan and set it over medium-low heat (a light colored saucepan is preferred; dark pans make it difficult to see when the butter is browning). Cook, stirring, until the milk solids have fallen to the bottom of the pan and turned a rich golden brown. Once the milk solids start to brown, stir constantly and watch carefully. Cook until the butter underneath the foam is the color of peanut butter then remove the pan from the heat to prevent the butter from burning. Pour the butter into a bowl, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and let cool until the butter has solidified but is still soft. You can speed this up by placing the butter in the refrigerator.
- Add the browned butter, the remaining 14 tablespoons (198 grams) of butter, powdered sugar, and zest to a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until the mixture looks fluffy and is the consistency of frosting. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1-2 minutes more.
- Stir the flour and salt together and dump it into the mixing bowl. Beat on low speed just until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough in half and set each half in the center of a large rectangle of plastic wrap. Pat each half of the dough into a disk that is about 8-inches in diameter. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap over the dough to wrap it tightly. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
- Set the dough out on the counter and let it rest for a few minutes until it's soft enough to roll out, but still very cold. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lay a sheet of parchment paper that's approximately 13x18 inches (the size of a half-sheet pan) on a clean work surface. Set the dough in the center of the paper and cover with another 13x18 piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough, in between the two sheets of parchment paper, into an oval that's approximately ½-inch thick. Flip the whole thing over and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes. Use a flat spatula to move the cookies to one of the parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2-inches apart. Cover the cookies loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling the scraps as necessary.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C) and bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, rotating the tray from front to back halfway through cooking to ensure even baking. The cookies are done when they are just barely beginning to brown around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 4 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them to a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely then drizzle with as much lemon icing as you like.
Notes
- I like to use a combination of orange zest, lemon zest, and lime zest in these cookies but you can use one kind or citrus or any combination you like.
- If the dough is really sticking to the parchment, dust the surface of the dough with a bit of flour.
- Nutrition information calculated without lemon icing.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 60 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 41mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
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