Lemon Easter Cookies

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

10 minutes

Serves:

16-20 Bunny Cookies

About the Recipe

With Easter just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to bake up some festive treats! These delightful lemon shortbread cookies are a bright and buttery addition to any holiday spread. Infused with fresh lemon zest, they strike the perfect balance between rich, buttery goodness and a subtle citrusy tang. Just like my Lemon Raspberry Sugar Cookies, these treats can be shaped into adorable Easter designs—like bunnies, eggs, and flowers—they’re as fun to make as they are to eat. A smooth layer of royal icing adds a touch of sweetness and a canvas for creative decorating. Whether you’re looking for a fun baking project with the kids or an elegant homemade treat to share, these Lemon Shortbread Easter Cookies are sure to bring a little extra joy to your celebration. Let’s get baking!

Bright & Buttery Flavor – These cookies have a delicate balance of rich, buttery shortbread and a refreshing hint of lemon, making them flavorful but not overpowering.

Tender Yet Crisp Texture – The cookies have a slightly crisp edge with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth center, thanks to the perfect ratio of butter and flour.

Smooth, Easy-to-Decorate Surface – The dough holds its shape well, so your Easter designs come out clean and defined. Once baked, the cookies provide a smooth base for royal icing.

Make-Ahead Friendly – The dough can be made in advance, and the baked cookies store well, making them a great option for prepping ahead of Easter celebrations.

Not Too Sweet – The combination of buttery shortbread and lightly tart lemon keeps these cookies from being overly sweet, even with the royal icing.

Versatile & Customizable – While perfect for Easter, you can use different cookie cutter shapes for any occasion, and the icing can be flavored or colored to match your theme.

What You'll Love

1. Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes! You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before rolling it out.

2. Can I freeze the cookies? Absolutely! Baked cookies (without icing) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store them in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. Thaw at room temperature before decorating.

3. Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh? Fresh lemon juice is best for the icing because it has a brighter, more natural flavor. If using bottled juice, choose one without added preservatives for the best taste.

4. What’s the best way to roll out the dough? Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking and avoid adding too much extra flour. Aim for about ¼-inch thickness for the perfect balance of crisp and tender.

5. How do I get my royal icing the right consistency? For outlining, the icing should be thick like toothpaste. For flooding (filling in), it should be thinner, like honey. Add water a teaspoon at a time to thin it or more icing sugar to thicken it.

6. Can I use something other than meringue powder for the icing? Yes, you can use pasteurized egg whites instead. Replace the meringue powder and water with about 2 egg whites and mix until the icing reaches stiff peaks.

7. How do I prevent my cookies from spreading? Chilling the cut-out cookie shapes in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before baking helps them hold their shape.

8. Can I make these cookies gluten-free? Yes! Swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. The texture might be slightly different, but they’ll still be delicious.

9. How long does the royal icing take to dry? It depends on humidity, but it usually takes 6-8 hours to fully set. If you need it to dry faster, place the cookies under a fan or in front of a low, cool airflow.

10. Can I flavor the royal icing? Yes! Instead of lemon juice, you can add vanilla, almond, or even orange extract for a different flavor.

Frequently asked Questions

Ingredients

Cookies:

1 cup + 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter (melted)

1 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2 Eggs

1 lemon (just the rind use juice for icing)

5 cups All-Purpose Flour

Royal Icing:

2 1/2 cups Icing Sugar

3 tablespoons Meringue Powder

1/3 cup Warm Water

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Food Coloring

Preparation

These cookies only require a few easy steps to make which will give you plenty of time to have fun with decorating them. The other thing I love about this recipe, is that the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time and frozen. Just thaw it in the fridge overnight the day before you want to make them. This dough is the perfect easy shortbread recipe which I use for all of my holiday cookies. Whether for halloween, Christmas or Easter, this recipe is perfect for stamping out any shapes. They taste great even without the addition of icing. You can simply add a bit of egg wash before baking to give them a nice glossy finish.

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Start by melting your butter in a large mixing bowl. Add in your sugar and salt and mix thoroughly with a hand mixer. Add in the eggs and mix until everything is well combined and you have a nice creamy paste-like consistency. To this, add the lemon rind. Fold the rind in with a rubber spatula or mix in gently with your mixer.

Next, slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

Once the dough starts to get a bit too thick to keep mixing with the hand held mixer, I go in with my hands to finish off the dough, making sure that everything is well incorporated and I am left with a solid piece of buttery dough. You can also use your spatula to make sure everything is well blended if you do not want to get doughy hands.

Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for a minimum of 1-2 hours (or overnight) until the dough has cooled and has solidified a bit. It will be easier to roll out this way.

Preheat your oven to 375F.

When your dough has finished chilling, flour your work surface liberally. These are very buttery cookies, so the more you work the dough, the butter will begin to warm up and begin to stick to your work surfaces. Just be sure to flour your rolling pin as well.

Roll out your dough so that it is about 4mm thick. Place your cookie cut-outs onto a lined baking sheet. These cookies will remain the same size during baking so you can lay them out quite closely together to try and fit as many onto your sheet as possible.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown very slightly. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Only add any decorative icing once they have completely cooled (or the icing will melt off).

To make the royal icing, simply mix together the icing sugar and meringe powder in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly add in lemon juice and water mixing until you have achieved your desired consistency. You want the icing to be thin enough so that it can be piped smoothly but not too runny either (unless you want to simply brush a thin layer overtop your cookies with a pastry brush). If you find the icing too runny, simply add a bit more icing sugar, if it is too thick, simply add a little bit more water.

Remember, a little liquid goes a long way when working with icing sugar. Once you have achieved your desired consistency, divide it into separate bowls if you want to make more than one color. Add in a few drops of food coloring et voila! You are ready to decorate.

I like to outline the main color first and then fill it in. Use a toothpick to poke any air bubbles or to help spread the icing if need be. There are many tutorials online on how to best decorate with Royal Icing. The tricky part is getting the proper consistency to the icing as well as having a steady hand. I have used both piping bottles and simply piping bags with no tips. I would suggest you try both to see which you prefer.