Flavorful browned butter and a punch of citrus flavor transform these browned butter shortbread cookies into a luscious springtime cookie that’s a gorgeous addition to any cookie tray!
I’m sure I’m not the only one needing a cookie right now that’s just PACKED with spring. And dripping with glaze, of course.
Meet the shortbread cookies that tick ALL the boxes! And leave you needing another 6 batches cause priorities, yo.
While we’ve certainly done our fair share of shortbread goodness around here before, BROWNED butter is something new for me. It adds a rich nuttiness and almost caramel-y type flavor to this shortbread that is literally ridiculous.
Pair browned butter with a trio of citrus flavors in these cookies with a little (okay, a LOT) of glaze on top and you’ve got about the most addicting thing ever at your cookie disposal.
They’re also small-style cookies which, of course, means you’re going to non intentionally eat about half the batch in one sitting.
No issues with that here than I can think of??
These browned butter shortbread cookies do take a little bit of planning ahead so plan accordingly >>
- Brown the butter and let it chill until completely solid again. It can still be a little soft around the edges, but it should not be melted in the least.
- Make the dough (literally just flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, grated citrus zest, and the butter) and now this has to chill out in the fridge at least an hour.
From there, it’s cookie business as usual. I like to roll out and cut out these cookies for a cleaner look, but feel free to roll them by hand if you desire!
We are going to want to bake these cookies until the edges are just beginning to brown. Watch them carefully because they can and will burn easily in some ovens! My oven tends to run a little hotter, so I keep an especially close eye on them.
The glaze for these cookies is SO simple and adds the perfect finishing touch. Powdered sugar, a little half and half, + grated citrus zest.
Glaze ’em UP and make sure you taste. It’s what the professionals do, promise. ??
And holy cow, are you going to love these. They have a crisp, tender shortbread texture with the perfect balanced flavors of citrus + browned butter.
Share these or beware of the self-control you must summon upon yourself, it’s a very real thing. ?
Springtime eats are a necessity, y’all. Give these winners a try next! ♥
Citrus Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies
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Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon half and half cream
- Pinch of grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
Instructions
Cookies
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until a deep golden brown. Place browned butter in fridge or freezer to chill until completely solidified.
- With an electric mixer, beat browned butter with sugar until completely creamed. Beat in zests, vanilla extract, milk, and flour until a soft dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour until completely cold.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/2-in thickness. Use a 3×1-in cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place cookies 2-in apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Bake cookies at 350F 12-15 minutes until edges begin to turn golden (if baking in batches, refrigerate un-baked cookies while first batch bakes–this dough needs to be kept cold!)
- Cool cookies 10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients until thick and smooth. Dip cooled cookies in glaze and let stand 10 minutes to set before serving. Enjoy!
Varun Sharma says
These cookies sound fantastic! I love the idea of the browned butter on them, good thinking. Your pictures are making me crazy – I need one of those cookies right now!
Sarah says
Thanks so much Varun! Let me know if you try them! 🙂
Varun Sharma says
These cookies sound fantastic! I love the idea of the browned butter on them, good thinking.
Deb says
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Also I’m wondering about dipping the cookies in the glaze; the instructions say to dip the cookies in glaze, which I would imagine would coat the entire cookie, but the pictures show a thicker looking icing just spread on top (?) please advise and looking forward to trying this recipe, they sound amazing 🤩
Sarah says
Hi Deb – This recipe makes 15 cookies. You can dip the cookies, use an offset spatula to spread the icing on, or drizzle it. 🙂
Deb says
Thanks Sarah! I’ll be baking these tomorrow and pressing a tiny lavender flower on top of each. Can’t wait to see how they turn out 🧑🍳 👀🤗
Sarah says
Love the sound of that! Good luck. 🙂
susan partington says
Can I use whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour instead of white whole wheat flour?
Sarah says
Hi Susan – I haven’t texted this recipe with whole wheat flour, however you can certainly try it!