Some times you want those fancy, full of stuff kinda cookies and that is fine but occasionally a simple but delicious cookie is the way to go, like shortbread. Dainty crisp shortbread cookies are great with a cup of tea or coffee. I hadn’t tried them gluten free until last holiday season. I wonder why it took so long!

I baked my lemon cookies using Meyer lemon peel but you can use whatever lemons you buy at the grocery store. Mine were sprinkled with a touch of green colored sugar. Top yours as you wish or leave them plain.

No forming needed. You glop the soft dough onto a long piece of plastic wrap, close it and roll on the table to shape. Chill well and cut the dough into slices, onto the baking sheet and into the oven. Your basic refridgerator cookie but so crisp and buttery – goes great with tea or coffee.  Simple to make and they are perfect for many festive occasions. I can’t wait to try some other variations on these shortbread cookies.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon zest
¾ cup brown rice flour mix; recipe below
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
¼ tsp. xanthan gum
1/8 tsp. salt

Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, add the vanilla, lemon extract, and zest and mix.

Mix flour, xanthan gum in small bowl; add to butter/sugar mix. Mix until a soft dough is formed.

Place lumps of dough in a line along a big sheet of plastic wrap; from it into a 1 ¼ inch log of dough. Twist ends shut, smooth into a round long by rolling it on the table top. Chill it at least an hour; until firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees, racks to center of oven. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Slice into ½ inch rounds. Place 1 ½ inch apart on sheet, sprinkle with colored or plain sugar. Chill in fridge 15 minutes. Bake 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Mine all took 14-15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet 2-3 minutes so they solidify; transfer to a cookie cooling rack. Store in airtight cookie jar once cooled.

My recipe says the dough can be kept in the fridge for a week or in freezer for up to two months. It made about 32 cookies. They went fast!

They are delicate; if left out in the air unsealed they will get soggy and loose their crisp, delicate texture.

To make them plain leave out the lemon extract and zest and add another ½ tsp. vanilla.

Flour Mix (same as King Arthur GF blend)
2 c brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca flour

This recipe is out of Annalise G. Robert’s great cookbook: Gluten Free Baking Classics, second edition.

This is a reposting of a recipe I shared December 2014.