Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies are made with easy vegan lemon curd and a buttery shortbread base, then drizzled with a simple icing. The perfect cookie for Spring and Summer!
These little lemon filled shortbread cookies are sure to brighten up your day! Perfect for bringing to Spring picnics plus they are simple to make.
You do need a batch of easy Vegan Lemon Curd, which only takes about 10 minutes to make. You won’t use it all for the cookies, so enjoy the leftovers on toast, scones, crepes or by the spoonful!
If you love shortbread, make sure to check out my Vegan Shortbread Cookies.
How to make them
First, prepare your lemon curd, a few hours before so it has time to cool completely. Overnight is even better!
Make the simple shortbread dough, then roll into balls and make an indent in the center like this:
Place on the pan, then fill with cooled lemon curd. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden underneath.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the tops. Let the glaze set, then enjoy!
Tips
- When making the shortbread cookie dough, it will appear crumbly, but should smush together when squeezed in your hands. You don’t want the dough to be too wet OR too dry, so add a tiny bit of almond milk if need, just so you can roll into balls without them falling apart.
- Always bake cookies in the center of your oven, not the bottom or the top rack. I only bake one sheet of cookies at a time to avoid burnt bottoms and undercooked tops.
- I haven’t tested them with gluten free flour, but a quality mix may work.
- Vegan buttery sticks (such as Earth Balance or Melt) work best for measuring, but the tub will work. It may be easier to measure 8 tablespoons instead of 1/2 cup for more accurate results.
Want more lemon desserts?
Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Vegan Lemon Curd
Shortbread Cookie Base
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbs) vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon almond milk, as needed *other non-dairy milks work as well
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
- First, prepare Vegan Lemon Curd. You will want to make this a few hours before the cookies so it has time to cool and thicken, or make it a day or two before the cookies. You won't use all of it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet (or line with parchment paper).
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour and powdered sugar together. Now add the vegan butter (softened) and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) on low-medium speed until mixed well. If the mixture is too crumbly to form into cookies, add a tablespoon of almond milk and mix in.
- The dough might look a little crumbly but should smush together when squeezed in your hands. If not, add a touch more almond milk, but not too much or the cookies will spread when baking.
- Shape the dough into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Gently indent the center of each cookie dough ball, making a place for the lemon curd to go. Place the cookies on the prepared pan.
- Fill the cookies with cooled lemon curd, then bake for 10-12 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be slightly golden, but otherwise they will appear underdone. They firm up as they cool.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and almond milk together until smooth. If too runny, add more powdered sugar until it's quite thick for drizzling. If too thick, add a tiny bit of almond milk and whisk.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the tops and allow the glaze to set for several minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I haven't tested them with gluten free flour, though a good gluten free mix may work.
- Coconut oil might work in place of the vegan butter, but make sure it is softened, not melted or too hard.
- The cookies will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, and a few extra days in the refrigerator. Store covered.
I made these cookies and like every one of Nora’s cookie recipes that I have tried, they are delicious! Mine aren’t as pretty, though. When I tried to make the indents for the lemon curd, the dough would crack badly, and I would have to try to re-form it, squeezing it back together. I did not use the almond milk because my dough held together just fine when I rolled it into balls but I’m wondering if the addition of the milk might help with the cracking? If not, can you describe how you make the indentations without this probem occurring?
Yes, try adding a little bit of almond milk if they are cracking badly. Also, make sure your vegan butter is softened but not melted, and measure everything accurately. But a little bit of milk will fix that issue. Thanks!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Do these freeze well?
Yes, they do freeze quite well. I hope you enjoy them!
Hi Nora!
These turned out great! I was wondering though, for the cookie base – do you think it would work with coconut oil instead of the vegan butter?
Thank so much 🙂
Hi! It might work. I’ve found coconut oil can make cookies spread and burn more easily, so it’s not my favorite. Just know they might not be as pretty, plus they will miss that buttery flavor. But it should work.
I made this with King Arthur gluten free all purpose flower and they were great!