Lemon Cream Shortbread Biscuits
This easy Lemon Cream Shortbread Biscuit recipe has a 4-ingredient lemon cream sandwiched between two melt in your mouth shortbread biscuits.
What Are Lemon Cream Shortbread Biscuits?
Shortbread biscuits are traditionally created with flour, butter, and sugar. These ingredients make a super soft, melt-in-your-mouth textured biscuit.
The easy lemon cream filling is similar to buttercream but made with melted butter. It’s creamy, soft, and zesty. The mouth-feel of the shortbreads paired with the creamy filling is so dreamy!
I was inspired to create this recipe from the classic Arnotts Shortbread Creams and Lemon Crisps.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy and melt-in-your-mouth shortbread biscuits.
- Quick 4-ingredient lemon cream using freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest.
- Homemade shortbread biscuit recipe that the entire family will enjoy.
These lemon cream shortbread biscuits remind me of my Lemon Meltaway Cookies as they both use fresh lemon in a soft biscuit recipe.
These melt-in-your-mouth biscuits aren’t quite as soft as the melting moments with vanilla as they have a light crisp crust.
Looking for more popular Australian biscuit recipes? You might like to try my version of homemade Iced VoVo Biscuits, Garibaldi Biscuits and Yo Yo Biscuits.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Unsalted butter is the basis to these biscuits and creates that melt in your mouth texture.
- Icing/powdered sugar adds sweetness and helps to create a soft texture.
- Lemon zest for that zingy lemon flavour.
- Egg yolk for structure and flavour.
- Plain all purpose flour as the foundation of your biscuits.
- Arrowroot flour or Cornflour contributes to the soft shortbread mouth-feel.
- Icing sugar/powdered sugar as the foundation to your icing and to add sweetness.
- Lemon zest & Juice for that iconic lemon flavour. Use freshly squeezed lemon for the best lemon flavor. You can also use bottled lemon juice from the supermarket.
- Unsalted butter creates structure for the lemon cream.
How To Make Lemon Cream Shortbread Biscuits
1) In a large mixing bowl, using electric hand beaters, or using the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add softened butter, sugar and zest. Beat with the butter for 1 minute until pale and creamy. Scraping down the sides as needed.
2) Add egg yolk and beat until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Sift over the flour and arrowroot flour (or cornflour if using).
3) Beat until incorporated and it begins to form a soft crumbly dough. Turn off the beaters and using your hands or a wooden spoon/spatula, bring the dough together.
4) Roll out the dough into a large circle that is 5mm (0.5cm) in thickness. Take a rectangle cookie cutter and cut out biscuits. Place on the lined tray, leaving a small gap between each biscuit. Repeat with remaining dough.
5) Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Check them at 12 minutes as some biscuits can bake faster than others. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes.
6) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add icing sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and juice. Use a whisk to mix it altogether until well combined, it will turn thick.
7) Prepare a piping bag fitted with a small-medium round tip. Spoon the cream into a piping bag. You can also spoon the cream onto the biscuits instead of piping.
8) Dollop or pipe approx. 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream onto the underside of one biscuit. Take another biscuit and gently press down on the cream and sandwich the biscuits together, ensuring the cream does not ooze out but has spread out evenly. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Serve and enjoy!
Tips For Recipe Success
- For your shortbread biscuits, ensure your butter and egg yolk are at room temperature before you begin. If these ingredients are too cold, they won’t blend and emulsify together appropriately.
- Ensure that you chill your shortbread dough before rolling it out, as it is soft and won’t roll easily before refrigerating. It needs to be refrigerated for 1 hour. When you take it out, you can leave it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly, making it easier for you to roll out.
- When adding the lemon cream to your shortbread biscuits, you can use a piping bag or a teaspoon to spread it out. Refer to the images I’ve shared in this post to see how my lemon cream looks before I sandwich the biscuits together. I used a piping bag to achieve this, fitted with a small-medium round sized tip.
How To Store
Store lemon cream shortbread biscuits in an airtight container, in the pantry at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Store lemon cream biscuits in the refrigerator during the summer months if your home is humid as the lemon cream filling can begin to melt.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, these lemon cream biscuits are similar to Arnott’s Lemon Crisp Cream Biscuits.
Alternatively, use a pizza/pastry wheel cutter to cut out your rectangle biscuits.
No, you can spoon the lemon cream filling onto the biscuits.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Lemon Cream Shortbread Biscuit Recipe
Equipment
- Rectangle cookie cutter measuring 6cm length x 4cm width (2 inches x 1.5 inches) or a pizza/flat edge pastry wheel
Ingredients
Shortbread Biscuits
- 180 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (70g) icing/powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, from one large egg
- 1 1/4 cups (190g) plain all purpose flour scoop & leveled
- 1/4 cup (40g) cornflour or arrowroot flour
Lemon Cream Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) icing sugar/powdered sugar
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, approx. 1 medium lemon
Instructions
Shortbread Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a large baking tray with baking/parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using electric hand beaters, or using the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add softened butter, sugar and zest.
- Beat with the butter for 1 minute until pale and creamy. Scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add egg yolk and beat until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
- Sift over the flour and arrowroot flour (or cornflour if using).
- Beat until incorporated and it begins to form a soft crumbly dough. Turn off the beaters and using your hands or a wooden spoon/spatula, bring the dough together.
- Lightly flour your bench top or a large board.
- Transfer dough onto a floured surface and lightly knead to bring it together. Flatten it out slightly into a thick round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes so it’s easier for you to roll out.
- Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour.
- Roll out the dough into a large circle that is 5mm (0.5cm) in thickness.
- Take a rectangle cookie cutter and cut out biscuits. If you don’t have a rectangle cookie cutter, simply use a pizza/pastry wheel, and cut out rectangles with the same measurements as the cookie cutter.
- Place on the lined tray, leaving a small gap between each biscuit. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling any excess to cut out more biscuits.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Check them at 12 minutes as some biscuits can bake faster than others.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes.
- Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Cream Filling
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add icing sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and juice. Use a whisk to mix it altogether until well combined, it will turn thick. Continue to whisk until smooth and no lumps of sugar remain.
- Prepare a piping bag fitted with a small-medium round tip. Spoon the cream into a piping bag. You can also spoon the cream onto the biscuits instead of piping.
- Dollop or pipe approx. 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream onto the underside of one biscuit (refer to the above images for a visual).
- Take another biscuit and gently press down on the cream and sandwich the biscuits together, ensuring the cream does not ooze out but has spread out evenly.
- Place back on the wire rack or a large tray/board. Repeat with remaining biscuits.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Looks like a yummy recipe. If you don’t wish to use lemon cream, which cream could I use to mimic the Arnott’s shortbread cream?
Hi Robbie, thank you! For a vanilla-flavored cream as a substitute for lemon cream, simply adjust the recipe as follows:
1 1/2 cups (225g) icing sugar/powdered sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk (to replace the lemon juice)
Mix the icing sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth. If you find the cream too thick, you can adjust its consistency by adding a bit more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until it’s just right. This modification will give you a delightful vanilla cream instead of the lemon cream. Let me know how you go. Sam 🙂