Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Dried Flowers

Spring has been singing through my windows this last week and I can't express the joy I feel.

Being cooped up in the apartment is hard, but when I hear the birds sing, see the bees buzz, and smell the flowers blooming, I feel a little lighter.

I woke up yesterday feeling warn out and sluggish, but the idea of making these lemon shortbread cookies boosted my spirits because they taste like Spring (also, they are super easy and fast).

I hope you are staying light and positive during this time. I know it is hard, but we can do this together <3

Makes About: 20 - 25 Cookies

Takes About: 2 hours (fridge time included)

Difficulty: 1 out of 5 (not including the cooking cutting)

Prep:

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (not all the juice from 1 large lemon)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)

2 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Cream the Butter

In a large bowl, cream the 3/4 cups of unsalted butter until soft and fluffy, about 3 minutes

I cut mine into slices to make it easier to mix.

- Step 2 - Add Powdered Sugar

Add the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the creamed butter and mix until combined.

- Step 3 - Add the Lemon

Add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined.

- Step 4 - Add Flour and Salt

Add 2 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the butter mixture.

If the dough seems too soft or too loose, add a little more of the flour until it starts to stick together.

- Step 5 - Wrap up and Refrigerate

Once the dough is the right consistency, wrap the dough up and refrigerate for 1 hour.

- Step 6 - Roll out and Cut!

After the hour, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and take out half the dough and place the other half in the fridge. Roll out the half you took out until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Using a cookie cutter, cut the cookies out.

Place the cut out cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

Press the dough scraps together and roll it out again to get more cookies.

When you need more dough, grab the remaining dough from the fridge and cut out more cookies until your cookie sheet is full

- Step 7 - Bake!

Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until they are baked through.

- Step 8 - Decorate

You don't have to decorate these cookies, but if you do, you can use meringue powder and add a few drops of lemon juice and water to make the glaze.

Decorate the cookies with the glaze and sprinkle a few dried edible flowers on top before the glaze dries.

Now enjoy your pretty cookies with or without your decorations.