Iced Lemon Shortbread Fingers

Long before I started this blog, I made a lot of cookies for the people I worked with. This even continued when I was in graduate school, although I certainly didn’t have as much time then! I worked as an intern at a federal library at the time, and I would occasionally make treats and bring them to work. My boss really enjoyed the things I brought, but she was quite the foodie. That year for Christmas I was surprised when she gave me The All American Cookie Book. It’s been one of my favorites ever since.

I like lemon bars a lot, but sometimes they are just a little too fussy. They don’t travel well, and sometimes they just aren’t lemony enough. I had found these lemon shortbread fingers a couple of years ago and they are the perfect option when you want something with lemon. They contain quite a bit of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, so they are very lemony. The buttery shortbread is a nice balance to the tangy, sweet icing. These really are perfect.

1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
½ cup powdered sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
¾ cup butter, softened
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Icing
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 cup powdered sugar

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and then line with foil, allowing the foil to overhang by 2 inches on the sides. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch.

In a food processor, process the powdered sugar, sugar, and lemon zest until the zest is pulverized. Add the butter, salt and lemon juice and process until well blended and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and process in on/off pulses until well blended. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 37-45 minutes or until pale golden brown and slightly dark at the edges. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool completely.

To make the icing, in a food processor, process the sugar and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and corn syrup and process until combined. Add the powdered sugar and pulse until combined. If the icing is too thick to spread, add a couple drops of water.

Remove the shortbread from the pan and peel away the foil. Place on a cutting board and spread with the icing. Let set for 5 minutes and then cut into fingers. After cutting, allow the icing to set completely, about an hour.

Recipe from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett