These Meyer lemon shortbread cookies with cranberries are perfect for Valentine's Day - or any day! Surprise your Sweetheart with some homemade sunshine.
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What are Meyer Lemons?
Brief and fleeting, Meyer lemon season is anticipated by cooks and bakers everywhere. But what makes Meyer lemons so special?
Meyer lemons were first introduced to the US in 1908 by agricultural explorer (LOVE that job title!) Frank Meyer of the US Department of Agriculture. It seems Frank brought a sample home with him from a trip to China, where they are often grown ornamentally; however, Meyer lemons didn't take off in culinary circles until the late 1990's, when celebrity chefs "discovered" them and made them popular with their audiences.
Thought to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange, Meyer lemons bring a bright, naturally sweet, slightly tart punch to everything they touch. In addition to being sweeter than a regular lemon, they are generally smaller, with a scent noses more civilized than mine describe as "a spicy bergamot fragrance that tastes and smells more like an herb or a spice."
Meyer lemons start arriving in US stores around the end of November and disappear by late March.
Read more about Meyer lemons, and check out 30+ handpicked Meyer lemon recipes you need to try.
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Meyer lemons: In the US, Meyer lemon season runs late November to March.
If you can't find Meyer lemons, use equal parts (zest or juice) lemon and orange/mandarine/tangerines.
★ Dried cranberries: Cranberry and orange make a wonderful pairing; however, any dried fruit can be used in place of the cranberries. (Apricots and pineapple are both tasty choices.) Choose dried fruits that will remain relatively dry when it it finely chopped.
★ Butter: For shortbread, always use the best butter you can afford (preferably unsalted). Butter should be room temperature.
★ Flour: Use pastry flour if you have it. All-purpose flour may also be used.
Pastry flour has a lower protein content than regular flour, and results in lighter, flakier shortbread.
★ Confectioners' sugar: i.e., powdered sugar, icing sugar.
★ Vanilla: Use vanilla paste, which is more concentrated and less liquidy than vanilla extract. Vanilla extract can also be used.
How to Make Lemon Shortbread Hearts
You can make lemon shortbread dough up to two days ahead of time. Mix the dough and form it into logs, then wrap it tightly in plastic film and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Mix Shortbread
Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a food processor or blender jar, pulse cranberries and ¼ cup powdered sugar together until cranberries are about the size of coarsely chopped nuts.
The powdered sugar will keep them from getting too clumpy, but don't pulse too long or you will have puree.
Set chopped cranberries aside.
One of the keys to this shortbread recipe is the whipped butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Put it into the mixer bowl, start your mixer and *walk away.*
Cream the butter for no less than 5 minutes before adding anything else. The butter should be very pale before you move on to the next step.
Beat in remaining ¾ cup powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Add vanilla and zest and mix to thoroughly combine. Mix in chopped cranberries.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix just until dough forms a ball on comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Remove dough from bowl and form into two logs about 1¼" - 1½" in diameter. (Two shorter logs are much easier to work with than one long log.)
Chill the dough log for 1 hour.
If you just want to keep things simple and make shortbread rounds, leave the dough-logs in the fridge for two hours and proceed to Bake.
How to Form a Heart-shaped Log
After one hour, remove prepared dough logs from refrigerator.
With the shortbread dough still in plastic wrap, shape the bottom point of the heart by resting the log on a cutting board and using the back of a spatula perpendicularly against a cutting board to form a point.
You will need to rotate the log from one side to the other a couple of times to get it all even.
When you have the bottom point the way you want it, use a large skewer or chopstick to form the indentation opposite the point.
Once your Heart-Log is shaped the way you want, pop it back into the fridge for at least an hour before slicing.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C).
Using a clean, sharp knife, slice cookies ¼- to ⅜-inch thick.
Arrange shortbread slices about ¾" apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 8-9 minutes, or until just firm.
Watch carefully, and do not allow edges to brown.
Leave the cookies on the pan for about 10 minutes to allow the shortbread to set. After that, remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
FAQs & Expert Tips
What to Serve with Lemon Shortbread
Lemon shortbread cookies are tender, bright, and slightly sweet; a perfect accompaniment for a light dessert. With subtle bergamot notes from the Meyer lemons, these simple tea cookies pair especially well with a cup of Earl Grey!
Meyer lemon season is fleeting, so enjoy them while you can! Check out these delicious Meyer Lemon Recipes today!
More Citrus & Cranberry Recipes
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Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- 1 food processor or blender
- 1 Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- 1 paring knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups pastry flour or AP flour -1 Tablespoon
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted and divided
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Zest of 2 Meyer Lemons
- 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries or other dried fruit (see Notes)
Instructions
Mix Shortbread
- Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor or blender jar, pulse cranberries and ¼ cup powdered sugar together until cranberries are about the size of coarsely chopped nuts. The powdered sugar will keep them from getting too clumpy, but don't pulse too long or you will have puree.You can also do this step manually, with a knife and cutting board. Set chopped cranberries aside.
- Put room temperature butter into the mixer bowl, and start the mixer of High. Cream the butter for at least 5 minutes. The butter should be very pale before you move on to the next step.
- Beat in remaining ¾ cup powdered sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy.Add vanilla and zest and mix to thoroughly combine. Mix in the chopped cranberries.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix just until dough forms a ball on comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Remove dough from bowl and form into two logs about 1¼" - 1½" in diameter. (Two shorter logs are much easier to work with than one long log.)Chill the dough log for 1 hour.
Form Heart-shaped Log
- If you just want to keep things simple and make shortbread rounds, leave the dough-logs in the fridge for two hours and proceed to Bake.
- After one hour, remove prepared dough logs from refrigerator.With the shortbread dough still in plastic wrap, shape the bottom point of the heart by resting the log on a cutting board and using the back of a spatula perpendicularly against a cutting board to form a point.You will need to rotate the log from one side to the other a couple of times to get it all even.
- When you have the bottom point the way you want it, use a large skewer or chopstick to form the indentation opposite the point.
- Once your Heart-Log is shaped the way you want, pop it back into the fridge for at least an hour before slicing.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C).
- Using a clean, sharp knife, slice cookies ¼" - ⅜" thick and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- Arrange shortbread slices on baking sheet about ¾" apart. Bake in preheated oven 8-9 minutes, or until just firm.Watch carefully, and do not allow edges to brown. Leave the cookies on the pan for about 10 minutes to allow the shortbread to set. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Substitutions
Meyer Lemons: In the US, Meyer lemon season runs late November to March. If you can't find Meyer lemons, use equal parts (zest or juice) lemon and orange/mandarine/tangerines. Dried Fruits: Cranberry and orange make a wonderful pairing; however, any dried fruit can be used in place of the cranberries. (Apricots and pineapple are both tasty choices.) Choose dried fruits that will remain relatively dry when it it finely chopped.Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Elle @ Only Taste Matters says
Thank you for including my Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake with Chocolate Rum Icing! What a great collection. So many great uses for Meyer lemons.
Kelly - A Side of Sweet says
We have a tree brimming with meyer lemons right now so definitely making these! Thanks for including my tartlets in your list!
Renée ♥ says
I'm a big fan of tiny tarts!
Mary says
These look so good! I love love love Meyer Lemons. I'm totally saving this recipe to make next week for my kiddos for V-day. They'll love them 🙂
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
What a perfect sweet (and tangy) treat for Valentine's Day!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
Meyer lemons are a delicacy that few people understand outside California! I've had 2 house with both Eurekas and Meyers...What a lovely collection!
Renée ♥ says
I'm a lifelong Oregonian, and I can still remember the first time I saw an orange hanging tree. It was on a trip to California when I was about 29. We stayed at home of some friends in Anaheim, and they had a big orange tree right by the entrance to their house. The oranges were in season at the time, and I remember just standing there staring in awe - I'd never seen an orange on a tree before. I was fascinated as a city kid watching milk come out of an actual cow for the first time. I mean, you "know" where it all comes from, but to actually see it? That's magic! ? ? ?
Chichi says
These cookies must taste amazing. I can't wait to try this combo. Thanks for Sharing.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
I have wanted to try to grow a Meyer Lemon tree in PDX forever! I know it can start indoors then be moved out. Maybe I'll try it next year and then make these cookies. They look so cute!!
Renée ♥ says
I've been thinking about that myself, Marlynn. As an Oregonian, citrus actually growing on a tree is like magic to me! Direct Gardening has a Lemon Dwarf Citrus {Citrus limon 'Meyeri'} [affiliate link] that I've been considering.
Chris says
I've never thought of combining lemon and shortbread but it looks so scrummy, I might just have to!!
Melissa (Pen and Parent) says
Shortbread is one of my favorites, I can imagine the tartness of the lemon and cranberry make them even better. What a fun idea for Valentine's Day!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
There is something really special about Meyer Lemons. I love their bright flavor. These cookies are adorable and would make someone very happy on Valentine's Day!
Dannii says
I love any kind of lemon dessert, but I have never had a lemon and cranberry combination. They look delicious.
Sandi says
These heart-shaped cookies are almost too cute to eat!!
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says
I love shortbread, but I usually don't make it (all that butter!). Making these little hearts as gifts to give away would be a tasty way to eat a few cookies myself without being tempted to nom the entire batch.
Renée ♥ says
My thoughts exactly!