Total Time2 hours 45 minutes, plus 1¼ hours’ chillingPrep Time15 minutesCook Time2½ hours, plus 1¼ hours chilling

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Buttery and snappy with the floral sparkle of orange zest, these shortbread get an extra zing from a their glossy lemon glaze. These holiday cookies — delicious any time of year — highlight the milky allure of butter in their not-too-sweet dough and come out tender if rolled thick and crisp if thin. For an extra-toasty depth, leave the cookies in the oven until they burnish to a deep brown. The tangy zip of these cookies, whether cut into decorative shapes or simply sliced into rounds or squares, glazed or not, is the perfect counterpoint to the season’s sugar excess.

Featured in: How to Make the Most Delicious Cut-Out Christmas Cookies

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Yield:About 72 (2-inch) cookies

For the Cookies

• ⅓cup/70 grams granulated sugar

• ½teaspoon fine salt

• 1orange

• 3tablespoons powdered sugar

• 1cup/228 grams unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, at cool room temperature

• 1teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

For the Icing

• 2cups/230 grams powdered sugar

• Pinch of fine salt

• 2 to 4tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Food coloring (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (72 servings)

54 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 19 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Step 1

Make the cookies: Mix the granulated sugar and fine salt in a large bowl. Zest the orange directly over the mixture, then gently rub in the zest using your fingertips until slightly moist. Add the powdered sugar and butter, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mash together until the sugars are incorporated, then mix until evenly orange and creamy. 1.

Step 2

Add the vanilla and stir until incorporated, then add the flour and gently stir just until no traces of flour remain. You also can mix the dough with a stand or hand mixer, keeping the beaters on the lowest speed at each step to avoid adding too much air to the dough. 1.

Step 3

Shape the dough into a ½-inch-thick square, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until just firm, about 30 minutes. (For slice and bake cookies, see Tip.) 1.

Step 4

Cut the dough in half and set half on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper; refrigerate the other half. Roll with a lightly floured rolling pin to ⅛- to ¼-inch thickness, slide onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or another sheet of parchment. Repeat the rolling with the second half of the dough and then, on its parchment, stack it on top of the first. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. 1.

Step 5

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 1.

Step 6

Peel the parchment or plastic wrap off both sides of dough and set the dough back on the parchment. This will help the cut shapes come off the paper more easily. 1.

Step 7

Using a floured cookie cutter, cut out shapes as close as possible to one another, transferring each shape to the prepared baking sheet as it’s cut and spacing the shapes an inch apart. Repeat with the other half of the dough, then gather all the scraps, roll them flat and cut out shapes. Refrigerate the dough if it gets soft as you work. 1.

Step 8

Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are golden brown around the edges, 10 to 13 minutes, or, for a toastier depth, deeply browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets on wire racks. The shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 1.

Step 9

Make the icing: Combine the powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir well. The icing should stay opaque but run slowly off a spoon when lifted. If needed, add more lemon juice a bit at a time. If desired, tint the icing different colors. 1.

Step 10

Transfer the icing to a piping bag or small resealable plastic bag. Snip a small hole in the tip of one corner and squeeze the icing over the cookies to decorate. Let stand until set. Iced cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Tip

• For slice-and-bake cookies, shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangular block or 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. When ready to bake, use a bench scraper or sharp knife to trim the ends, then cut the block or log into ⅓-inch-thick dominoes or rounds. Space 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes.

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The video was super helpful. These cookies sound delicious. Thank you, Ms. Ko!

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