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    Home > Vegan Desserts

    Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies (Jam-Filled)

    By Emese Maczko on 11/08/2022 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    These vegan lemon cookies are buttery shortbread ones with a deliciously tangy flavor in every bite from freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest. They are delicious on their own, but turning them into blueberry jam-filled linzer cookies is like a match made in heaven. 

    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around dusted with powdered sugar on a black surface. A hand is taking one cookie from the middle.

    If you want more vegan cookie recipes, try our snowball cookies, crescent cookies, coconut cookies, thumbprint cookies, or the best shortbread cookies.

    Table of Contents hide
    1. What to expect
    2. Ingredients
    3. Instructions
    4. Top tips
    5. Making vegan linzer cookies
    6. Other variations
    7. FAQs and substitutions
    8. Allergen info
    9. More vegan cookie recipes
    10. Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies

    What to expect

    If you see a cookie recipe, usually the first thing you want to know is how they taste. Are they crispy or chewy? Will they melt in your mouth or crunch under your teeth? Can anyone tell if it is a vegan cookie recipe?

    These super easy vegan lemon cookies are buttery shortbread cookies. They are soft and crunchy rather than chewy. You can taste the lemon, but the flavor is not too strong. We added just enough sweetener to make these cookies tangy and luscious simultaneously.

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    They become even more incredible if you fill them with blueberry jam and turn them into vegan linzer cookies. They are the perfect match, just like our vegan blueberry pie with lemon crumble recipe.

    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around and dusted with powdered sugar on a black surface.

    Ingredients

    You need simple pantry ingredients and a quick mix, and you can bake and enjoy the first batch of these vegan lemon shortbread cookies in 20 minutes! So what do you need?

    • White rice flour
    • Buckwheat flour → I haven’t tested this recipe with all-purpose flour.
    • Cornstarch → You can substitute it with tapioca or other starches.
    • Cane sugar → You can use other dry sugars like coconut sugar, brown sugar, or white sugar. We haven’t tested this recipe with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup.
    • Vegan butter → Like Earth Balance butter sticks
    • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • Freshly squeezed lemon zest
    • Pinch of salt
    • Optional: vanilla extract

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Instructions

    If you have seen our other cookie recipes, you can tell that I love using a food processor to mix the ingredients. The main reason is that it is mess-free, and you can do it within one minute. So, how to make vegan lemon shortbread cookies?

    1. Add all dry and wet ingredients (white rice flour, buckwheat flour, starch, sugar, fresh lemon juice and zest, salt, and dairy-free butter) to a food processor and mix until it reaches a crumb-like texture. 
    A food processor from above with cubed butter, flour, sugar and lemon zest.
    1. Take a large bowl and add the dough from the food processor. Knead it with your hands for 2 minutes to form a cookie dough ball. If the ball is dry and crumbles still after 2-3 minutes, add 1-3 teaspoons of water, one teaspoon at a time. The dough should not stick to your fingers. 
    2. Take your rolling mat and lightly flour it. Roll the cookie dough thin, about ¼- ½ inches. Choose your favorite cookie cutter and cut out the shapes you want.
    3. Bake the plain lemon cookies on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Baking time may depend on your oven, so check them at 8 minutes.
    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle are scattered on a wire rack.

    Top tips

    • Measure it with a scale – Baking is about precision. I always measure the ingredients on a scale and convert the recipe back to cups. I use King Arthur’s Weight Chart to ensure that the cup measurements align with the grams. If you want to make perfect cookies every time, use a scale.
    • Flour your surface – I recommend using rice flour as it has a grainy consistency. The dough rolls all over it effortlessly.
    • Use saran wrap or cling foil – It doesn’t matter which recipe it is, whether a pie crust, a pizza crust, or a cookie; I ALWAYS use saran wrap on the top, so the dough will not stick to the rolling pin. If you do that, you can save so much time and hassle.
    • Parchment paper instead of a baking sheet – I recommend using parchment paper instead of a silicone baking sheet, especially if you want to bake multiple batches. The main reason is that cookies can be very soft while hot. If you try to transfer them, they may break or crumble. Using parchment paper, you can move the cookies to a wire rack without touching them and bake the next batch on your baking tray without downtime. 
    • Place them close – You can place them relatively close to each other as there is no baking powder, baking soda, or any other type of leavening. Which means they will not rise significantly.
    • When are they ready? – If they start to brown on the edges, you are too late.
    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around on a black surface.

    Making vegan linzer cookies

    We have made these cookies several times just like that, plain and simple. However, after having the most amazing vegan blueberry pie with lemon crumble I have ever eaten, there was no question. I had to add blueberry to these vegan lemon cookies as well. So how to do that?

    1. Choose your cookie cutter. You can cut out one type of cookie and make cookie sandwiches. Or you can use linzer cookie cutters*, where you have a whole cookie and a “window” cookie to stick together with the jam. 
    2. Chill lemon cookies at room temperature on a cooling rack.
    3. Spread a bit of blueberry jam on top of the bottom cookie.
    4. Place the top cookie or the “window” cookie on it and gently press it together. And voilà, vegan linzer cookies.
    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle are on a wire rack. A hand is holding a cookie and spreading jam on top with a knife. Jam-filled cookies are placed on a black plate.

    Other variations

    What if you don’t like lemon and blueberry together? No way, they are irresistibly delicious. But still, here are some other ideas on how to fill or top your cookies:

    • For lemon lovers, drizzle them with lemon glaze and drop some slivered or sliced almonds on top.
    • Simply dust it with powdered sugar.
    • Change the jam to cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, or apricot.
    • Add a chocolate fudge or a caramel filling.

    FAQs and substitutions

    Can you use lemon extract instead?

    You can also use a lemon extract if you don’t have fresh lemons. McCormick has an unsweetened gluten-free lemon extract*, which states that one teaspoon of extract equals one teaspoon of grated lemon zest. I added two tablespoons of lemon juice and one tablespoon of zest to this vegan lemon cookie recipe. However, I don’t recommend adding three tablespoons of lemon extract. I would try it with one or two only, not to have an overpowering aroma. 

    Can you make it ahead of time?

    Even if you add jam, you can leave these lemon linzer cookies out for 1-2 days without covering them. They will be as good as new. If you use an airtight container, you can store them longer for up to two weeks. I never kept them longer, so let me know if you do.

    Can the cookie dough be frozen?

    You can store the lemon cookie dough and the baked cookies in the freezer. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for at least 1 hour before attempting to roll it out.

    Can you substitute any flour or starch?

    I have only tested this vegan lemon cookie recipe with tapioca and cornstarch and saw no difference. Read our tapioca flour substitutes article for more starch options. As for the flour, you can use oat flour or millet flour instead of buckwheat, although the flour combination in the recipe card is the one I recommend the most.

    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around dusted with powdered sugar on a black surface. A hand is taking a cookie from the middle.

    Allergen info

    This Vegan Lemon Cookies recipe is dairy-free and egg-free.

    • Vegan – All suggested ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
    • Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free, but always check the packaging before using any ingredient.
    • WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – Vegan butter is not compliant since it has processed oil. We haven’t tested this recipe with nut butter.
    • Gluten-free – All proposed ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free, but always check the packaging for cross-contamination info, especially for cornstarch and flour.
    • Soy-free – Companies frequently use soy to make vegan butter. So select soy-free products. All other ingredients are supposed to be soy-free.

    More vegan cookie recipes

    For more vegan dessert recipes, browse through our recipe collection or check out these delicious cookies:

    • A stack of ball-shaped cookies on a black plate. It is dusted generously with powdered sugar so they are white as snow balls. White and silver christmas ornaments are placed next to them.
      Easy Vegan Snowball Cookies
    • A stack of thin round cookies on a black board. A hand is holding the top cookie
      Vegan Shortbread Cookies (Gluten-free)
    • A white plate is full of thin round cookies placed on top of each other. Some cookies are partly covered in chocolate, some cookies are drizzled with chocolate so brown stripes can be seen.
      Vegan Coconut Cookies (3 WAYS!)
    • Several round cookies with orange and purple jam filling placed on a wire rack from above.
      Vegan Thumbprint Cookies (Jam-Filled)
    • A large stack of crescent cookies on a black plate. Dusted with sugar.
      Vegan Crescent Cookies
    • Light and dark brown oatmeal cookies on a wire rack. A hand is taking one.
      Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
    Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around on a black surface.

    Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies

    Emese Maczko
    These vegan lemon cookies are buttery shortbread ones with a deliciously tangy lemon flavor from freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest. They are delicious on their own, but turning them into blueberry jam-filled linzer cookies is like a match made in heaven. 
    4.8 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Baking time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 40 thin round cookies
    Calories 53kcal

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • Regular parchment paper
    • Non-stick baking sheet
    • Rolling mat

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 cup White rice flour
    • ½ cup Buckwheat flour
    • ½ cup Corn starch or tapioca starch and other substitutes
    • ⅓ cup Cane sugar
    • 4 oz Dairy-free butter
    • 2 Tbsp Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 2 Tbsp juice = 1 small/medium lemon
    • 1 Tbsp Lemon zest (grated) 1 Tbsp zest = 1 small/medium lemon
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • 1 Tbsp Water optional – see instructions

    Filling ideas

    • Blueberry jam
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    Instructions
     

    Making vegan lemon cookies

    • Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (ca. 199 °C).
    • Add all ingredients (rice flour, buckwheat flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, corn starch, sugar, butter, salt) to a food processor and pulse until you get a crumble texture.
    • Take a mixing bowl and add the dough from the food processor. Knead it with your hands for 2 minutes to form a cookie dough ball. If the ball is dry and crumbles still after 2-3 minutes, add 1-3 teaspoons of water, one teaspoon at a time. The dough should not stick to your fingers. 
    • Take your rolling mat and lightly flour it. Roll the cookie dough thin, about ¼- ½ inches. Choose your favorite cookie cutter and cut out the shapes you want.
    • Roll the dough thin 4 mm (approx. ¼-inch). Choose your favorite cookie cutter and cut out the shapes you want.
    • Bake the plain lemon cookies on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Baking time may depend on your oven, so check them at 8 minutes.

    Making vegan linzer cookies

    • If you want to fill the cookies with jam, make sure you cut and bake the cookies in pairs. One whole cookie and one with a “window”.
    • Spread a bit of blueberry jam on top of the bottom cookie. Place the top cookie or the “window” cookie on it and gently press it together. 
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Notes

    • Measure it with a scale – Baking is about precision. I always measure the ingredients on a scale and convert the recipe back to cups. I use King Arthur’s Weight Chart to ensure that the cup measurements align with the grams. If you want to make perfect cookies every time, use a scale.
    • Flour your surface – I recommend using rice flour as it has a grainy consistency. The dough rolls all over it effortlessly.
    • Use saran wrap or cling foil – It doesn’t matter which recipe it is, whether a pie or pizza crust or a cookie; I always use saran wrap on the top, so the dough will not stick to the rolling pin. If you do that, you can save so much time and hassle.
    • Parchment paper instead of a baking sheet – I recommend using parchment paper instead of a silicone baking sheet, especially if you want to bake multiple batches. The main reason is that cookies can be very soft while hot. If you try to transfer them, they may break or crumble. Using parchment paper, you can move the cookies to a wire rack without touching them and bake the next batch without downtime. 
    • Place them close – You can place them relatively close to each other as there is no baking powder, baking soda, or any other type of leavening. Which means they will not rise significantly.
    • When are they ready? – If they start to brown on the edges, you are too late.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
    Amount Per Serving (1 cookie without filling)
    Calories 53 Calories from Fat 18
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 2g3%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Sodium 33mg1%
    Potassium 13mg0%
    Carbohydrates 7g2%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 1IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 1mg0%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in October 2021. More info, tips, and details were added, and it was republished in October 2022.

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    1. Shirley

      December 07, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      We don’t have celiac disease, so what can I use instead of rice flour and buckwheat flour? Would regular flour do?

      Reply
      • My Pure Plants

        December 08, 2021 at 9:41 am

        I haven’t tested it with regular. It may work if you take the whole amount of rice flour, buckwheat flour, and starch. Let me know how it goes.

        Reply

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