Lemon Candied Fruit Cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies flavored with lemon and candied fruit. Candied cherries add a chewy bite and pops of color while toasted hazelnuts adds more flavor along with some crunch.
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These cookies are crumbly and rich and yet light and fresh tasting. The candied fruit and chopped nuts make them so delicious to bite into!
I adapted this recipe from my Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies. For a chocolatey version, be sure to try these Shortbread Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips!
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WHAT ARE THE ADD INS IN THESE COOKIES?
CANDIED FRUIT
Since it’s summer, I definitely wanted all the lemon flavor which meant using both lemon juice and zest in the dough. For even more of a lemony taste and for some chewy texture, I added some candied lemon peel and that vibrant pop of red you see in the cookies comes from candied red cherries!
Paradise Fruit Company sent me their candied fruit to try out and I love how it tastes in these cookies. I’ve made candied lemons and oranges before, but having it ready made for these cookies saves a lot of time. I also love that the lemon peel comes already chopped. This makes it easy to just toss into my dough. The cherries can be halved or quartered. I chose to quarter them so that they’re about the same size as the bits of lemon peel.
TOASTED HAZELNUTS
For more flavor, but more so for it’s crunch, we have some chopped toasted hazelnuts. I use my food processor rather than a knife since I like the hazelnuts to be pretty fine bits. The shortbread dough is on the delicate side and I find more finely chopped nuts work better.
ABOUT THE DOUGH
This recipe can’t not taste good since it starts with two sticks of butter and some powdered sugar. The dough is very easy to make and to shape. Shape it into a 10″ rectangle, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
BAKING THESE DELICIOUS COOKIES
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the cookies about 1/4 inch thick and lay them about 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies until the edges begin to turn light gold brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about ten minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
DECORATING THE COOKIES
Once cooled, you could definitely decorate the cookies. I thought about it, but didn’t want to risk covering it up the cool pattern the candied fruit and hazelnuts give these cookies! I also like the simplicity of their natural and sort of rustic vibe.
ROLL THE DOUGH IN COARSE SUGAR
I think next time, I will try coating the dough in some coarse sugar. I know it won’t add color, but it will add a little crunch and sweetness and it’ll dress up the cookies a tiny bit.
DIP THEM OR DRIZZLE THEM WITH CHOCOLATE
These cookies taste amazing when dipped in or drizzled with melted chocolate! I dipped my Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies in White Chocolate. The chocolate was delicious and I even used it as a glue to sprinkle more toppings onto.
Drizzling chocolate over the cookies is also fun to do! If you like that idea, check out my Chocolate Almond Toffee Slice and Bake Cookies for some inspo!
And there you have it! These Lemon Candied Fruit Cookies are so simple to make. They turn out with a simple yet pretty look to them and are super flavorful. You’ll love the buttery shortbread in combination with the fresh lemon, crunchy hazelnuts and delicious, chewy candied lemons and cherries! They’re pretty much the perfect cookie for any time of the year!
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Lemon Candied Fruit Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) lemon zest
- 3 teaspoons (3 teaspoons) lemon juice
- 1 (1) egg yolk
- 2 ¼ cup (281.25 g) flour
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) salt
- ¼ cup (30.3 g) dried red cherries quartered
- ¼ cup (24 g) candied lemon peel diced
- ¼ cup (30 g) hazelnuts toasted, chopped
Instructions
- Sift together the flour and salt and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Add the lemon zest and juice followed by the egg yolk. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the hazelnuts, cherries and lemon peel.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter top and form the dough into a 10 inch rectangle. Roll it in plastic wrap and chill the dough for about 2 hours or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough into rounds about 1/4″ in size. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 ” apart and bake 10-12 minutes until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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