Lemon Chamomile Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Chamomile Shortbread cookies are mix zesty lemon and calming chamomile in a buttery, flakey cookie. And they are incredibly simple to make for any occasion.
Every night growing up my mom and I had a ritual cup of tea. It was always so comforting to share just a few minutes with her. Her cup always had chamomile in it, with just a touch of honey and lemon. Mine? If it wasn’t orange spice with about a half cup of sugar, it was chamomile with a golden wave of honey in the bottom and a squeeze of lemon. And naturally, as the Czech girls we are, some sort of carb was available for dunking.
Now Ben and I share that same tradition… complete with carbs for dunking.

Two of my daily rituals revolve around those two, most important people in my life.
Since my mom and I don’t get to share a cup of tea together every night we’ve started sharing daily texts with three things are are happy for that day. I look forward to that text to give me just a moment of reflection every day. It’s just three little things, a list, without explanation or justification, and no other words or conversation about it – just a list of our three things that we are blessed with that day.
Today, my list included being thankful that my bank account that got skimmed and had all of my money stolen will all be returned, my new job is challenging in ways I never expected, and that I had a piece of Snoball cake to come home to. Hi, I’m a feelings eater. Have we met?

So tell me, what are you thankful for? Do you have any little traditions that you do through out your day? I love my cup of tea, and those quiet 15 minutes of peace and respite with Ben. What moment do you take for yourself every day? Even if you don’t have a tradition or ritual moment yet – I do hope you find your moment’s peace in these busy days.
Try these other Shortbread varieties for your eating pleasure!
Brown Butter Toffee Shortbread with Chocolate Ganache
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Lemon Chamomile Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Lemon Chamomile Shortbread cookies are mix zesty lemon and calming chamomile in a buttery, flakey cookie. And they are incredibly simple to make for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain Oats
- 1 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
- 2/3 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Chamomile Tea leaves
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 14 Tbsp Butter, cut into pieces 1/4″ wide
Instructions
- Place oats in food processor and pulse until they become a fine powder. About 5 pulses.
- In stand mixer, place all dry ingredients including chamomile leaves and lemon zest. Turn mixer on low to combine.
- Add in butter and mix on low until dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This may take a couple of minutes to combine completely.
- Remove dough from the bowl, gather together and roll into a 12 inch log. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough, and cut into ½ inch rounds. Place onto a parchment or silicone-mat line baking sheet.
- Bake 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are just golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes until they can be placed on a wire rack to finish cooling.
If you prefer to make them in wedges –
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a closed springform pan on top. Spread dough into springform pan, evenly. Unlock springform pan but leave it in place on baking sheet. This will ensure the dough doesn’t spread to far.
- Using a round cookie cutter, remove a circle of the center of the shortbread dough. Set disk of dough outside the spring form pan and bake as directed.
- Bake shortbread for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and remove springform pan from baking sheet. Using a sharp knife score the shortbread into 16 wedges. Place baking sheet with shortbread back into the oven.
- Turn OFF the oven, leaving shortbread in there to cool. Make sure the oven is propped slightly open to allow to cool. About 1 hour.
- Place shortbread on cooling rack after one hour and allow to finish cooling to room temperature.
- Break into wedges along the scored lines you created, and devour with tea.
These sound dreamy!! Love the recipe!
Oh I just love these!! I want to make shortbread for my mom for Christmas!
I absolutely loved this story Megan. What a fun tradition to share with you mom, and with Ben too. Ben and I have a similar tradition, but swap ‘carbs’ for ‘bowls of ice cream or cookies + milk’ and ‘tea’ for ‘West Wing reruns or The Daily Show’. I look forward to it every day!
I have the same ritual, tea every singe night. It’s the best way to calm down and relax, but I think I need to add these cookies to my tea plate!
Love this shortbread!
Shortbread is my favorite and I adore chamomile. Love this, layd!
All of these look so good. I love everything lemon flavored but the pistachio is calling my name today.
These shortbread cookies are absolutely gorgeous and ALMOST too pretty eat.
Aw, my mom and I used to drink tea together in the evenings too! Love that. And love these shortbread cookies — they are beautiful!
OH yes, we Czech girls love our carbs. Is Ben Czech too? Or at least part? Babies will have amazing cheek bones with the more Czech genes. Fact.
How sweet that you and your mom share 3 awesome things together daily 🙂
Carb dunk? This is why we are friends;)
LOVE shortbread and this sounds divine! Thanks so much for sharing ~
xo
Pat
My mom and I are nightly tea drinkers too. It’s a great tradition! These cookies are so pretty!
I love shortbread with tea and these look gorgeous! By the way, I’m totally in digging the cute tea cup 🙂
I just want to curl into a ball and eat these.
Love the citrusy, fragrant flavors in this shortbread!
What a great tradition with your mom! I am thankful for a new job that is that allowing me to flex my creative muscles. Also, all the fabulous cookies like these that are popping up in my news feed… 🙂
These cookies are so lovely and such a sweet tradition that you’ve developed with your mama.
I love that story! Your mom sounds so sweet 🙂
This shortbread sounds fantastic, what perfect flavors 🙂 I just might make myself some tea now!
Hello Megan,
Could these be cutout cookies too?
Yes, they can totally be cutout cookies!! Good luck!
Super confused! Why the spring form pan? Didn’t I just bake in the first half of the recipe after cutting the cookies from the log?? Confused! 🙁
Yes, I’m very confused, too. Is it just two different ways to make the cookies??
WHAT ABOUT GIVING INGREDIENTS IN DECIMALS (GRAMS, ECT)? ANYWHERE I COULD FIND THEM?
Sorry Gabriela, I do not do my recipes in metrics. You will need to convert them to recreate them.
Do I dry the camomile leaves to make “tea” first? I have a camomile blooming and I have dried the flowers. Would that work or do you just use leaves? Dried or fresh leaves?
I used dry chamomile for this, but you can try to use fresh. You may need less of the fresh buds to get that same flavor as they are more potent when fresh. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out!