Sweet and buttery Lemon Curd Cookies. A soft and chewy thumbprint cookie filled with sweet and creamy lemon curd. These are the perfect cookies to enjoy through spring and summer!
What is a Thumbprint Cookie
Thumbprint cookies are shortbread cookies that have an indentation in the centres. They can be filled with jams, caramel, chocolate spreads or any other filling you might like. Check out my Jam Filled Thumbprint Cookies or the decadent Dulce de Leche Thumbprint Cookies.
AND these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are full of lemon flavour, tender, buttery and just all around delicious!
What Are These Cookies Like
- Difficulty – These cookies are about medium difficulty. Although they require few ingredients and the method isn’t long, getting them right requires following the recipe to the tee! Please see the recipe notes at the end of the recipe card as well.
- Taste – Amazing! A light, soft and buttery cookie filled with sweet and creamy lemon curd.
- Serving – This batch will make anywhere between 30 – 36 cookies, depending on the size you make your cookies. In the recipe card, you can easily adjust the serving to how every many cookies you would like to make.
Ingredients
- Butter – I used unsalted butter at room temperature. Butter gives a great flavour and texture to cookies.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar is used in these cookies.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds flavour to baked goods.
- Egg yolks – Only the yolks of the eggs are used in this cookie dough.
- Flour – All purpose flour is the most common type of baking flour and it’s used in these cookies.
- Salt – Regular table salt enhances flavour of baked goods.
- Lemon curd – I used Homemade Lemon Curd, but store bought is just fine.
NOTE, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients – Combine the flour and the salt and set aside.
- Make cookie dough – Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix on high until light and fluffy. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix on high for a minute. Add the flour and stir in until combined.
- Chill dough – Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about one hour.
- Form cookies – Line a baking tray with parchment paper and make about 36 balls with your dough. Place them evenly spaced out on your baking tray (in batches) and use your thumb to make an impression in the middle of each ball. .
- Bake – Bake in a preheated 350 degree F/180 degrees C oven for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Fill – Fill the centres with lemon curd while the cookies are still warm.
- Cool – Allow the cookies to cool and set at room temperature.
- Store – Store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper. Keep in the fridge up to about four days.
Recipe Tips
- Chill the dough – If you don’t chill your dough, the cookies will spread out when baked and you won’t end up with a thumbprint cookie. So, chill that dough. This cookie dough can be made in advance and even frozen. I’ve made it the day before using before, but just and hour is fine.
- Weigh cookie dough balls – To keep things neat, you can weigh out your cookie balls. I’m pretty sure they were about 15 grams each. Then I rolled them into neat little balls, like you see below. For a regular sized baking tray, you should be able to get 15 cookies on the sheet at one time.
- Watch bake time – All ovens bake differently, these baked at exactly 12 minutes in my oven.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the center rack – This will ensure even baking and prevent some cookies over baking while other cookies will be underdone.
- Homemade lemon curd – You can make your own Homemade Lemon Curd by following this recipe.
Substitutions
- For the cookies – I don’t recommend making any changes to the cookies to achieve the same results.
- For the filling – These cookies were filled with Homemade Lemon Curd that was premade. You can use store bought lemon curd or alternatively you can fill the cookies with lime curd, orange curd, any jam fillings, Caramel or other fillings you might like.
- Bake the cookies already filled – If you prefer a more set centre, you can fill the cookies before baking. The lemon curd will not be as intense but it will completely set in the middle.
Serving and Storage
- Store for up to 5 days in the fridge – These cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. If you layer the cookies between parchment paper, keep in mind the lemon curd may stick a little to the parchment paper.
- Store unfilled in the freezer up to 2 months – You can bake these thumbprint cookies and store them in the the freezer for two months. Just remove from freezer and allow to defrost. Then fill according to the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with leftover egg whites?
The most common use of leftover egg whites is to use them in desserts such as meringues, sponge cakes, pavlovas or macaroons. You can also add them to omelettes, frittatas and scrambled eggs. Egg whites will keep in the fridge up to four days.
Why do I have to chill cookie dough?
Chilled cookie dough will spread less while baking. If you do not chill the dough, the cookies will spread quickly and result in a low flat cookie that does not have an indent in the center.
Lemon Curd Cookies
Sweet and buttery Lemon Curd Cookies. A soft and chewy thumbprint cookie filled with sweet and creamy lemon curd. These are the perfect cookies to enjoy through spring and summer!
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 100kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Cup butter unsalted
- 1/2 Cup granulated white sugar
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 2 Egg yolks
- Pinch salt
- 3/4 cup lemon curd
Instructions
- Combine the flour and the salt and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix on high until light and fluffy. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix on high for a minute. Add the flour and stir in until combined.
- Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about one hour.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and make about 36 balls with your dough. Place them evenly spaced out on your baking tray (in batches) and use your thumb to make an impression in the middle of each ball. .
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree F/180 degrees C oven for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Fill the centres with lemon curd while the cookies are still warm.
- Allow the cookies to cool and set at room temperature.
- Store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper. Keep in the fridge up to about four days.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
- Chill the dough – If you don’t chill your dough, the cookies will spread out when baked and you won’t end up with a thumbprint cookie. So, chill that dough. This cookie dough can be made in advance and even frozen. I’ve made it the day before using before, but just and hour is fine.
- Weigh cookie dough balls – To keep things neat, you can weigh out your cookie balls. I’m pretty sure they were about 15 grams each. Then I rolled them into neat little balls, like you see below. For a regular sized baking tray, you should be able to get 15 cookies on the sheet at one time.
- Watch bake time – All ovens bake differently, these baked at exactly 12 minutes in my oven. If you want a crisper cookie, I recommend baking them until they start to slightly brown on the edges. This will take about 2 – 3 minutes longer than baking times stated.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Curd Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 100
Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 15mg1%
Potassium 10mg0%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 172IU3%
Calcium 4mg0%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
