These Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies are soft, buttery cookies with a creamy lemon curd filling and lemon icing drizzle. They are bite-sized treats that melt in your mouth and are a perfect Easter and spring dessert ideal for baby and bridal showers, brunches, dessert platters, or afternoon tea.
What we love about these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
I love these lemon cookies! The combination of the soft buttery cookie, creamy lemon curd filling, and lemon icing drizzle is absolutely delicious. These cookies melt in your mouth and have that delicious pop of citrusy flavor from the creamy lemon curd and icing.
I absolutely love our lemon curd filling. You can buy lemon curd for a faster preparation, or you can make our lemon curd recipe. The homemade lemon curd is creamy, lemony, sweet, and incredibly delicious, like lick it from a spoon yummy.
You can top the tassies with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or drizzle with the icing. We like the icing with them. These are easy to make in advance. You can store them in the fridge or freezer.
Looking for other spring dessert recipes? Try our Lemon Tassies, Easter Egg Rice Krispie Treats, our Coconut Cream Pie, or our Homemade Strawberry Shortcakes.
What you need to make these Lemon Curd Cookies
You will need the following ingredients:
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg yolk
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Lemon curd
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Lemon juice
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You can buy already-made lemon curd or make your own. We love using our homemade recipe.
- You can top these with a sprinkle of powdered sugar instead of icing if desired.
- You can try different fillings for thumbprint cookies. Lemon pie filling, or other pie fillings like cherry or apple, could be used. We also like them with different flavored jams.
- You could substitute part or all of the vanilla extract for almond extract.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer in a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the edges occasionally. Beat in the egg yolk. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated, scraping down edges as needed.
Step 2. Use a small 1-inch cookie scoop to scoop the dough and roll it into 1-inch balls, placing them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Make an indentation with your thumb into the center of the cookie, pressing deeply. Place the cookies in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Step 3. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just lightly browned. Cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd and use the back of a spoon or spatula to fill the indentation evenly. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth.
Step 4. Transfer the icing to a Ziploc bag and seal. Cut a very small hole in the tip of the bag and drizzle the icing over the cookies, or use the whisk to dip into the icing and drizzle. Serve immediately or chill and serve.
Tips
- Make sure to push down with your thumb deeply in the center of the cookie. As they bake, the thumbprints rise some, and you want to still have an indent for the filling after baking.
- I always use parchment paper when baking cookies. It helps prevent cookies from spreading when baking. The cookies won’t stick to your pan, and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the cookies and the pan, which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause cookies to burn.
- Using a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop really helps to portion the dough into equal one-inch sizes for rolling.
- Also, I love my USA pan baking sheets; they cook so evenly, are high quality, and long-lasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies be made in advance? |
| a. You can prepare the dough and store it in the fridge up to 3 days in advance, well covered. Remove it from the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling it into balls for easier use. The dough will crack less, however, if you roll the dough, press your thumbprint in the cookies, and then store them in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also fully bake the cookies as well before filling and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days before filling. Once filled, they need to be refrigerated. b. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, lemon curd can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Other sources say 1-2 weeks; either way, it is very easy to make lemon curd in advance. It keeps its quality taste and texture. b. You can bake, fill, and ice the cookies and store them according to the directions below. The icing does tend to absorb into the curd a little after storing for an hour or two, so if you want it to look its best, I recommend icing the cookies just before serving. |
| How do I store Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies? |
| a. Store cookies in an air-tight container in a single layer. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking if needed. For best quality, store tassies in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. b. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze the curd and cookies separately, thaw in the fridge overnight, and fill and ice before serving, or freeze them after they have been assembled. The icing tends to melt a little in the curd after storing, so they will look best if iced before serving. |
Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies
These Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies are soft, buttery cookies with a creamy lemon curd filling and lemon icing drizzle. They are bite-sized treats that melt in your mouth and are a perfect Easter and spring dessert ideal for baby and bridal showers, brunches, dessert platters, or afternoon tea.
25
minutes25
minutes20
minutesabout 2
dozenIngredients
Cookies
1/2 cup softened butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 cup all-purpose flour, measured with the spoon and level method
Pinch salt
1/2 cup lemon curd (you will have extra). We love our homemade recipe.
Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer in a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the edges occasionally. Beat in the egg yolk.
- Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated, scraping down edges as needed.
- Use a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and roll it into 1-inch balls, placing them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Make an indentation with your thumb into the center of the cookie, pressing deeply. (If you don’t want to use your finger, you can use the back of a measuring spoon or a small wooden spoon handle.) Place the cookies in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just lightly browned. Cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.
- Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd and use the back of a spoon or spatula to fill the indentation evenly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth. Transfer the icing to a Ziploc bag and seal. Cut a very small hole in the tip of the bag and drizzle the icing over the cookies, or use the whisk to dip into the icing and drizzle. Serve immediately or chill and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to push down with your thumb deeply in the center of the cookie. As they bake, the thumbprints rise some, and you want to still have an indent for the filling after baking.
- Some recipes have you chill the dough after rolling. I have found that rolling, then thumbprinting, then chilling the dough, prevents cracking in the dough best.
- To measure your flour, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off the top using a knife or straight-edged utensil for best results.
- It takes 30 minutes to 1 hour for butter to come to room temperature. I recommend just placing the butter on the counter to soften before making the cookies instead of softening the butter in the microwave, where the butter can melt. Melted butter in this recipe can cause cookies to flatten more and turn out slightly more dense.
