Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
These classic cookies are easy to make and bursting with fresh lemon flavor, the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. A soft and buttery dough with a melt-in-your-mouth quality and zesty filling that will leave you craving more. They're perfect for potlucks, barbecues, picnics, bake sales, or brightening up a dull day.
Servings 25 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the lemon curd:
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- large pinch of sea salt
- a few drops of vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
- Butter or use baking spray to grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream (with a hand mixer or wooden spoon) 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter and ½ cup powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Add the sifted 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix everything well. It will be a smooth and tender dough. You can sift them before in a separate bowl or have the ingredients measured and sift them directly over the butter mixture when prompted (my choice).
- Take teaspoons of dough and form balls no more than 1 inch wide, the size of walnuts. Don't make large balls, as they will take too long to bake, and the filling will end up being too dry and probably spill.
- Place them on the prepared baking sheets with space between them.
- Make an indentation in each piece of dough. The hole should not reach the bottom and break the dough. Tip: I use the bottom part of a small measuring spoon (½ teaspoon size).
- Put the whole baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes. This chills the dough so it doesn't spread or change its shape too much when it bakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake for about 7-8 minutes, until dry. Remove from the oven and fill with the lemon curd. If you feel the hole puffed up too much in the oven, lightly press it again with the back of the measuring spoon. Do this quickly, as the cookies need to bake some more.
- Bake for 4-5 more minutes, until they start to lightly brown and the curd is firmer. They might take more or less depending on your oven and the size of your cookies.
- Cool on a wire rack before eating.
For the lemon curd:
- Heat ½ cup fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium, heavy saucepan and remove just below the boiling point.
- Whisk 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk and ½ cup sugar to blend in a large bowl.
- Gradually add the hot lemon mixture to the eggs, mixing well and quickly. Don't add it all at once, as you can curdle parts of the eggs.
- Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat until it thickens and leaves a path in the back of the spoon that stays put for a few seconds. Be careful not to burn the bottom.
- Remove from the heat, add a large pinch of sea salt and a few drops of vanilla extract. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a freezer sheet that touches the whole surface to prevent a thick layer from forming. Let it cool.
- Refrigerate in a jar or container with a lid for a week. Or freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust.
Make ahead:
The lemon curd keeps for a week in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer, always in airtight containers.
The cookie dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days before using. Always cover it well to prevent dryness. Test bake: I always recommend doing a test run with a few cookies to check the amount of curd to use and the time they take to bake so they are soft and not spilled. Mixing the dough: use an electric mixer if it's convenient, but it's easily mixed by hand if the butter is at room temperature and soft (but not starting to melt). If making a large batch, a stand mixer might come in handy. Measuring the cookies: use a cookie scoop so your cookies bake evenly. Leave roughly a 2-inch separation between each, so they can spread comfortably during baking. I use the small cookie scoop that it’s 1.57 inches / 4cm in diameter for regular-sized cookies. When to add the filling: after several tries, I settled on baking the cookies on their own for ⅔ of the total time, filling them with lemon curd, and returning them to the oven to bake a little more. It's the way to avoid drying the curd and having underbaked cookies.
The lemon curd keeps for a week in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer, always in airtight containers.
The cookie dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days before using. Always cover it well to prevent dryness. Test bake: I always recommend doing a test run with a few cookies to check the amount of curd to use and the time they take to bake so they are soft and not spilled. Mixing the dough: use an electric mixer if it's convenient, but it's easily mixed by hand if the butter is at room temperature and soft (but not starting to melt). If making a large batch, a stand mixer might come in handy. Measuring the cookies: use a cookie scoop so your cookies bake evenly. Leave roughly a 2-inch separation between each, so they can spread comfortably during baking. I use the small cookie scoop that it’s 1.57 inches / 4cm in diameter for regular-sized cookies. When to add the filling: after several tries, I settled on baking the cookies on their own for ⅔ of the total time, filling them with lemon curd, and returning them to the oven to bake a little more. It's the way to avoid drying the curd and having underbaked cookies.
