Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
This lemon curd thumbprint cookies recipe delivers a perfect blend of sweetness and citrus in every bite. Homemade treats with a quick prep and baking time.
These cookies are perfect for gift giving or Holiday baking!
Special diet information: This recipe contains egg, dairy and gluten.
How to make thumbprint cookies with lemon curd
Ingredients:
- Egg
- Butter
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Almond essence/flavoring
- Lemon curd
Tools:
- Baking sheet & baking parchment paper
- 2 teaspoons – or a piping bag to fill each cookie.
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Plastic wrap
The process:
We beat the sugar and butter until it is nice and creamy. This step requires an electric mixer. To this, we add the egg and mix again. Next, almond essence and salt go in. This we mix with a spatula.
With the spatula, we mix in sifted flour and afterward we form a dough using our hands.
Flattened dough is then covered in a plastic wrap and refrigerated for 30 minutes.
Next, we roll about 20 equally looking balls out of the dough, cover them in sugar and place them on a baking sheet. Each ball is pressed down with your thumb or the back of a dessert spoon.
We fill each hole with lemon curd and bake for about 10-13 minutes. They will come out rather pale, only the bottoms should look golden brown.
These lemon curd cookies will harden as they cool down.
The filling:
This recipe is made with lemon curd but you can also use jam/preserve of your choice – raspberry, fig, strawberry jam, … Use anything you like or have on hand.
In my recipe for chocolate cherry thumbprint cookies, I am using maraschino cherries instead of jam.
Baking time
Count with 10-13 minutes, depending on your oven. Also, bear in mind that they will turn out rather pale, but as long as their bottoms are golden brown, the cookies are done. They will also harden as they cool down.
Storage:
These buttery thumbprint cookies will keep up to a week in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
Frequently asked questions
How do you package thumbprint cookies?
Place them in a nice box in layers. To avoid them sticking to each other, use a piece of wax paper to separate them.
When wrapping them as a gift, it is best to include a selection of homemade cookies. Linzer cookies last also long so they are perfect for gift giving and so are walnut biscotti.
Can I use a butter substitute?
I do not recommend it. This recipe was developed with real butter. Using anything else can change its texture and taste, and it may mess up the recipe.
Can I use store-bought lemon curd?
Yes, you can! Homemade lemon curd is delicious and easy to make, but it can be easily substituted with the store-bought variety.
How long will thumbprint cookies stay fresh?
They should last up to a week but if you want to give them as gifts, keep in mind that they are at their best within the first 3 days.
More recipes with lemon curd you might want to try
Lemon Curd Dip – This is a fruit dip that is ready in 2 minutes and requires 3 ingredients!
Chocolate Caramel Cups – These individual desserts are perfect for spring and summer. Chocolate caramel, lemon curd and whipped cream is a combo that is hard to resist.
This is an old post that has been updated recently (2024).
Watch how to make lemon curd thumbprint cookies
Music: Easy Lemon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup granulated sugar + extra for coating (60 grams), see note 1
- 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature (110 grams)
- 1 egg at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring (optional)
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (240 grams), see note 2
- lemon curd , see note 3
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Add salt and almond flavoring (optional) and mix with a spatula.
- Sift in the flour. Mix with a spatula for a minute or so. With your hands, form a dough. It will feel soft at the beginning but will come together while kneading. Form a ball, flatten it and wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the chilled dough, tear a small piece and roll it into a ball (no larger than a cherry). Cover with sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all the dough. With your thumb (see note 5), make a dent in each ball. Fill it with lemon curd – you can either pipe it or spoon it.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350° Fahrenheit/180° Celsius for 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.
- When done, let them cool down completely before serving.
Notes
- If your granulated sugar has very large crystals, try using superfine sugar/caster sugar. This is sugar with small crystals, almost like salt. It is not powder/confectioner’s sugar. In the UK it is called caster sugar.
- All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
- You will need about 20 teaspoons of lemon curd. It can also be substituted with the jam of your choice.
- You should get 20-21 cookies out of this recipe.
- The back of a dessert spoon can be also used.
Mmmm…I love thumbprint cookies. They are such a fun way to bake with your kids! And I have a half used jar of lemon curd in my fridge right now. :)
They are indeed! I’ve tried different fillings but lemon curd is the number one in my opinion! :) But truth be told I’ve been putting lemon curd everywhere lately! :)
Can you please tell me if I can use regular sugar instead of caster? Thanks very much.
Hi Joie, yes, you can.
Can you use almond flour (or a mixture of almond flour and regular), to get the almond taste if you don’t have almond extract?
Hi April, I have not tested it with almond flour, so I am afraid I don’t know. However, using almond flour will change the texture of the dough which means they might not turn out well. You can substitute almond extract with vanilla though.
OMG these cookies are delicious! The recipe is so simple, quick and easy. I made a batch 2 days ago and just now made another batch. They disappear quickly!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Donna! Happy baking :)
Came across your recipe… and it was devine! I’ve bookmarked this recipe!
That’s great to hear, Amy. Thanks for your feedback!
OMG! So yummy!
Added the almond, rolled them in the sugar!
Hid them from my husband! 😁
:) Thanks for your feedback, Catherine! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog!
Can you freeze these cookies once baked?
I am afraid I won’t be much of a help as I have never tried freezing them so no idea! Sorry!