These lemon curd thumbprint cookies are delightful lemon sugar cookies with soft, chewy centers filled with luscious lemon curd. Perfect for any lemon lover!
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Curd Cookies
- Extra Lemony: Packed with lemon zest and filled with homemade lemon curd, these cookies are bursting with flavor.
- Amazing Texture: These chewy, buttery shortbread cookies melt in your mouth with every bite.
- Easy to Make: With simple ingredients and quick prep time, these cookies are a breeze to whip up.
Lemon Curd Cookies
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd:
- ½ cup lemon juice about 3 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about 2 lemons
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
For the Lemon Sugar Cookies:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
For the Lemon Curd:
- In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, granulated white sugar, and salt. Whisk together until smooth.
- Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 20-25 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon when ready.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cold, cubed butter until fully melted.
- Transfer the lemon curd to a medium heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely.
For the Lemon Sugar Cookies:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated white sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low then medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Scoop the dough into 1-tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Press each ball with a ½ teaspoon to make an indent.
- Chill the prepared dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place 12 chilled cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes.
- Immediately after baking, use a small, round cookie cutter to gently reshape the cookies, if necessary. Press the centers again with a ½ teaspoon to deepen the indent.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, spoon about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd into the center of each cookie. Optionally, sprinkle with powdered sugar before adding the lemon curd.