Homemade Thumbprint Lemon Curd Cookies

Best lemon curd cookies made thumbprint style are here. Easy to make with a dollop of your favorite curd in the middle, citrus is our favorite during the summer months. If you loved our peanut butter and grape jelly cookies these are another great twist on a classic.

Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Curd

Ok so maybe you have used this thick mixture to make our lemon curd cake and you were blown away. Now you want to know what else can be baked if you make a larger batch next time? These are killer and always a hit when people come over.

Lemon Filling for Thumbprint Cookies

If you have the time you can make your own goop (we call it). Our homemade lemon curd recipe is here. Want them done faster? You can buy a jar already made too or just use lemon pie filling in a can. You can adjust the tartness if made from scratch but I get it, time always doesn’t allow for that.

We have done this two ways, with and without being rolled in powdered sugar first before baking. This one is without but you can follow our lemon crinkle cookies with cream cheese version with it on the outside.

Thumbprint Cookie Ingredients

• 1.5 c all purpose flour
• Sugar
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

If you want them with a citrus flavor you would then incorporate lemon juice, zest and use store bought lemon curd into the center of them.

Can you make lemon cookies with cake mix?

Yes! Refer to our lemon cookies from cake mix with fewer ingredients for this one. You could add more zest to the top of the goop too if you wanted to make even more of a wow when bitten into. Great thing about making goodies at home is you can tweak as much or as little as you would like for your family. 😉

This is the way we made them, with a divot in the center to hold the filling. The cookie itself is like our basic no cookie cutter sugar cookies but with a bit of lemon juice in there to pop the flavor even more. The key to making these in this shape is to use the back of a spoon when still warm to gently make a bowl in the middle.

Yet another pretty flair you can add would be to place a dried lemon slice on top of each one. Dipped in sugar they add pretty and sweetness. Or dunk in chocolate to dry and OMG.

Typically it takes two times to get the center the right shape and to stay that way. You do not want to press it all the way down to the baking sheet or the bottom will become too thin. Just a little does it for the filling not to ooze all over. Once everything has cooled it will stiffen up but it does need kinda’ a bed to sit into.

Sugar Cookies with Lemon Curd Recipe

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 F.
• Mix sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, vegetable oil, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste.
• Combine dry ingredients with wet ones until incorporated. Knead the thick but soft dough.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough in fridge for 1 hour to prevent spreading when baked.
• Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter, place on lined baking sheet and make a well in the center with your thumb. You can also make this in the middle of baking.
• Bake for 12 minutes total.
• After 6-7 minutes, take out the baking sheet and use the back of a spoon to gently make sure there is still a indented divot in the center to set your curd.
• Remove the finished cookies from the oven once very lightly golden browned on top.
• Immediately fill the cookies with the light and fluffy lemon curd while they are hot. Add zest too for more lemon flavor if you like

Leave for 20-30 minutes for the curd to harden and cookies to cool to room temperature. It will still be soft, however, it won’t run or drip if the cookie is tilted.

Can you fill with chocolate?

Ok now that you have the basics there are a few questions I have been asked along the way so I thought I would provide the answers here. Once you get the hang of these you can go hog wild with the fillings during the holidays like our Hershey Kiss Christmas cookies with chocolate pressed into the center, or you can melt chocolate chips in the microwave to fill.

How long should you chill sugar cookie dough?

If you do not have the time to chill the dough just make sure the butter is softened but not melted, that will help. Even 30 minutes in the fridge is better than nothing at all to prevent spreading and flattening from occurring. It is not that they won’t still work but they look prettier if they stay together a bit more and will hold more in the center too.

Let’s talk about a few more variations of the same base shall we? If you wanted to make a few dozen you could omit the lemon in the cookie base and fill with other ingredients. Other than curd which we are showing you here? I mean anything that is sweet and thick really works, or a combination of a few of them like;

What can you fill thumbprint cookies with

1. Classic thumbprint cookies are traditionally filled with your favorite jam, plum jelly or preserves. You can use any flavor you like, such as strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, apricot, or even mixed berry. Choose your favorite fruit jam or get creative with unique flavors.
2. For a rich and indulgent filling, consider using chocolate ganache. Simply melt together chocolate and heavy cream, then let it cool and thicken slightly before filling the thumbprint cookies. You can use dark, milk, or white chocolate depending on your preference.
3. Add a caramel twist to your thumbprint cookies by filling them with caramel sauce or dulce de leche. These sweet and gooey fillings pair wonderfully with the buttery cookies.
4. Nutella, a popular chocolate-hazelnut spread, makes a scrumptious filling option. Its creamy texture and delightful flavor add a unique twist to thumbprint cookies.
5. Fill your thumbprint cookies with a variety of nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. These options provide a rich and nutty taste.
6. Fill the middles with a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. This creates a creamy and slightly tangy filling that pairs well with various fruit toppings or even chocolate drizzle.

Remember to add the filling after the cookies have baked and cooled completely. You can sprinkle granulated sugar on top too for more sweetness. Get creative and experiment with different fillings to find your favorite combination. The possibilities are endless, and you can customize each one to suit your taste preferences.

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