These Lemon curd cookies combine the tartness of freshly-squeezed lemons with a lemon shortbread base and a smooth and creamy thumbprint of lemon curd filling.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
If you're looking for an easy yet delicious treat, then these lemon curd cookies are the perfect no chill cookie recipe. Delicate and delicious lemony flavor, thanks to fresh lemon shortbread and a tangy lemon curd that's spooned into each cookie's center.
The experience of biting into one of these thumbprint cookies is unforgettable, as the lemon pairs perfectly with the shortbread texture of this beautiful cookie. These cheerful iced lemon curd thumbprint cookies are sure to brighten your day with a smile!
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Ingredients
You can easily find prepared lemon curd in the Jam & Jelly section of the grocery aisle, or you can make it from scratch.
For Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Butter - unsalted, room temperature butter.
- Sugar
- Lemon Extract - any brand.
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour - all purpose flour.
Lemon Curd Filling
- Lemon Curd - I used store bought lemon curd simply because you only need ½ cup. You can make it from scratch also though, with the recipe included in the recipe card below.
For Lemon Icing
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice - Fresh squeezed.
- Milk
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Lemon Curd Cookies
Lemon shortbread cookies filled with lemon curd = delectable lemon curd cookies that simply melt in your mouth! What's more, you don't have to chill the dough before baking!
Prepare the Lemon Shortbread Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the lemon and vanilla extracts and mix again.
- Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until a shortbread cookie dough forms. It will be crumbly at first.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Fill A Piping Bag With Lemon Curd
- Roll out 1.5" balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough) of shortbread cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart.
- Using the palm of your hand, slightly flatten each cookie ball, then make a thumbprint indentation in the center of each slightly flattened cookie.
- Fill a pastry or icing bag with the prepared lemon curd.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Fill The Lemon Curd Cookies
- Fill each uncooked cookie thumbprint with ½ teaspoon of the lemon curd filling and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the shortbread is firm and barely golden. Don't overfill!
- Remove and set baking sheet on a cooling rack for 20 minutes for the lemon curd to set up before icing.
PRO TIP: Your cookies will look slightly under-baked when it's time to remove them from the oven. Barely any browning. This is to give the most flavor, some chew, and not have crumbly shortbread. The cookies will continue to cook and firm up more on the hot baking sheet while cooking.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Finally, Icing Thumbprint Cookies
While the cookies are baking in the oven, prepare the lemon icing.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk in a small mixing bowl.
- Using a spatula, blend powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk until smooth.
- Transfer the lemon icing to a new piping bag and snip the end off. When the lemon curd cookies have cooled, drizzle the icing in a thin stream over the cookies in a zig-zag pattern. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the icing to set before serving.
PRO TIP: For even more lemon flavor, zest a lemon and scatter a little lemon zest on top of these freshly iced lemon curd cookies!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
I always think of iced lemon curd thumbprint cookies in the Spring, along with Easter. Something about the lemon just feels bright and sunny after the long Winter season. If you love lemon, you will want to see our Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, an easy to make Lemon Blackberry Bread, and our Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Homemade Lemon Curd
Making your own lemon curd is simple, but for this recipe I simply purchased a jar at the store because I only needed about ½ cup. If I have lemon curd on hand, I will eat it like Nutella ... by the spoonful, lol! I will include Homemade Lemon Curd in the recipe card below also. Ingredients are:
- Egg Yolks
- Sugar
- Butter - unsalted, room temperature.
- Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed
- Lemon Zest - fresh.
PRO TIP: When using both zest and juice from lemons, limes, or other citrus, always zest first. Not only is it easier but it softens the fruit up for more juice extraction.
Substitutions
You can use any delicious jam in exchange for the lemon curd. Not only that, but I have seen jars of Lime Curd!
Variations
Here are a few scrumptious variations using this recipe as a base:
- Raspberry Lemon Thumbprints - Make the lemon curd cookies recipe with the thumbprint indentations. Use a raspberry jam for the thumbprint filling, and bake.
- Chocolate Shortbread Thumbprints - Make the lemon curd cookies recipe without the lemon extract. After making the thumbprints, add a Hershey's Kiss to the indentation and bake. Another chocolate thumbprint option is to bake the thumbprint cookies without the filling, then when cool, fill with Nutella!
- Apricot Thumbprint Cookies - With the buttery shortbread and fruit apricot jam filling, these cookies scream Purim to me! They taste so much like the tri-corner Hamantaschen cookies that I simply adore! Make lemon curd cookies recipe without the lemon extract, and use Apricot preserves for the filling. Drizzle icing over them just like the lemon curd thumbprint cookies.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this lemon curd cookies recipe.
- Rimmed Baking Sheets with Cooling Rack - these come as a set, and are excellent value!
- KitchenAid Hand Mixer - I use this mixer 10x more than my KitchenAid stand mixer!
- Parchment Paper - Once you use parchment paper, you will never want to go back to Non Stick Spray!
- Oxo Citrus Grater
Storage
Refrigerate leftover lemon curd cookies in a covered storage container, in layers separated with some parchment paper, foil, or even wax paper. You can also freeze them for later, for up to three months.
Tips for Success
- Leave the cooling lemon curd cookies on the baking sheet to finish cooking.
- Icing thumbprint cookies is easiest when you leave the cooled cookies on the baking sheet and parchment paper. Drizzle the icing, then transfer to a plate. Clean up is a breeze!
- Adding a little lemon zest to the cookies or icing amps up the lemon flavor even more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes they do. Lemon curd is made with eggs and milk, so it's like a lemon cream pie filling. Lemon curd needs refrigeration. Refrigerate these cookies if they last longer than a day.
Similar, but slightly different. Lemon curd is egg yolks, lemon juice, sugar, and butter. For Lemon pie filling, or lemon custard, the ingredients are milk, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice. Lemon curd is more translucent, and lemon custard is more opaque. They both need to be refrigerated also.
True shortbread is simply butter, sugar, and flour. Perhaps a dash of salt and some extract for flavor, but that's it. As long as you remove your lemon shortbread thumbprints when they are just barely browning, you won't have crumbly cookies!
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- ½ cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
Lemon Curd Filling
- ½ cup Lemon curd in the Jam & Jelly grocery aisle
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon milk
- lemon zest freshly grated, Optional
Homemade Lemon Curd (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from the lemon, BEFORE squeezing it
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
Instructions
Make the Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the lemon and vanilla extracts and mix again.½ cup butter, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until a shortbread cookie dough forms.1 cup flour
- Roll out 1.5" balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough) of shortbread cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart.
- Using the palm of your hand, slightly flatten each cookie ball, then make a thumbprint indentation in the center of each slightly flattened cookie.
- Fill a pastry or icing bag with the prepared lemon curd.½ cup Lemon curd
- Fill each uncooked cookie thumbprint with some of the lemon curd filling and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the shortbread is firm and barely golden. PRO TIP: Fill about ½ teaspoon of lemon curd in each thumbprint. Don't overfill!
- Remove and set baking sheet on a cooling rack for 20 minutes for the lemon curd to set up before icing.
For the Lemon Icing
- While the cookies are baking in the oven, prepare the lemon icing.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk in a small mixing bowl. Using a spatula, blend powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk until smooth.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon milk
- Transfer the lemon icing to a new piping bag and snip the end off. When the lemon curd cookies have cooled, drizzle the icing in a thin stream over the cookies in a zig zag pattern. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the icing to set before serving.PRO TIP: For even more lemon flavor, zest a lemon and scatter a little lemon zest on top of these freshly iced lemon curd cookies!lemon zest
For Homemade Lemon Curd
- Put the lemon zest and sugar in medium heat proof bowl and mix. Add in the lemon juice and egg yolks and whisk to combine.1 teaspoon lemon zest, ½ cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, ½ cup lemon juice
- Create a double boiler by bringing 2 inches of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the heatproof glass bowl on top and make sure it's not touching the water.
- Whisk continuously and gently for a creamy texture and even cooking. Once thickened, remove the glass bowl from the heat. Cut the butter into chunks and whisk into the lemon curd until fully combined and smooth.¼ cup butter
- You can run the hot lemon curd thru a sieve or leave as is to cool and set up. After set, refrigerate between uses.
Notes
- Leave the cooling lemon curd cookies on the baking sheet to finish cooking.
- Icing thumbprint cookies is easiest when you leave the cooled cookies on the baking sheet and parchment paper. Drizzle the icing, then transfer to a plate. Clean up is a breeze!
- Adding a little lemon zest to the cookies or icing amps up the lemon flavor even more!
Nutrition
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