These lemon thumbprint cookies are a lemon lovers’ dream cookie! Take pleasure in candy, mushy lemon sugar cookies crammed with lemon curd and drizzled with lemon icing. I wish to make the lemon curd from scratch as a result of the flavour is superior (truthfully, it’s simply so good!), however be happy to make use of store-bought. As a substitute of lemon curd, you possibly can substitute raspberry, strawberry, or apricot preserves/jam.
A sunny burst of citrus is simply the factor to brighten up a grey winter day and add a pop of surprising taste to a vacation cookie tray. Among the many deep darkish flavors of chocolate and spice, like gingerbread cookies, Andes mint chocolate cookies, or chocolate ginger sparkle cookies, these lemon thumbprints shine like twinkly lights within the night time. 😉
A great deal of Lemon
These lemon thumbprints are flavored with actual lemon all through, from the cookie dough to the lemon curd filling to the icing on prime. Recent lemon juice and zest are key to all that taste.
There are 3 components to those lemon thumbprint cookies:
- Buttery, vanilla bean-speckled lemon sugar cookie dough
- Creamy, tangy lemon curd (do-it-yourself or store-bought)
- 2-ingredient lemon icing
Make the Selfmade Lemon Curd First
Have you ever made lemon curd earlier than? It’s scrumptious on so many recipes, like atop this lemon cheesecake or pavlova. You need to use store-bought lemon curd in these cookies in a pinch, however I encourage you to strive making it from scratch—it’s surprisingly straightforward, takes simply 10 minutes on the range, and tastes so a lot better!
I’ve an entire separate web page devoted to do-it-yourself lemon curd, with a video tutorial to assist. It’s simply 5 components: egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter.
- Tip: I like to recommend making it forward of time, so it has loads of time to chill utterly. It retains properly within the fridge for as much as 10 days, so you may make it properly prematurely of constructing these lemon thumbprint cookies.
You can additionally mess around with flavors and take a look at filling the lemon thumbprints with fruit jam, like I exploit in these peanut butter & jam thumbprint cookies.
Right here’s What You Want for These Lemon Thumbprint Cookies:
As a degree of reference, I based mostly this cookie dough off my recipe for butter cookies. Like a shortbread cookie, there’s no leavening agent, however—in contrast to shortbread—there may be an egg, which makes the thumbprints much less crumbly. Seize these components:
- Butter: Creamed butter makes up the bottom of those cookies.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the tart lemon within the dough, and we’ll
- Lemon Zest + Juice: Keep in mind to zest the lemon earlier than slicing it and juicing it—it’s so much tougher the opposite approach round!
- Egg: One egg gives softness and richness.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: You can use pure vanilla extract as a substitute, however I actually love the additional taste the vanilla bean within the paste provides these lemon thumbprints.
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the dough construction.
- Cornstarch: Somewhat cornstarch makes for extra-soft cookies; it’s an ingredient in these mushy chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Salt: Somewhat salt balances the candy and amplifies the lemon and vanilla flavors.
Make the Lemon Cookie Dough & Chill
The dough comes collectively rapidly with an electrical mixer, which is required for creaming the butter and sugar collectively.
This creamy dough wants to sit back for at the least 3 hours earlier than it’s able to be rolled and formed.
Methods to Form & Fill Lemon Thumbprints
As soon as the dough has chilled, you possibly can form the cookies. Scoop the dough with a Tablespoon after which roll the dough into balls. Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar earlier than putting on a baking sheet.
Use your thumb to make an indentation within the middle of every cookie dough ball, then spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd into every. Bake the cookies for about 12–13 minutes.
Non-compulsory Lemon Icing Is the Icing on the… Cookies
Whereas it’s fully non-compulsory, I really like these cookies with a drizzle of icing on prime. It’s simply that little one thing further that makes them seem like you acquire them from a elaborate bakery. Plus, it tastes unbelievable!
You want simply 2 components: confectioners’ sugar and recent lemon juice. Whisk it collectively till easy, and drizzle it on the cooled cookies. I used a squeeze bottle to use this candy of completion, however you possibly can merely use a spoon or fork.
The icing units in about half-hour or so, after which you possibly can stack and retailer the cookies.
You want about 1/2 cup (140g) of lemon curd. If utilizing do-it-yourself, I like to recommend making the entire recipe for do-it-yourself lemon curd. You possibly can freeze the leftover lemon curd for as much as 3-6 months, or get pleasure from on yogurt, toast, waffles/pancakes, biscuits, and scones.
Sure, you possibly can completely skip the lemon curd. As a substitute, strive raspberry, apricot, or strawberry preserves/jam. Needless to say the lemon taste gained’t be as sturdy with out the lemon curd, so I like to recommend maintaining the lemon icing on prime. (For that pop of lemon taste!)
In order for you much more lemon taste in your cookies, be happy so as to add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract to the cookie dough whenever you add the vanilla bean paste.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is a part of my annual cookie countdown referred to as Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the most important, most scrumptious occasion of the 12 months! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza web page together with:
and right here’s my video tutorial & information for how you can freeze cookie dough.
Lemon Thumbprints
Prep Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes (consists of chilling)
Prepare dinner Time: 13 minutes
Complete Time: 4 hours
Yield: 36-40 cookies
Class: Cookies
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Candy, mushy lemon thumbprints are crammed with lemon curd and drizzled with lemon icing. As a substitute of do-it-yourself lemon curd, you should use store-bought; or substitute raspberry, strawberry, or apricot preserves/jam. It is a very mushy and creamy butter cookie dough, so refrigerating it earlier than shaping is crucial. A fast chill after shaping because the oven preheats is useful, too.
Dough
Coating & Filling
Icing
Directions
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, cornstarch, and salt till mixed. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and three/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar collectively on medium-high velocity till creamed, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, and vanilla bean paste and beat on excessive velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. The moist components will look curdled, however will easy out whenever you add the dry components. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the dry components to the moist components and blend on low velocity till mixed. Dough shall be very creamy. Cowl and refrigerate for at the least 3 hours, and as much as 3 days. Chilling is crucial for this mushy dough.
- Line massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Make room within the fridge for baking sheets, so the form cookies can chill because the oven preheats in step 7.
- Form & coat the dough: Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Scoop chilly dough (about 1 Tablespoon (18g) of dough every) and roll into balls. Roll every dough ball in granulated sugar and place 2 inches aside on lined baking sheets.
- Fill the cookies: Use your thumb to make an indentation within the middle of every cookie dough ball. Fill every with 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place baking sheets with unbaked cookies within the fridge whereas the oven preheats. (Or switch all cookies to 1 baking sheet, or a number of plates, in case your fridge doesn’t have room. I like to recommend chilling the formed cookies for a couple of minutes, to forestall over-spreading.)
- As soon as oven preheats, bake formed cookies for 12–13 minutes, or till edges seem set and are very calmly starting to brown. Take away from the oven and permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes, then switch to a wire rack to chill utterly.
- Make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk collectively confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over cooled cookies. (You need to use a spoon or fork for this, or a squeeze bottle.) Icing will set at room temperature after about half-hour, after which you possibly can stack and retailer the cookies.
- Cookies keep recent lined at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You can also make the cookie dough and chill it within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Unbaked formed cookie dough balls (that aren’t coated in sugar and crammed with curd) freeze properly as much as 3 months. Thaw for half-hour, after which coat in sugar, fastidiously indent and fill, after which bake. See this publish on how you can freeze cookie dough for extra info and a video tutorial. Baked and cooled cookies freeze properly for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge or at room temperature.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Vanilla Bean Paste | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Cooling Rack | Squeeze Bottle (non-compulsory for drizzling icing)
- Butter: The dough recipe requires 14 Tablespoons (200g) of butter, so not fairly 1 full cup. In testing, the cookies overspread when utilizing a full cup (2 sticks/226g) of butter.
- Vanilla: I really like utilizing vanilla bean paste in these cookies as a result of it combines each extract AND vanilla bean seeds, and provides further taste. You possibly can, after all, use pure vanilla extract as a substitute. In order for you that further vanilla bean taste, be happy so as to add the seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean. (That is along with the liquid vanilla extract.)
- Lemon Curd: You want about 1/2 cup (140g) of lemon curd. I like to recommend making the entire recipe for do-it-yourself lemon curd. You possibly can freeze the leftover lemon curd for as much as 3-6 months, or get pleasure from on yogurt, toast, waffles/pancakes, biscuits, and scones.
- As a substitute of Lemon Curd: As a substitute or lemon curd, strive raspberry, apricot, or strawberry preserves/jam. Needless to say the lemon taste gained’t be as sturdy with out the lemon curd, so I like to recommend maintaining the lemon icing on prime. (For that pop of lemon taste!)
- Be sure you try my prime 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
Key phrases: lemon thumbprints
