Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Perfect for gifting, these easy lemon thumbprint cookies are made with a lemon curd thumbprint and a buttery shortbread base. Use homemade microwave lemon curd or store-bought for these cute cookies!
Servings: 60 cookies
Calories: 54kcal
Equipment
- Baking sheet(s)
- Parchment paper
- Digital kitchen scale optional but highly recommended
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons white sanding sugar optional
- ½ cup lemon curd approximately
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir the flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Cream together on high speed until pale and light, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour to the butter and stir together on low speed until a dough foormsthat clears the bowl.
- Divide the cookie dough into about 60 15-gram portions. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place the sanding sugar in a bowl and roll the dough ball in sugar to coat. Place the balls on the parchment lined baking sheet(s).
- Use the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to press a round indent into the top of each ball. Don't push the measuring spoon to the cookie sheet, but close to it. You want a neat half-circle shape to fill with lemon curd.
- Spoon the lemon curd evenly between all of the cookies. Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the lemon curd is set and the bottoms are light gold. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- You can make the cookies any size; however, the baking time will change.
- The dough for these cookies doesn't spread very much, although it does spread slightly around the 10-minute baking mark. I bake all 60 lemon curd cookies on one sheet, and sometimes a couple will stick together, but not too badly. If you're worried about them sticking together, bake 30 cookies per baking sheet.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls in sanding sugar is optional, but I recommend it as it prevents the ½ teaspoon from sticking when making the indents to fill.
- Depending on how small or large your cookie indents are, you may need a bit less or a bit more lemon curd than called for in the recipe.
Storage
- Cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. They can also be stored sandwiched between parchment paper in a container in the freezer for up to one month.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg