Lemon Curd Cookies
Just one bite of these Lemon Curd Cookies and you’ll be in love! The tangy filling combined with the tender buttery cookie creates a delicious mini dessert that can be enjoyed any time you need a little pick-me-up!
What could be more refreshing than a lemon dessert? Just like my Lemon Pizzelle and Lemon Yogurt cake, these cookies have just the right amount of tangy sweetness to brighten your day.
If you’re like me, a big fan of lemon flavors, then you are going to want to make these Lemon Curd Cookies as soon as possible! This recipe uses my homemade lemon curd, which is extra tangy, but for an easy variation, use store-bought lemon curd.
These are also known as lemon curd thumbprint cookies. If you’ve never heard of thumbprint cookies, they are simply cookies that are pressed with your thumb or some other device to make an indentation. The indentation is filled with curd or some other type of filling and then baked.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Popular: Thumbprint cookies have been popular for a very good reason. They’re simple to make and easy to eat.
- Tender and Buttery: The dough recipe for this cookie is based on a typical shortbread that is full of buttery goodness to melt in your mouth.
- Baked-in Filling: This means that the filling stays where it’s meant to stay – right there on the cookie – giving you longer and easier storage.
- Perfect Ratio: In every bite, you’ll find the right amount of tender cookie along with some tangy lemon curd – perfection!
Another favorite delicious treat in my house is my Italian macarons and Italian butter cookies; my whole family loves them. Plus, these gluten-free Almond Flour Cookies, as well as the almond flour peanut butter cookie variation, are all popular at Christmas time!
Be sure to also make my delicious coffee cookies and Norwegian cookies while you are making cookies; they are so yummy!
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Salted butter – For these cookies, salted butter has the perfect amount of salt to bring out the butteriness of the dough. The dough is the one I use for my Christmas shortbread cookies and all types of thumbprint cookies.
- White sugar – I like to use superfine white sugar because it dissolves more easily.
- Lemon zest – Just the yellow part, finely grated. All the wonderful lemon oils are in the yellow skin, and the flavor is different from the juice. Adding lemon zest to the dough is a good way of layering and accenting the lemon flavor. Use leftover lemons to make my tangy Lemon Pasta Recipe.
- All-purpose flour – Regular plain flour with no raising agent in it is perfect.
- Lemon curd – Use my lemon curd recipe, which uses freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best taste and tang in your lemon curd cookies. But don’t worry if you don’t have time to make your own.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Before you begin, preheat the oven to 340ºF (170º C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric or stand mixer. Then mix in half of the flour.
Add the remaining flour and combine until the dough comes together.
Roll smooth dough balls, place on prepared baking sheets, and make an indentation in each ball.
Use a measuring spoon to place a little of the lemon curd filling in the indentation. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 15 minutes, then bake until lightly colored.
Marcellina’s Hint: Be sure to let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely
Substitutions
- Butter – If you only have unsalted butter, add about ¼ teaspoon of standard fine table salt.
- White sugar – use powdered sugar instead if that’s all you have.
- Lemon curd – Buy a good quality, store-bought lemon curd, and these lemon curd cookies will still be amazing!
Variations
Basically, these are lemon curd thumbprint cookies, and as with most thumbprint cookies, the fillings can vary.
- Orange, passion fruit, or lime curd also works well as a filling.
- Use raspberry, strawberry, or plum jam instead of lemon curd.
- Fill the indentation with chocolate hazelnut spread like Nutella!
You can also substitute two teaspoons of vanilla extract in the dough for the lemon zest for a mellow vanilla flavor.
Equipment
Whenever you’re baking cookies, be sure to use baking sheets that have low sides for proper heat and airflow around the cookies. Baking sheets with high sides are often the culprit of cookie baking failures.
Storage
These lemon curd cookies can be left at cool room temperature for a day or so. For longer storage, especially on warm days, keep refrigerated in an airtight container with a layer of parchment paper between the cookies. I like to bring them back to room temperature before serving, but if you’re just snatching one on the run, that’s not completely necessary!
Tips for Success
- As with most baking recipes, having the ingredients for the cookie dough at room temperature is important. This means that the butter and sugar will be well mixed and incorporate lots of air to make the cookies lighter and bake evenly.
- I’m a bit pedantic about the size of the cookies, so I’ll end up weighing the dough to get the cookies evenly sized. You don’t have to do this, but pay attention to the size of the cookies when you are shaping them and follow my instructions in the recipe card below. These shouldn’t be huge. You want a good proportion of cookies to filling.
- When shaping the cookies, roll the dough into a smooth ball and make the indentation carefully. Push straight down but only halfway. Make the indentation wide and shallow rather than narrow and deep. Cracks will cause the filling to ooze out of the indentation.
- While we need room temperature ingredients to make the cookie dough, don’t skip the freezing step. Once the cookies are shaped and filled, be sure to pop the cookies into the freezer for just 15 minutes. This truly makes all the difference. The cookies keep their shape and bake perfectly.
Measuring Tip: When measuring flour, stir the flour first to loosen then spoon the flour into the measuring cup without packing it in. Scrape the back of a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level.
FAQ
Lemon curd cookies can sit out for a day or two as long as the weather isn’t hot or humid. Be sure to keep them in a sealed container, in a cool, dry place. After this time, store them in the fridge.
No, not immediately. However, for better keeping qualities, I prefer to store them in an airtight container in the fridge after the first day.
Yes! Layer the cookies in a container with parchment paper in between each layer. Seal with a lid and freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These Lemon Curd Cookies are best served at room temperature, so you’ll want to take them out of the refrigerator beforehand. Honestly, though, on hot days I don’t mind snatching a cold cookie to pop into my mouth as I’m passing by the kitchen!
I love to serve these as a simple dessert after a sumptuous Italian meal of my delicious homemade lemon pasta recipe, cavatelli pasta, and chicken Sorrentino.
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Lemon Curd Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225 grams) salted butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (130 grams) white granulated sugar See Note 1
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 2 ¼ cups (280 grams)all purpose plain flour See Note 2
- ½ cup lemon curd See Note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170º C) and prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add half the flour and combine until just incorporated.
- Add the remaining flour and again mix until just combined.
- Shape into 1 inch smooth balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Make an indentation with your thumb, the end of a wooden spoon or as I did, then end of a honey dipper which was the perfect size.
- Fill each indentation with a ½ teaspoon of lemon curd.
- Place the baking sheets with prepared cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake in the preheated over for 13-16 minutes until very lightly colored.
- Cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool
Notes
- I like to use superfine sugar, but regular white granulated sugar can be used.
- If using cup measurements, stir the flour to loosen, then spoon it into the cup without packing. Use a knife to level the top.
- Use my homemade lemon curd recipe, or for convenience, store-bought lemon curd. You may not need a full half a cup.
- When making the indentation for the lemon curd, push straight down, but only about halfway. Don’t smash the dough and flatten it out or make an indentation too deep. The deeper the hole, the wider the cookies will spread.
The secret is a wide but not so deep hole, which means the lemon curd doesn’t bubble up and over the cookies. - See above for more information under the “Tips for Success and FAQ’s” section.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
I’m not sure about the baking time. I did 175 degrees (celsius) for 16 minute and seemed a bit pale and soft. so I added 2 more minutes. still wanting a bit of colour I’m now baking for 20 minutes after which I get a very light browning (the cookies taste great at all the different times!). Has anyone else experimented with baking time?
Rosana, all ovens vary so perhaps your oven runs a little cooler than mine. I like them very pale. They do crisp up on cooling because of the dough is high in butter. The butter also will make them seem soft straight out of the oven. In saying that, if you’d rather darker cookies, that’s entirely up to you and they’ll still be delicious. Thank you for taking the time to explain exactly what your experience is.
Made these with passion fruit curd and eliminated the lemon zest. They are absolutely AMAZING!!! I still need to work on the perfect indentation, but I’ll be making them again (today most likely) so my family can enjoy them since we ate all of the first batch already (0:
I’m so glad you loved them! Passion fruit curd sounds like an incredible twist — and it’s always a good sign when the first batch disappears so quickly!
Dear Marcellina, thank you for all your delicious recipes i have been making many of your recipes with lots of compliments
Thank you, Anna! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know. It means a lot to me.
This recipe has no eggs in it??
That’s correct. It’s a shortbread style cookie. Of course, lemon curd has eggs in it – whether homemade or store bought.
Hello Marcellina !
I would love to do your this recipe!
Also I’m like you on the size of the cookies! 😄
You mentioned about it!
(I’m a bit pedantic about the size of the cookies so I’ll end up weighing the dough to get the cookies evenly sized. )
Please can you tell me how much does it weigh for each one?
Thank you so much 😊
Daniela, just weigh the dough then divide it by 36 (which is the amount of cookies this recipe makes). You can then use that weight for each cookie so all your cookies will be exactly the same.
Thank you so much 😊!
these were great though I didn’t freeze them beforehand as put them straight in the oven.
still tastes and looked great.
why do you have to freeze them?
So glad you loved these lemon curd cookies! I freeze them to ensure the curd doesn’t overheat and boil over. But if the weather is cool, it probably wouldn’t be necessary. I err on the side of caution so that all my readers can make my recipes perfectly.
I followed the recipe exactly and the dough was extremely dry; it kept cracking. I spooned the flour into the measuring cup so I know I didn’t over do the flour. When I pressed to make the indentation, it cracked again. The taste was great but the cookies didn’t look like the picture at all.
I’m sorry this happened to you, Kathy. If you measured this exactly it shouldn’t have happened with this recipe. Perhaps different brands of butter and flour behave differently OR it has something to do with where you live – the climate may be more dry or you’re at higher altitude than where I tested this recipe. This is a very regular shortbread cookie dough which I use regularly and works for me all the time.I suggest that in future hold back part of the flour and add the rest as needed. Thanks for the feedback.
Cookies are a family favorite, we look forward to giving this recipe a try!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy these, Mark!
I adore lemon 🍋 curd. The tangier the better.
Me too!
I love, love lemon curd and these fabulous cookies did not disappoint! I’d limit myself to two a day with a cup of tea. Heavenly!
I could eat a tin of these every day given half a chance. Soooo delicious!
Yes, Megan, so good!
I had lots of lemons on my tree this jar, so made lots of lemon curd. These cookies were a perfect way to use the curd they were delicious!
It’s such a good feeling when we make good use of our own produce and having delicious lemon curd cookies to enjoy is a bonus!
This is a delicious recipe! The tip about not making the hole too deep was spot on- in 1 I made it too deep and the cookie spread really wide but the other ones were totally fine so definitely follow that!
Great to hear, Kristina!
I love everything lemon and these cookies totally hit the spot. Super tangy and fresh tasting and the buttery cookie was delicious.
I’m glad you enjoy these, Oscar!