These lemon thumbprint cookies are a lemon lovers’ dream cookie! Get pleasure from candy, delicate 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 may 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 sudden 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 throughout, from the cookie dough to the lemon curd filling to the icing on high. Contemporary 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 Do-it-yourself 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 should use store-bought lemon curd in these cookies in a pinch, however I encourage you to strive making it from scratch—it’s surprisingly simple, takes simply 10 minutes on the range, and tastes so significantly 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 elements: 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 fully. It retains nicely within the fridge for as much as 10 days, so you may make it nicely prematurely of constructing these lemon thumbprint cookies.
You may additionally mess around with flavors and check out 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 some extent of reference, I primarily based this cookie dough off my recipe for butter cookies. Like a shortbread cookie, there’s no leavening agent, however—in contrast to shortbread—there’s an egg, which makes the thumbprints much less crumbly. Seize these elements:
- 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: Bear in mind to zest the lemon earlier than slicing it and juicing it—it’s rather a lot more durable the opposite manner round!
- Egg: One egg offers softness and richness.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: You may use pure vanilla extract as a substitute, however I actually love the additional taste the vanilla bean within the paste offers these lemon thumbprints.
- Flour: All-purpose flour offers the dough construction.
- Cornstarch: A bit cornstarch makes for extra-soft cookies; it’s an ingredient in these delicate chocolate chip cookies, too.
- Salt: A bit salt balances the candy and amplifies the lemon and vanilla flavors.
Make the Lemon Cookie Dough & Chill
The dough comes collectively shortly with an electrical mixer, which is required for creaming the butter and sugar collectively.
This creamy dough wants to relax for no less than 3 hours earlier than it’s able to be rolled and formed.
Find out how to Form & Fill Lemon Thumbprints
As soon as the dough has chilled, you may 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 heart 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 completely elective, I really like these cookies with a drizzle of icing on high. It’s simply that little one thing additional that makes them appear to be you acquire them from a elaborate bakery. Plus, it tastes unbelievable!
You want simply 2 elements: 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 final touch, however you may merely use a spoon or fork.
The icing units in about half-hour or so, after which you may 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 may freeze the leftover lemon curd for as much as 3-6 months, or take pleasure in on yogurt, toast, waffles/pancakes, biscuits, and scones.
Sure, you may completely skip the lemon curd. As a substitute, strive raspberry, apricot, or strawberry preserves/jam. Remember the fact that the lemon taste received’t be as sturdy with out the lemon curd, so I like to recommend maintaining the lemon icing on high. (For that pop of lemon taste!)
If you would like much more lemon taste in your cookies, be happy so as to add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract to the cookie dough if you add the vanilla bean paste.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is a part of my annual cookie countdown known 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 find out how to freeze cookie dough.
Lemon Thumbprints
Prep Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes (consists of chilling)
Prepare dinner Time: 13 minutes
Whole Time: 4 hours
Yield: 36-40 cookies
Class: Cookies
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Candy, delicate lemon thumbprints are crammed with lemon curd and drizzled with lemon icing. As a substitute of do-it-yourself lemon curd, you should utilize store-bought; or substitute raspberry, strawberry, or apricot preserves/jam. This can be a very delicate 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 elements will look curdled, however will easy out if you add the dry elements. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the dry elements to the moist elements and blend on low velocity till mixed. Dough will likely be very creamy. Cowl and refrigerate for no less than 3 hours, and as much as 3 days. Chilling is crucial for this delicate 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 heart 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 couple of plates, in case your fridge doesn’t have room. I like to recommend chilling the formed cookies for a couple of minutes, to stop over-spreading.)
- As soon as oven preheats, bake formed cookies for 12–13 minutes, or till edges seem set and are very flippantly 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 fully.
- Make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk collectively confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over cooled cookies. (You should use a spoon or fork for this, or a squeeze bottle.) Icing will set at room temperature after about half-hour, after which you may stack and retailer the cookies.
- Cookies keep recent lined at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You may make the cookie dough and chill it within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Unbaked cookie dough freezes nicely for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge in a single day after which let sit out at room temperature for half-hour earlier than rolling and shaping the cookies. Learn my ideas and methods on find out how to freeze cookie dough. Baked and cooled cookies freeze nicely 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 (elective 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 additional taste. You may, in fact, use pure vanilla extract as a substitute. If you would like that additional 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 may freeze the leftover lemon curd for as much as 3-6 months, or take pleasure in 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. Remember the fact that the lemon taste received’t be as sturdy with out the lemon curd, so I like to recommend maintaining the lemon icing on high. (For that pop of lemon taste!)
- Remember to take a look at my high 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
Key phrases: lemon thumbprints
