These Lemon Curd Cookies are made of buttery shortbread thumbprint cookies dusted with powdered sugar and filled with sweet and tangy lemon curd. They are crumbly and soft with the perfect crispy edges while creamy and lemony in the center. The perfect combination of sweet and sour!
Plus, these lemon curd thumbprint cookies are easy to make — the cookie dough comes together in one bowl and they bake in just 10 minutes after they’ve been shaped and chilled. Perfect for a last minute cookie craving.
Why You'll Love These Lemon Curd Cookies
- The soft, chewy, and crumbly sugar cookie base. These lemon curd cookies need a solid base to hold the lemon curd, and they deliver on it. Flavored with vanilla and almond extract, the shortbread cookie base is perfect in every way — flavor, texture, crumbliness, and softness.
- The creamy, sweet, and tart lemon curd. Lemon curd is dessert heaven. It’s sweet, rich, creamy, buttery, and tart, and it has an intense flavor that pairs perfectly with the shortbread cookie. If you’ve got homemade lemon curd, these cookies will be even better and more flavorful.
- They’re easy to make. With a few simple steps and one bowl, cookie dough has never been easier to make. Then, just shape, chill, and bake before you’re ready to fill the thumbprint cookies with lemon curd.
- The perfect dessert for lemon lovers. If you love lemons or any tart foods, then these lemon cookies are a must-have recipe in your book. You’ll find yourself making these cookies with lemon curd again and again — they’re just that good.
Ingredient Notes
To make these easy Lemon Curd Cookies, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- butter - you will need to use room temperature butter or else it won’t cream properly with the sugar. Leave the butter out on the kitchen counter for about 1 hour to soften it.
- granulated sugar
- pure vanilla extract
- pure almond extract - I love the flavor that almond extract adds to these cookies, but you could leave this out if you don’t have any on hand.
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- confectioners’ sugar - optional, for dusting on the cookies.
- lemon curd - feel free to use store-bought or homemade lemon curd. We always use our homemade Lemon Curd in recipes that call for curd because it's easy to make at home and is so flavorful.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat, and a wire cooling rack.
How to Make the Best Lemon Curd Cookies
- Cream butter and sugar. Use a stand mixer (or hand mixer) and cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add extracts and salt. Add vanilla, almond extract, and salt and continue to beat on medium until fully incorporated.
- Add flour. Add flour gradually until just combined.
Cream butter and sugar. Add extracts and salt. Add flour.
- Shape cookies. Take 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into 1-inch balls. Make an indentation with your thumb (or the back of a small spoon or melon baller) into the centre of each ball.
- Chill. Place cookies on a silpat or parchment-lined half sheet baking pan, spaced 2 inches apart. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the cookies for 1 hour (or place in the freezer for 30 minutes).
- Bake. Bake the cookies in a 350F preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. If the indentations have started to close, use the back of a spoon or melon baller to carefully make the indentation bigger again, while the cookies are still hot.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Fill with lemon curd. Once cooled, lightly dust the cookies with confectioner’s sugar. Then, use a small spoon to carefully fill them with lemon curd. Serve immediately or store for later.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- How to store: Keep leftover lemon curd cookies in the fridge inside an airtight container for up to four weeks. They are best consumed within the first 1-2 weeks but will last a few weeks longer. Also, make sure to store them in a single layer instead of stacking them so that the lemon curd filling doesn’t smudge.
- How to customize: You can use this recipe as a base for different flavored thumbprint cookies! You can customize them easily by substituting the lemon curd filling with jam such as raspberry, peach, or strawberry jam.
More Cookie Recipes
- 50 Best Cookie Recipes
- Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies
- S'mores Cookies
- Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Cut Out Shortbread Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more recipe updates.
Recipe
Lemon Curd Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sweet and sour Lemon Curd Cookies are made of buttery shortbread thumbprint cookies dusted with powdered sugar, and filled with sweet and tangy lemon curd.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup lemon curd
Instructions
- Use a stand mixer (or hand mixer) and cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla, almond extract, and salt and continue to beat on medium until fully incorporated. Add flour gradually until just combined.
- Take 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into 1-inch balls. Make an indentation with your thumb (or the back of a small spoon or melon baller) into the centre of each ball.
- Place cookies on a silpat or parchment-lined half sheet baking pan, spaced 2 inches apart. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the cookies for 1 hour (or place in the freezer for 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. If the indentations have started to close, use the back of a spoon or melon baller to carefully make the indentation bigger again, while the cookies are still hot.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, lightly dust the cookies with confectioner’s sugar. Then, use a small spoon to carefully fill them with lemon curd. Serve immediately or store for later.
Notes
How to store: Keep leftover lemon curd cookies in the fridge inside an airtight container for up to four weeks. They are best consumed within the first 1-2 weeks but will last a few weeks longer. Also, make sure to store them in a single layer instead of stacking them so that the lemon curd filling doesn’t smudge.
How to customize: You can use this recipe as a base for different flavored thumbprint cookies! You can customize them easily by substituting the lemon curd filling with jam such as raspberry, peach, or strawberry jam.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Food Blogger Business School
A step-by-step program that teaches food bloggers how to grow and scale their blogs into a full-time business
in less time and without posting endless content until you burn out.
Carrie Velthuysen says
These were amazing. I needed something I could make quickly after work for a dinner party and I was able to throw these together in no time at all (I already had curd in the freezer). They were visually pleasing, and the cookie base is so delicious! I am excited to try this our with other fillings