Here’s a buttery shortbread Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe for cheerful springtime baking! Buttery shortbread cookies nest dollops of delicious puckery sweet and tangy lemon curd.
If you love lemon curd like I do, this is a fun, easy cookie to make! Lemon curd is always a treat, but especially in spring and summer. A tray of these cookies is so pretty at wedding and baby showers.
Make your own curd filling with my easy recipe, or save time and use store bought to make these festive cookies quickly.
It’s been a rough few weeks around here and if some of you have wondered if I’ve been MIA – the answer is a resounding YES! I’m still feeling a bit MIA, but baking these beautiful springy cookies is helping me find ground again.
If you follow along here you know we’ve been doing a kitchen remodel. It’s coming along but we’ve had some long waits for re-ordered cabinets and cabinet doors. The first set was the wrong size. The second set was the wrong size. (Need I say more?)
I’m not necessarily chomping at the bit to finish. In the grand world scheme these days, kitchen cabinet doors are at the bottom of the totem pole. But I was really hoping the kitchen would be finished by Easter.
That didn’t happen. So I couldn’t share the before and after pictures last weekend like I was hoping. Maybe this coming weekend. We’ve also had some serious illness at the house during all of this construction, which has been tough. First there was the stomach virus that visited. Womp womp.
And then Jacob (17) has been pretty sick. After a false negative test two weeks ago, it was discovered he does indeed have mono after all. And with some of the other diagnoses possibilities we were facing, mono is welcome. Though it hasn’t been much fun for Jacob.
Mono can have pretty serious complications and I think he’s gotten every one. It’s taking time to heal and he’s learning patience, among other things. It’s tough for a mama to watch.
So let’s talk cookies!!! These were so easy to make and were a beautiful addition to my Easter dessert table. I mixed up the dough in my KitchenAid stand mixer, then chilled it for an hour.
Use a small cookie scoop to get even dough portions. Then roll those cookie dough scoops in for even, round dough balls.
Use a chapstick tube to make the indentations in the dough. You can also use a cork wine stopper or even a 1/2 teaspoon measure. I don’t suggest your thumb (as the recipe name would suggest) because thumbs aren’t necessarily round.
Then bake for eight minutes at 375°. When the cookies come out of the oven, use the chapstick tube again to deepen the indentations. (So these cookies can hold even more delicious lemon curd!)
After the cookies cool on a rack, fill with delicious lemon curd using a pastry bag. (A small baby spoon works too.)
Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe Tips:
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Wrap the dough tightly and chill for an hour before baking.
- Use a small cookie scoop for even dough portions.
- Use a chapstick tube (or other round object like a 1/2 teaspoon measure or cork wine stopper) to make even indentations in your dough balls before baking.
- Use the tube again after they come out of the oven to deepen the indentations so they can hold lots of delicious lemon curd!
- Once cool, use a pastry bag for even filling with lemon curd. Or a small spoon works too. (I like to use a baby spoon.)
- Easily make the cookie shells ahead and freeze. Right before you need them, fill with lemon curd. Yum!
- Use store bought lemon curd to save time, or my easy lemon curd recipe here.
Enjoy these scrumptious cookies!
Lemon Curd Easy Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup lemon curd store bought or homemade
- Homemade recipe here: https://www.throughherlookingglass.com/easy-classic-lemon-curd/
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, with an electric stand or hand mixer, cream butter.
- Add white sugar until combined.
- Mix in egg yolks and vanilla until combined.
- Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, baking powder and flour.
- Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Cover dough tightly and chill for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use small cookie scoop to get even dough portions.
- Roll cookies into balls and place 2" apart on baking sheet.
- Use your thumb, a 1/2 teaspoon measure, a cork stopper or even a tube of chapstick to make even indentations into the middle of each dough ball.
- Bake for 8 minutes and check.
- (When they are barely beginning to brown on the edges, they are done!)
- Remove from the oven.
- While still hot, make the indentations again with your instrument of choice.
- (The thumb does not work so well on hot cookies!)
- Place cookies on a rack to cool.
- When completely cool, use a piping bag to fill cookies with lemon curd. Or use a spoon.
- Use store bought or homemade lemon curd.
- Homemade recipe here: https://www.throughherlookingglass.com/easy-classic-lemon-curd/
- Serve immediately and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
You may also like: Lemon Whipped Cream w/Lemon Curd
Sharon says
Just wondering. Does the curd stay loose and jiggly? In other words, you could not pack these up to take, correct? Thank you
Allie says
Hi Sharon – great question. The lemon curd I used was thick and seemed to set well in the cookies. A runny lemon curd wouldn’t work so well for traveling. I would definitely take these cookies to an event, I just wouldn’t layer them on top of each other. Happy baking!
Louise Achor says
They look great!
Shashi at SavorySpin says
ALLIE!!!! HI!!!! My friend -YOU have been so missed!!! I’m so glad to see you back – even though I have been a bit MIA myself ! I ‘m so sorry to hear about your cabinets – GAH – joys of home remodeling eh? And – i’m even more sorry to hear that Jacob has mono! I haven’t ever had any personal experience with it but a friend’s daughter had it once and she was miserable. Like you said – considering all things, mono is better a diagnosis than anything else. But, I understand your sweet heart, Allie, watching kiddos being sick is no easy task for a mama! Here’s hoping Jacob is back to feeling like himself sooner than expected. And, here’s also hoping that your kitchen remodel is snafu free from here on!
Now, getting back to these cookies – WOW! I love lemon curd cookies (one of my dad’s fav cookies with sweetened vanilla milk) and yours look so good! LOVE LOVE LOVE that tip on using a chapstick tube to make the indents before AND after baking for ALL that extra lemon curd! My mouth is puckering in glorious anticipation of these! I need to bookmark this recipe – such a delightful one for Spring and ALL summer!
Hoping it starts feeling like Spring there soon! XOXO
Barbara Ruka says
Hi Allie – We too are still hanging in there with our kitchen remodel. It is almost done. Just need to install the pot filler and caulk around the new backsplash. Then finish the bench and booth area. Then Easter night my father died, so funeral this week. Hopefully it will all be done by next Thursday as our bed and breakfast reopens on the 13th. We also had a cabinet the wrong size and had to order another one. Took over two weeks to come in. What a crazy spring this has been!
Allie says
Hey Barbara! So good to hear from you. I’m so sorry to hear about your dad, my sympathies. What a tough and busy time. It will be a very busy week for you this week. I sure hope everything gets done that needs doing in the kitchen by the 13th. I don’t have any real reason to get my done… just impatience and I want to finish this chapter. Hang in there. Can’t wait to see your pictures, I know it will be beautiful!
Carol says
I have been wondering how the kitchen was coming along. It is too bad that these things just never seem to go smoothly. I am hoping it all turns out even more gorgeous than you imagine, to make this wait worthwhile.
So sorry to hear that you have sickness in the family. Hope he is so much better soon.
Susie Mandel says
These are darling cookies! That’s just the first description that entered my mind. And the lemon curd…ahhh, heaven. I wonder if the curd will even make it into the cookies….
Praying for dear Jacob to heal quickly and for the CORRECT cabinets to arrive soon! xoxo
Eva says
Tes cookies au citron sont divines ! J’aimerais manger 2 ou 3 tout de suite avec mon café du matin. Je te souhaite un beau weekend ma chère Allie!! XOXO
Liz says
Now I know what to do with the jar of lemon curd in the fridge! What yummy cookies filled with sunshine! I’m so sorry about Jacob—-hope he starts feeling better soon!! Xo
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
That’s a clever trick for the thumb print impression! Lemon curd is one of my favorites. Add it to cookies and double yum!
I think you are due for a turn of good luck! It’s time for that kitchen to be finished and for everyone to be healthy! Good luck!
Allie says
Ha ha yes! It’s my turn for the good luck. Thanks Kathy – have a super weekend!
Food Lover says
Awww so cute recipe 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Allie, I was diagnosed with mono several years ago. Praying for Jacob’s restoration of health, and for you!!
These cookies look delicious– thanks for the awesome photos and recipe. Hope the right cabinets come in soon!! Hugs!