Description
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are soft, buttery lemon sugar cookies filled with tangy lemon curd and finished with a sweet citrus icing drizzle. Visually stunning and bursting with fresh lemon flavor, these cookies are perfect for holiday trays, spring baking, or anytime you crave a bright citrus dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- Dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Filling:
- 1/2 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
- Icing:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, and vanilla bean paste.
- Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
- Cover dough and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar.
- Place on baking sheet and press thumbprint into center.
- Fill each indentation with lemon curd.
- Bake 12–13 minutes until edges are set.
- Cool completely.
- Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice to form icing and drizzle over cookies.
Notes
Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading. Homemade lemon curd provides the freshest flavor, but store-bought works well. Cookies freeze beautifully for make-ahead baking.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
Keywords: lemon thumbprint cookies, lemon curd cookies, citrus cookies, holiday cookies, lemon sugar cookies