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Melt in your mouth, tender buttery cookies filled with lemon curd are a dessert lover’s dream come true! Just like your favorite Thumbprint Cookie, now with a burst of sweet citrus flavor.


I love classic cookie recipes. Whether it is a chocolate chip or a macaroon, I’m all in.
I especially love a cookie that has a touch of fruity flavor. That’s why I went head over heels for these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies!
What Is A Thumbprint Cookie?
The name may sound a bit funny, but the reason they have this name is because of the way they are made.
The dough is rolled into a ball, flatten a bit, then pressed with your thumb in the center to make a little hole that is then filled with something sweet.

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
- Sugar
- All-purpose Flour
- Egg Yolk
- Lemon Curd – I use my favorite brand, but you can make your own.
- Confectioners Sugar
Helpful Items Needed To Make Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
This recipe is super simple with very few ingredients. Not only will good ingredients insure a great cookie, but so will the right tools. Here’s what I use:
- A good mixer. You can use either a hand-mixer or stand-mixer.
- Good quality baking sheets.
- Cookie/Ice Cream scoop.

How Long Do You Bake Thumbprint Cookies?
For the best, perfectly done cookie, 18 minutes is just the right amount of time for baking. Of course, ovens vary, so as you get close to the full time, make sure to keep an eye on the cookies. You’ll be looking for the edges of the cookies to be slightly golden.

Can You Make Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies Ahead Of Time?
You sure can! Make the dough ahead of time, shape the cookies, press the “thumbprint” in the middle, then freeze. I flash freeze the cookies on a metal sheet pan, then transfer them to a freezer-safe plastic container.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove them from the freezer, place them on a sheet pan, and fill the thumbprint with lemon curd. If you are baking them frozen, you’ll need to give them a couple of extra minutes in the oven.

Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup room temperature butter – 2 sticks
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup prepared lemon curd – use your favorite brand
- 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and mix well.
- Slowly add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue to mix until blended. The dough will be thick and dense.
- Using a spoon or a #40 scoop, form cookie dough into small balls. Place on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, make an indention in the center of the cookie and fill with lemon curd. Place pans in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, checking to make sure the edges of the cookies are slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on a wire rack. When cookies are cooled, add more lemon curd to the center well of the cookies. Dust cookies with confectioners sugar. Enjoy!

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