Easy Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies

Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are a great recipe to add to your repertoire for year-round baking. The combination of sweet buttery cookies filled with rich and tart lemon curd is endlessly satisfying. These little beauties are perfect in the spring and summer for a light, tangy treat and are sure to stand out at your cookie exchange over the holidays.

A stack of lemon curd thumbprint cookies.

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Why We Love This Recipe

These thumbprint cookies with lemon curd are endlessly riffable with different fillings.
With under 10 ingredients, it is simple to throw together any night of the week.
These lemon curd cookies have the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

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Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
Equipment
Step by Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Storage
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Ingredients

Unsalted, softened butter
Granulated sugar
Lemon zest (optional)
Egg
Vanilla extract
All purpose flour
Salt
Ground nutmeg (optional)
Lemon curd - you can use store bought or homemade

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

Use your favorite jelly or jam to fill the cookies in place of the lemon curd. Or, feel free to mix and match to have different varieties in one batch of cookies!
For a more decadent version of these lemon filled cookies, omit the lemon zest and fill each delicious cookie with chocolate-hazelnut spread.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

Equipment

You won't need any specialty equipment to make these easy lemon cookies, just a few basic tools.

Mixing bowls
Stand mixer or handheld mixer
Cookie scoop or tablespoon
Cookie sheet
A microplane to zest the lemon

Step by Step Instructions

Butter, sugar, lemon zest, egg and vanilla extract mixed together in a bowl.

Step 1: In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.

Whisking flour, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and nutmeg if using.

Lemon thumbprint cookie dough in a bowl.

Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a cohesive dough forms.

Pressing into the center of a cookie dough ball with the back of a cookie scoop.

Step 4: Roll cookie dough into 1 tablespoon-sized dough balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. With the back of a small cookie scoop or your finger, press into the middle of each cookie dough ball to create a deep indentation. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes.

Filling the centers of thumbprint cookies with lemon curd.

Step 5: Bake cookies at 350°F for about 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and fill the center of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd. Turn the oven off, and place the cookies back in the oven for an additional 2 minutes. If the lemon curd is not smooth on top, gently shake the pan until smooth. Cool the lemon curd cookies on a wire rack.

Expert Tips

Tip #1 - Adding the lemon zest to the cookie dough ensures a bright, lemony flavor in every bite of these lemon thumbprint cookies.

Tip #2 - Don't skip the chill! It's important to refrigerate the dough before baking so your lemon filled cookies hold their classic thumbprint shape and don't spread.

Tip #3 - The nutmeg in the cookie dough adds a warm, unique spice. My grandma always adds it to her sugar cookies! If you don't have nutmeg on hand or you don't love the flavor, simply leave it out.

Tip #4 - For quick and easy cookies, use store-bought lemon curd! My favorite kind is from Trader Joe's, but you should be able to find it in any grocery store by the fruit preserves. If you'd like to make your own, I recommend this lemon curd recipe.

Recipe FAQs

Why do you refrigerate cookie dough before baking?

Refrigerating cookie dough before baking allows the butter to begin to harden and reduces spreading in the oven.

Why don't these use baking soda or baking powder?

Baking soda and powder are leavening agents that help baked goods rise. However, these cookies are meant to maintain the shape we give them, so we don't want them to rise.

Why are they called thumbprint cookies?

These cute cookies get their name from the filled dimple in the center, often created using your thumb to create a thumbprint in the dough.

Thumbprint cookies with lemon curd surrounded by little white flowers.

Storage

Room Temperature: These cookies should not be stored in the refrigerator.

Refrigerator: Store cookies with lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freezer: Store baked, unfilled thumbprint cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, bring to room temperature and fill. If you'd like to freeze the dough, I recommend rolling and indenting each cookie, flash freezing them on a sheet, and then transferring them into a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month.