Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

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A melt in your mouth lemon thumbprint cookie with tangy lemon curd center. Make the lemon curd in your microwave and they come together in a cinch!

I don’t know about you but when the school year kicks up I always need a little extra boost.  As a teacher I need like three extra cups of coffee, a long nap, and a plate of these lemon thumbprint cookies.I seriously ate way too many of these cookies last week, but I’m attributing them to how “I survived the first week of school”.   

Thank you Lemon Thumbprint cookies. I couldn’t have done it without you.

So let’s talk about these cookies shall we? These are LEMON cookies in every sense of the word. There is lemon juice and fresh lemon zest in the dough, and then a generous dollop of homemade lemon curd in the center. Pucker up ladies and gentlemen. These cookies pack a lemony punch.

I actually tried making these cookies with gluten free flour, but of course you can use regular all purpose flour. I baked up these tasty treats up using  Cup4Cup Glute Gluten Free Flour, 3 lb.  I’ve tried all kinds of gluten free flours, but this is by far the best one. This is definitely not a cheap gluten free flour, but when it comes to baking it should be all about quality. Gluten free flours can sometimes have an aftertaste and a weird texture. This flour on the other hand and no one will ever guess they are gluten free. Totally worth the investment.

Cup4Cup is hands down my favorite gluten free flour. I’ve tried quite a few brands in the past and even made my own gluten free flour mix but nothing has compared to this flour. Seriously, you won’t even be able to tell they are gluten free. So if you gotta go gluten free, I highly recommend Cup4Cup (and for the record I am not earning a dime to say so!).

Ok, back to these cookies.  A helpful tip: when you add the lemon juice and zest to the dough your dough may start to look a little funky and curdled. Keep mixing.  It will come back together and be all creamy again I promise.

  This dough comes together quickly, but is super sticky! Another helpful tip: The dough needs to be chilled first, for about 30 minutes. My first batch turned into giant blobby thumbs. Like fee fi fo fum, these are giant thumbs! So chill the dough first, so they don’t spread too much in the oven.  Once chilled, scoop 1-inch balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and go ahead and press your thumb (hence the name) into the center.

For more reasons on why your cookies spread too much- be sure to read this post. 

Now for the best part…put a dollop of lemon curd right in the center. You could simply by a jar, but why buy when you can make it yourself in the microwave.  Be still my heart. Lemon curd made in the microwave.

My last helpful tip for you:  try to be patient when they come out of the oven. Let. Them. Cool. Seriously. Hot lemon curd dribbling down your chin make not a fun evening.

So once they have cooled just try not to eat them all at once.

 If you bake up these cookies, let me know and take a photo and share it on Instagram with the #bostongirlbakes. I’d love to see what you’re baking up! Also if you like this recipe, be sure to follow me on either Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to always catch the latest desserts I’m whipping up!

Check out these other lemon recipes!

• Lemon Raspberry Bread
• Lemon cupcakes with mixed berry buttercream 
• Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
• One bowl Lemon Squares
• Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
• Toasted Coconut Lemon Bars
• Blueberry Lemon Scones

Print Recipe

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

A thumbprint cookie with triple the lemon! Lemon zest and juice baked into the dough, and homemade lemon curd in the center!

Cook Time15 mins

Author: Boston Girl Bakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour I used gluten free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2/3 cup sugar plus more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup lemon curd
• confectioner sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Add in your zest and lemon juice and mix. The mixture may appear to become curdled, keep mixing until creamy. This may take an additional 3-5 minutes. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing until just incorporated.
• Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
• Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or icecream scoop and roll in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press a thumbprint in the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon curd.
• Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking). Cool cookies on the baking sheets. . Dust with confectioner sugar if you wish! Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Notes

*This dough is super sticky so be sure to chill the dough. I chilled mine for 30 minutes, and that seemed to be enough time so I can scoop and roll them in the granulated sugar.
* I used homemade lemon curd, but the jarred stuff is great too. Use what's convenient for you!
* When you add in the zest and juice, the mixture may become curdled looking, but continue to cream for a few additional minutes. It will smooth out again, I promise.
* I used gluten free flour, but it is a 1:1 baking substitution. If you use all purpose flour, I always recommend to be careful about overmixing. I always like to leave a few streaks of flour in the bowl remaining. They will bake in, and ensure you will not have one tough cookie on your hand.