Lemon Curd Cookies

Lemon lovers will adore these thumbprint cookies! Buttery soft shortbread cookies are filled with lemon curd, baked to perfection, and drizzled with a lemon glaze. There’s no shortage of tangy-sweet citrus flavor in these lemon curd cookies!

Want more lemon cookies? You might also like my Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Soft Baked Lemon Cookies, or Lemon Sugar Cookies.

Plate of lemon curd cookies with glaze drizzled on top.

Why You’ll Love These Lemon Curd Cookies

Lemon curd cookies are delightful treats that combine the sweet and tangy flavors of lemon curd with the buttery goodness of shortbread cookies.

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These cookies are soft, yet sturdy enough to house the zesty citrus filling which compliments the rich and sweet cookie base. Here are more reasons to love these lemon curd cookies:

Bright Citrus Flavor: Lemon thumbprint cookies showcase the vibrant and zesty flavor of lemon curd right in the center of each cookie. Not to mention the additional lemon glaze.
Visual Appeal: Between the lemon curd centers and the lemon glaze drizzled on top — these cookies are beautiful to look at and fun to eat.
Versatility: Enjoy these lemon cookies as a snack, dessert, for tea time, or a party. They’re a great option for casual and more formal settings. You can even make other flavors like Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.

Stack of lemon thumbprint cookies with glaze drizzled on top.

Ingredients You’ll Need

*NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Labeled ingredients to make Lemon Curd Cookies.

Unsalted Butter — Using unsalted butter helps control the amount of salt in the recipe. TIP: Make sure your butter is room temperature soft. It should be soft enough to easily cut through with a knife, but not so soft that it’s like lotion.
Granulated Sugar — To sweeten the cookies.
Egg Yolk — Most shortbread cookies don’t use eggs. I decided to add just the egg yolk to my recipe to help the cookie dough hold its shape and bind together. This also helps with preventing cracks.
Vanilla Extract — Just a little bit to help flavor the dough, but not conflict with the other lemon components.
All-Purpose Flour — Stir, spoon and level when measuring. Or use a food scale to weigh it for better accuracy.
Salt — Balances the sweetness and intensifies the flavors.
Lemon Curd — You can use homemade or store-bought. I have a stove top lemon curd recipe or a microwave lemon curd recipe if you’d like to make it from scratch. I opted for store-bought to simplify this recipe, but if you have a lot of lemons, go for homemade! Honestly, it tastes better.
Powdered Sugar — For the glaze.
Lemon Juice — For the glaze. Fresh or bottled lemon juice is fine.

How to Make Lemon Curd Cookies

Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

Four image collage of steps to make shortbread cookie dough.

First, make the shortbread cookie dough.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until fluffy and light. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Gradually add to mixer, scraping the bowl as needed.
Dough will be dry and crumbly at first.
Keep mixing until the dough comes together.

Shaping and Chilling the Dough

NOTE: Lemon thumbprint cookies are meant to be smaller cookies. Don’t make them too big.

Two images. Pressing wells into the center of each cookie dough ball with a measuring spoon. And a whole tray of indented cookies ready to freeze.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Use a small #50 scoop to portion cookie dough balls, about 1 Tablespoon each, and place onto the prepared cookie sheet. NOTE: Fit all cookies on the same tray for now, so the dough balls can chill all at once.
Roll balls with hands to smooth the outside completely. Then make a dent in the center of each dough ball with a 1/2 teaspoon or your thumb. TIP: Indent immediately after rolling the balls, while the cookie dough is still warm from your hands, to help prevent cracks. Dip the spoon, or your thumb, in granulated sugar if it sticks to the dough.
CHILL the indented dough balls for 20 minutes in the freezer until cold and firm to the touch. This helps prevent spreading too much.

Fill and Bake

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Two images. Filling the cookie dough wells with lemon curd. And baked cookies on a tray.

Place cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. (Do not bake the cookies all at once on the same tray. I fit 15 cookies on my half-sheet tray.) Leave remaining cookies in freezer until ready to bake.
Quickly fill cookie wells with a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd.
Bake in batches at 350˚F for 14 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.

Make the Lemon Glaze (Optional)

While the lemon curd cookies are cooling completely, make the glaze. This is completely optional, but makes the cookies pretty and adds extra lemon flavor.

Two images. Glaze in a bowl drizzling from a spoon. And glaze being piped onto lemon curd cookies.

In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to form a glaze.
Drizzle glaze over the cookies. Or place the glaze in a zip-top bag, make a small cut in the corner, and pipe a zig-zag over the cooled cookies. Allow the glaze to set before eating or storing.

Shortbread cookies with lemon curd in the center and a powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top.

Storing and Freezing Lemon Curd Cookies

To Store: Store these lemon thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. There’s no need to refrigerate them. These cookies will keep for at least a week before starting to dry out and get crumbly.
To Freeze: Allow cookies to cool for a few hours so the curd sets, then stack the cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers. The cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. NOTE: You may want to leave the glaze off if choosing to freeze the cookies.

Helpful Tools

NOTE: These are Amazon affiliate links, where I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

An Electric Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer — To mix the cookie dough. If using a hand mixer, make sure it’s a strong one because this is a thick dough. Stop and finish mixing the dough by hand if it gets too thick.
#50 Cookie Scoop — To evenly measure the dough. I actually don’t fill mine completely full, more like a scant scoop. If you can get a #60 scoop, that might be even better.
Sheet Pans – To bake the cookies on.
Silicone Baking Mats – For non-stick capabilities and easy clean up.
Serving Spatula – To scoop cookies off of tray.

FAQs

What can I do with lemon curd?

This lemon curd cookies recipe uses 1/2 cup of lemon curd. If you have leftover lemon curd, you can also make this lemon curd dessert, these lemon curd bars or put it on toast, waffles, scones, biscuits, or cheesecake. Layer it in parfaits or use it as a filling for cakes or cupcakes. You could also mix it with whipped cream for a sauce to top berries, shortcake or pound cake with. Fill donuts, cream puffs, tarts, or cookies with it. I think you’ll find that homemade lemon curd is surprisingly versatile.

Why did my thumbprint cookies spread?

If your thumbprints spread too much, the butter wasn’t cold enough, the oven was too hot, or you put your cookie dough on a hot/warm tray. Chill the shaped dough until firm (can’t indent with your finger), use an oven thermometer for accurate temperature, and use a cooled tray for each batch of cookies.

Why did my jam leak out of my thumbprint cookies?

I guess it goes without saying that you should only use the amount of jam/filling that will fit into the well. I like to use a measuring spoon to make my indents because then I know exactly how much filling will fit in the well. It’s ok if the jam or curd is slightly rounded on top before it bakes, but don’t make it heaping full.

What if I forgot to add the filling before I baked the thumbprint cookies?

Re-indent the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven and fill with jam/curd while still warm. Just know that the filling may be slightly tacky still after the cookies have cooled completely. You may also want to refrigerate the cookies since the filling wasn’t baked.