This easy lemon curd cookies recipe is always so fun to make and eat! Theyโre shortbread cookies with lemon curd that weโll make homemade, or you can use store-bought and itโs just as good! If you like these lemon curd thumbprint cookies, youโll love my Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake, my Lemon Dump Cake, and my Lemon Poppyseed Scones!
Thumbprint cookies are so fun! I love making my peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies for a yummy nostalgic treat, and my cinnamon-dusted salted caramel thumbprint cookies are always a huge hit! But I have a soft spot for lemon goodies, so these lemon curd cookies may be my new favorites! They’re buttery lemon shortbread cookies filled with rich, tart lemon curd, and they’re SO easy to make! Best of all, you can feel free to use either homemade lemon curd or save time with store-bought lemon curd!
The recipe for the homemade lemon curd for these cookies comes from my lemon coconut layer cake, which can be found in my Sweet Summertime cookbook! Making that cake was a useful reminder that there are SO many delicious uses for your leftover lemon curd once you’re done making this recipe! My favorite is to use the lemon curd as an ice cream topping! Just spoon it over some creamy vanilla ice cream and enjoy the contrast of the sweet and tart flavors. I also love lemon curd as a topping on pastries, toast, biscuits, crepes pancakes, yogurt, and other breakfast goodies.
Lemon curd is also perfect as a dessert filling or topping. Think cheesecake, layer cake, cupcakes, or tarts. And of course, these lemon curd cookies are always a good idea!
Not quite, although they do have some similar ingredients. Lemon curd is made with lemon juice, butter, sugar, and eggs. Lemon custard, on the other hand, often adds cornstarch, milk or cream, or flour to those ingredients to achieve a thicker, creamier consistency.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
ยฝ cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
ยฝ tsp kosher salt
2ยฝ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Lemon Curd, or store-bought
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two half-sheet-pan baking sheets with parchment or nonstick liners.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until well blended.
Beat in yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Beat in flour just until moist clumps form. Gather dough together in bowl to bind.
Shape scant tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls.
Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
Using a floured finger or something that will give a good round shape (I used the back of a small pestle), make a deep indentation in center of each ball.
Bake cookies until firm and lightly golden on bottom, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove cookies from oven and immediately fill indentations with curd.
Return to oven and bake 2 minutes longer to set curd.
Bake remaining cookies. Lightly dust edges with confectionersโ sugar before serving.
Serve.
Enjoy!