Lemon Drop Cookies
Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies Recipe – Tender buttery shortbread thumbprints with sparkling lemon centers. These little gems are a wonderful addition to holiday parties!
We Love Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Second only to chocolate chip cookies, thumbprints are the most requested cookie from my friends and family. I make all different varieties, some with coconut, some with caramel and chocolate, yet most with jam centers.
There is something endearing about thumbprint cookies that keeps you coming back for more. I love the addition of the tangy-sweet lemon curd in these Lemon Drop Cookies, but it almost doesn’t matter what you fill them with.
Lemon Drop Cookies Made With Love
Upon the first bite of a thumbprint you think… Simple, nothing special or fancy here. Then you eat another, and another, trying to figure out how these no-frills cookies can be so addictive.
While pondering your explanation, you look down and discover you’ve just eaten the entire plate of cookies on your quest of unleashing their alluring secrets.
That’s just it! The fact that they are just butter cookies holding a little filling makes them irresistibly perfect. They are simple and made with love.
A Lemon Drop Cookie Recipe For All Occasions
Life’s greatest pleasures aren’t always luxurious or extravagant. Consider family picnics in spring, hiking down a mountain trail to a little-known waterfall, taking time to bask in the sun after a week of rain. I often find the simplest things can be the most gratifying!
That’s what cookies offer… A simple blissful moment in edible form. Plus, thumbprint cookies are fun and easy for kids to make. What’s not to love?
What Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted Butter – at room temperature
- Granulated Sugar – superfine white sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Zest of a Lemon – not the juice, just the zest
- All-Purpose Flour – or your favorite gluten free baking mix
- Kosher Salt
- Lemon Curd – you can use a store bought or homemade version
- Turbinado Sugar – for sprinkling on the cookies after baking (can omit this if you wish)
How To Make These Lemon Drop Cookies
These irresistible Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies are tender and buttery with a touch of lemon zest in the dough. They have a dollop of zingy lemon curd resting in the middle so that each bite offers a bit of contrast.
- Prep Oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream. With an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest together until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt. Add the flour a little at a time, until it is just combined.
- Roll the Cookies. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-ounce balls.
- Shape Thumbprints. Place the balls on the cookie sheets and press with your thumb to create a cavity in the center. It helps them to keep their shape if you hold the sides of the dough ball with the other index finger and thumb. Press any cracks back into place.
- Curd Filling. Fill each indentation with a scant spoonful of lemon curd. (Use just a little more if filling with jam.)
- Bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
- Once the Lemon Thumbprint Cookies cool, they stack well, making them great for edible gifts and potluck take-alongs.
You are going to love these little beauties!
Get the Full (Printable) Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do These Lemon Cookies Last?
You can keep these lemon thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Can I Freeze These Cookies?
Yes, you can keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Wrap well to avoid freezer burn. When you are ready to serve them, thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Is This Recipe Missing Eggs?
Nope. Butter cookies generally do not contain eggs. This creates a buttery slightly crumbly texture.
Can I Use Brown Sugar Instead of Turbinado Sugar?
The turbinado sugar is primarily for looks. It gives the cookies a bit of sparkle! You can omit it, or substitute any other sugar on top.
Other Great Cookie Recipes
- Toffee Brownie Cookies
- Soft Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Chai Latte Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Dulce de Leche Thumbprint Cookies
- Favorite Cut-Out Cookie Recipe
- Best Ever Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Crinkle Cookie Recipe
- Petite Lemon Curd Cookies by Epicurious
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one lemon
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup lemon curd
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest together until smooth. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt. Add the flour a little at a time, until it is just combined.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-ounce balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Place them on the cookie sheets and press with your thumb to create a cavity in the center. It helps them to keep their shape if you hold the sides of the cookie with the other index finger and thumb. Press any cracks back into place.
- Fill each indentation with a scant 1/4 teaspoon of lemon curd. (Use just a little more if filling with jam.) Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
I’ve made these as Christmas cookies for the past 3 years and they’re honestly my favorite! I look forward to them every year and since I’m in the midst of Christmas baking this week I was revisiting this recipe again and I just wanted to leave a comment to let you know how much I love them!
I made a batch of these to try before making them for my daughter’s wedding. They were absolutely wonderful. The lemon flavor was crisp and a wow on your tongue. They are perfect for the cookie table!
This is probably my fault, or there wouldn’t be so many favorable ratings. Okay, my dough was way too crumbly. You couldn’t roll it into a ball. I would shape it in the palm of my hand to form a ball. Once I attempted to indent my thumb, they would crumble and fall apart. Just couldn’t keep a pretty shape like the picture you posted. I made homemade Lemon curd, so was excited to try this recipe. What did I do wrong?
Hey Valerie,
Oh no, sorry about that! It sounds like you might have added a little too much flour. We generally tell people the most accurate way to measure flour (without using a scale) is to stir the flour in the bag, scoop the flour with a spoon into the measuring cups, then level off the top. Hope this helps for further baking days!
https://www.aspicyperspective.com/100-best-baking-tips-and-tricks/
these look soooo good, i’m going to make them and drizzle some white chocolate on top! I’m just wondering how much zest to use for a dozen, because when I adjust the recipe it says “zest of one lemon” no matter the yield, and i’m not sure what the original yield is!!
Absolutely awesome cookies! Everyone who tried them loved them. And I was so happy that they looked just like yours! So good too. About to make another batch as I have more lemon curd. Don’t want it to go to waste. 😁
The cookies tasted good, but so they did not look very nice.
My cookies just became flat when I baked them (and I made pretty deep thumbprints because I love lots of lemon curd). I still managed to shove an indent in them after they baked to hold the lemon curd, but definitely didn’t work like I imagined… Don’t know what I did wrong, I followed the recipe step by step! Oh well.
I was skeptical about the recipe – at first my dough turned out very dry. I tried balling up the dough, but it just crumbled so I added one egg and a teaspoon of almond milk and these turned out fabulous!
I made half the batch with lemon curd and half with blackberry preserves, which is a nice combination. I also made them in half ounce balls, so very small, and I got 6 dozen bite sized pieces. Delicious!
Do you have a recipe for lemon curd?
Is this recipe missing eggs?
Hi Allison! Nope. Butter cookies generally do not contain eggs.
Can we use brown sugar instead of turbinado sugar
Hi Kanika,
The turbinado sugar is primarily for looks. You can omit it, or substitute any other sugar on top.
oh these are looking so tasty. Love lemon cookies!