These lemon curd cookies have a delicious sugar cookie base topped with luscious and silky lemon curd. Lemon thumbprint cookies are easy to make and the perfect balance between sweet and tart!
This recipe was originally published on May 15, 2022. It was updated with new information on November 26, 2023.
This post is sponsored by Nature's Charm. All text and opinions are my own.
Ingredients
- Gluten-free 1-to-1 flour - Be sure to use a blend that contains xanthan gum! You can also substitute it with regular all-purpose flour.
- Almond flour - Almond flour adds a depth of flavor to your cookies. If you don't have any, or you're allergic to nuts, use equal amounts of gluten-free flour.
- Salt - A necessary ingredient to balance the sweetness. Use fine salt for this recipe.
- Butter - You can use either dairy or vegan butter. If your vegan butter has a fat content that's lower than 8 grams per 2 teaspoons of butter, substitute some of the butter with refined coconut oil (I explain exactly how to do this in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!).
- Granulated sugar - To add sweetness.
- Milk - Whatever milk you have on hand, dairy or non-dairy, will work. I used Nature's Charm's evaporated oat milk in both the cookie dough as well as the lemon curd.
- Vanilla extract - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste for the best flavor.
- Lemon curd - You can use either homemade lemon curd or store-bought lemon curd. Check out my vegan lemon curd recipe if you're looking for an egg-free option.
How to Make Lemon Curd Cookies
Step 1: In a bowl, combine gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt. Set it aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Step 3: Add the flour mixture and mix until you don’t see any dry bits of flour left. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Take a heaped tablespoon amount of cookie dough into your hands and roll it into a ball. Place it on a piece of parchment paper or a plate and repeat until all the cookie dough has been rolled. Place them into the fridge for an hour.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes.
Step 6: When the cookies come out of the oven, take a teaspoon and press on the surface of each cookie to create an indentation. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack.
Step 7: Lay the cookies on a wire rack or parchment paper and dust them with powdered sugar.
Step 8: Fill the indentations with the lemon curd.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Chill the cookie dough. The flour needs to properly hydrate, especially if you’re using gluten-free flour. The cookies will spread without resting the dough properly.
- Shape the cookies and chill before baking. The dough gets very hard when chilled in the fridge, so it’s best to shape the cookies first while the dough is soft, and then chill them in the fridge so they maintain their shape in the oven.
- Create the indentations after baking the cookies. Because the lemon curd isn’t added to the cookies before baking, any indentations created in the cookie before baking would disappear as the cookie expands in the oven.
- Rotate baking sheets to bake cookies evenly. All ovens are different, but many of them have spots that are hotter than others. If you find that some cookies are browning faster than others rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time so they bake more evenly.
- Save the leftover lemon curd. You can use the leftover lemon curd in many ways! You can spread it on your morning toast instead of jam, fold it into your favorite vanilla ice cream, or top your yogurt with some lemon curd and granola to make it more exciting!
Frequently asked questions
Store them in an airtight container and add a piece of parchment paper in between layers of cookies. Without the parchment paper, the lemon curd will stick to the cookies layered on top. It should last about 3 days.
Yes! Wrap each cookie individually before placing them in a freezer bag for best results.
Freezing cookie dough: Roll out the cookie dough into balls, lay them on a baking sheet, and let them freeze. Once frozen, pop them into a freezer bag to keep them stored in the freezer for about a month.
Baking: Take them out of the freezer and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for about 15 minutes before baking them in the oven.
The best way to keep your thumbprint cookies from spreading is to chill or freeze the cookie dough balls before baking them in the oven.
Don’t like lemons? Switch it out for another citrus fruit curd! Think orange, lime, or yuzu cookies!
Absolutely! You can make the lemon curd ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a week before making the cookies.
Yes. Don't skip chilling the cookie dough! The flour needs time to hydrate, and the butter needs to properly chill so the cookies don't spread a lot in the oven.
Yes, but if you need to store the cookie dough any longer, I recommend making cookie dough balls and storing them in the freezer to keep them fresher.
Of course!
More Lemon Recipes!
- If you can't get enough lemon curd desserts, try my lemon curd cake! It has three layers of lemon cake with lemon curd in between and decorated with lemon buttercream.
- This lemon poppy seed cake recipe is one you have to try if you love lemon loaf. It's moist, tangy, and truly one of my favorite lemon recipes ever!
- My lemon bars are one you have to try. It slices beautifully, making it look super impressive, and the lemon flavor is unbelievably delicious!
- If you love cinnamon rolls, give these lemon rolls a try.
- Avoiding sugar? Try this sugar-free lemon cookie recipe.
Lemon Curd Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour (with xanthan gum)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup butter vegan or dairy, softened at room temperature (See Notes)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk vegan or dairy
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 batch vegan lemon curd
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Set it aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter, melted coconut oil, and granulated sugar. Add the evaporated oat milk and vanilla extract, and mix again.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until you don’t see any dry bits of flour left. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Take a heaped tablespoon amount of cookie dough into your hands and roll it into a ball. Place it on a parchment paper and repeat until all the cookie dough has been rolled. Place them into the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, take a teaspoon and press on the surface of each cookie to create an indentation. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack.
- Lay the cookies on a wire rack or parchment paper and dust them with powdered sugar. Fill the indentations with the lemon curd.
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