Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies – Deliciously thick, soft, and chewy lemon-infused cookies that are bursting with flavour, coated in icing sugar for a beautiful crinkled effect, and filled with a homemade lemon curd!
If you love bright, zesty desserts, these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are going to steal your heart. They’re thick, soft, and chewy, with a fresh lemon flavour in every bite, finished with a snowy coating of icing sugar and a beautiful crinkled top. The homemade lemon curd centre adds the perfect sweet-tart surprise.
These cookies feel a little fancy but are surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for spring baking, afternoon treats, or sharing with friends, they’re the kind of cookie that disappears fast and has everyone asking for the recipe.
Looking for more lemon recipes? Check out my Lemon Drizzle Muffins, Easy Lemon Tart, and my Lemon Brownies.
How to make
Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
To make these cookies, start by preparing my Homemade Lemon Curd through to step 7, or make it the night before and keep it in the fridge.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar.
Add the vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and zest, and whisk until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and fold in until combined.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and roll into balls.
Roll each dough ball into the icing sugar and place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, or a silicone mat.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately make indentations in the centre of each cookie using the back of a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
Fill each cookie with lemon curd.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, store-bought lemon curd works perfectly if you want to save time. Homemade lemon curd just gives a fresher, more vibrant flavour.
The cracks are intentional and part of the crinkle effect. Rolling the dough generously in icing sugar helps create that classic cracked look.
For this recipe, you’ll be filling the cookies with lemon curd immediately after baking. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, create the indents, and fill with the curd.
Absolutely. Orange and lime curd work well for a fun twist on the classic lemon version. Be sure to grab the appropriate extract, too.
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Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 cups (250g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (150g) caster/granulated sugar
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Homemade Lemon Curd, halve the recipe or save the rest for another recipe
For the Coating
- 1 cup (125g) icing/powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare my Homemade Lemon Curd through to step 7, or make it the night before and keep it in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar. Add the oil, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and zest, and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold in until combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and roll into balls.
- Roll each dough ball into the icing sugar and place onto the prepared baking tray.
- TIP: I like to roll mine in icing sugar 2 – 3 times to ensure they are thoroughly coated. Once I've placed the dough balls on the baking tray after the first roll, I'll go in and roll them in icing sugar again.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately make indentations in the centre of each cookie using the back of a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
- Fill each cookie with lemon curd.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello cutest Spring cookies ever! Love the combo of the crinkle cookie and the thumbprint — they’re sweet and lemony and perfect for sharing!