Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies

Sparkling Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies are a wonderful addition to spring parties and picnics!

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 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 Thumbprint Cookies, but it almost doesn’t matter what you fill them with.

Upon 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.

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!

Plus, thumbprint cookies are fun and easy for kids to make. What’s not to love?

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.

Once the Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies cool, they stack well, making them great for edible gifts and potluck take-alongs.

You are going to love these!

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Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Amazing tangy Lemon Drop Thumbprint Cookies - Tender buttery shortbread thumbprints with sparkling lemon centers.

Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 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 20-22 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle the edges with turbinado sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 38mg, Potassium: 14mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 4.7%, Calcium: 0.4%, Iron: 2.9%

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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