These lemon curd cookies have a sweet powdered sugar coating and a gooey lemon curd filling that melts in your mouth. They are very simple to make with just a handful of simple ingredients.
Why are these the best lemon curd cookies?
Soft and chewy. They have a soft and tender texture that melts in your mouth and a lemony filling that is gooey and scrumptious.
Easy to make. Don't be intimidated by making lemon curd at home! With my step-by-step guide, it is super easy to make your own.
Summer in a cookie. These cookies will make you feel like summer is here to stay! Lemon curd cookies are the perfect way to enjoy a sunny day.
Ingredients
Lemon - lemon is the star of the recipe, and it is essential to use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled juice. Fresh juice will give you a much better result.
Since we are also using lemon peel, I recommend using organic lemons. This way, you make sure you don't consume too many chemicals.
Flour - all-purpose flour is best for this recipe.
Baking powder - baking powder helps to create a nice crumbly chewed cookie. You can substitute the flour and baking powder for self rising flour.
Powdered sugar - this gives your cookies their crinkly coating! Whether you use store-bought or make your own powdered sugar make sure it has no lumps.
I love the white and yellow on this cookie, but you can absolutely make this recipe without powdered sugar or use fine granulated sugar instead.
Lemon curd - homemade lemon curd gives you the best results, but there is no shame in using a jar or store-bought lemon curd!
Especially if you don't have much time or when you feel u sure about using unpasteurized eggs.
How do you make lemon curd cookies?
Start by making the lemon curd. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, bring a small layer of water to a boil and place the bowl on top.
whist the egg mixture until it starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Make sure not to boil the mixture, or your eggs will curdle!
pour the curd through a sieve and still in the butter until it has completely melted. Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap and let it cool completely.
melting the butter and let it cool a little before adding the eggs.
While the butter is cooling down, you can add the sugar and lemon peel to a mixing bowl and rub it together with your fingers. This lets out all the oil in the peel, with will give you an extra lemon flavor.
Add the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla to the butter and mix u till smooth. Pour the butter into the sugar.
When all the wet ingredients are combined, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it cool in the drudge for 3 hours.
This is an important step! The dough of too soft to process right away, and you won't get nice round crinkly cookies if you don't let it rest.
Variations
Other fruit. replace the lemon and lemon curd with other citrus fruits like lime or orange.
Jam - the Tangiers of the lemon goes perfectly with a sugary jam filling. Try homemade blackberry jam or apricot jam!
Add spices - adding spice to cookies may seem strange but trust me. The fresh lemon is amazing with warm spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, or anise seeds.
You could also roll the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar!
Chopped nuts. Add some chopped hazelnuts or almonds to the dough to give your cookies a nice crunch and texture.
Coconut. Stirring some designated coconut into the dough gives the cookies a nice tropical flavor. You can also add a tablespoon of Malibu to the lemon curd.
Frequently asked questions
Powdered sugar easily melts when it comes into contact with moisture, so it could be that your butter is too soft. Try rolling it in granulated sugar before you add the powdered sugar coating, and make sure your dough is cooled.
Yes! Traditional lemon curd contains eggs, but you can make it with cornstarch. The eggs for the dough can be replaced with applesauce, and substitute the milk with plant-based milk.
Absolutely! Before I turned the recipe into lemon curd cookies, I used it to make lemon crinkle cookies! Just leave out the lemon curd, and you're done.
The color depends mainly on the color of your egg yolks. Some eggs are a little pale which results in lighter cookies. You can add a few drops of yellow food coloring if you really want that bright yellow color.
Equipment
to make this recipe, you will need a saucepan, a large mixing bowl, a kitchen dealer or measuring cups, parchment paper, a spatula, and a small ice cream scoop.
Storage
Lemon thumbprint cookies with lemon curd are best when they are freshly baked, but you can keep them in an airtight container for up to five days!
If you want to store them longer, it is better if you freeze them.
Frozen, they will last for about six months.
Since powdered sugar doesn't freeze well, I recommend making it without the crinkle coating.
When you are ready to serve them, just take them out of the freezer and let them thaw for a few hours at room temperature.
More easy cookie recipes
Lemon curd cookies
Ingredients
for the lemon cookie dough
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the lemon curd
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 egg yolks
- A Pinch salt
- ¼ stick butter
Instructions
How to make the cookie dough
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a mixing bowl and rub it between your fingers to get all the lemon oils out of the zest. This will give your cookies an extra intense lemon flavor.
- Add the soft butter and mix until it is fluffy and gets a pale color.
- Next, add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until everything is combined.
- Sift in the flour and stir until the is no more dry flour. If your dough is too soft, you can let it cool in the fridge for about an hour.
How to make the lemon curd
- Place the sugar along with the salt, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir with a whisk until the mixture turns a lighter color.
- Place the pan over medium-high heat and heat the lemon mixture while stirring until it thickens. It is important not to turn the heat too high and keep stirring or the eggs will curdle.
- Once the lemon curd is thick enough turn off the heat and add the butter. You can check if the curd is ready by running your finger over the back of the spoon. If you keep seeing a line then the curd is ready.
- Keep stirring until the butter is melted and completely incorporated.
- Pour the hot lemon curd into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. You do this to avoid getting a skin on the lemon curd so it is important that the foil is directly on top of the curd.
- Let it cool completely before continuing with the cookies.
How to make the lemon curd cookies
- Use a scoop to take out little balls and roll them in the powdered sugar.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet and press down a little with a spoon or your fingers.
- Scoop in a little bit of lemon curd, place them in the oven, and bake them for about 12 minutes.
- It is important to let freshly baked cookies cool completely before serving because they are still soft when they come out of the oven.
Very easy to make and full of flavour!
These are such great cookies. Delicious flavor. YUM
Thanks Covita!
These Lemon Curd Cookies are like little drops of sunshine on a plate! The zesty lemon curd filling perfectly complements the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie base. A burst of tangy-sweet flavor in every bite. 😍🍋 #LemonDelight
These are so light and delicious!
Thank you!
Lovely recipe! I'm going to try to make them vegan with the tips you gave in the post, seems easy to swap ingredients. Thank you for the recipe!
Let me know how they turned out!
So soft and so rich in flavor. I love the lemon flavor that you added to the cookies and the lemon curd is out of this world. A must-try!