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This is for the true lemon lovers only! My Lemon Thumbprint Cookies have a ginger cookie base and a center of rich lemon curd. Plus, my lemon curd filling is made in the microwave, so it couldn’t be easier!
I made us ginger thumbprints filled with lemon curd, because there are two flavors I love and cannot get enough of: lemon and ginger. Have you ever had the Haribo Ginger-Lemon gummy candy? They’re my favorite, and they totally inspired this cookie!
And if you think the lemon curd part is complicated, let me please introduce you to my Microwave Lemon Curd recipe. If you’re leery about making curd in the microwave, check out the comments. Once you make it this way, you’ll never go back! I’ve even made lime curd with the same recipe! However, you can use store-bought lemon curd instead of making my small batch of lemon curd.
Add these bright and cheery cookies to your holiday cookie table!
Other thumbprint cookies recipes:
Ingredients
- Butter. Five tablespoons of butter, softened to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar. One-quarter cup of light brown sugar.
- Vanilla. One-half teaspoon of real vanilla extract.
- Ground Ginger. We’re using dried ground ginger for these lemon thumbprint cookies: 3/4 teaspoon.
- Cinnamon. One-half teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Nutmeg. Just a small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Flour. This recipe makes just 1 dozen cookies (but you can easily double it). For 12 cookies, you need 1/2 cup of flour.
For the Microwave Lemon Curd:
- Sugar. One-third cup of granulated sugar.
- Egg. We’re using one whole egg for this microwave lemon curd recipe.
- Lemon. In total, we need 1/3 cup of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest. It might take 2-3 lemons to get 1/3 cup of juice.
- Butter. Three tablespoons of melted butter.
- Salt. Just a pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon).
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies Tutorial
First, follow the recipe for my microwave lemon curd here, and set it aside for using after the cookies have cooled. It makes a small batch, which is just enough for filling the cookies.
Once the lemon curd is chilling, combine the brown sugar and softened butter.
Beat together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, and then add the vanilla and beat again. Add the spices and continue beating.
When it’s time to add the flour, add it one tablespoon at a time while beating. It’s important to do this instead of adding the flour all at once.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, forming balls and evenly spacing them on a baking sheet. Use a wooden spoon to make 12 divots.
Bake for 13-14 minutes (the cookies will expand quite a bit). They’re done the golden brown. It helps to use a wooden spoon to re-enforce the hole right when they come out of the oven.
When the cookies fully cool, add dollops of lemon curd just before serving.
Storage/ Make Ahead
You can bake these cookies ahead of time, and chill or freeze until you need them. Do not freeze the cookies with the lemon curd on them. Do not store the cookies for very long once the lemon curd is in the divot. Try to fill these with lemon curd on the day you plan to serve them. You can freeze the already baked cookies for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours, fill with lemon curd and then serve.
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup flour
Lemon Curd Filling
- 1 recipe of Microwave Lemon Curd (linked)
Instructions
- First, make the microwave lemon curd recipe below, and place it in the fridge.
- Next, make the cookies: preheat the oven to 350.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the vanilla and continue beating. Sprinkle in the ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat well.
- This is very important: slowly add the flour to the dough while mixing, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If you dump all of the flour in at once, the dough won’t come together.
- Scoop the dough into 12 teaspoon-sized mounds. Use the end of a small wooden spoon to make a divot in the center of each cookie. Press the edges together if the dough cracks a bit.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes, or until the edges of cookies brown slightly.
- Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Add scoops of lemon curd into the center of each cookie, and serve.
Lemon + ginger are a match made in heaven. Love that I can just stuff an entire one of these cuties into my mouth undetected. Merry Christmas pretty lady!
Lemon and ginger are the perfect combination! Love these little thumbprint cookies!
Honestly, if I had to choose between chocolate and lemon, lemon would win every time!! I love this stuff and these thumbprint cookies look heavenly.
Lemon and ginger is such a great combo and these look great!
lemon and ginger are flavor dynamite! These cookies sound so refreshing and perfect for after a heavy holiday meal!
I’m obsessed with lemon too! Love these!
I am totally on team lemon and ginger with you! These look perfect.
I’m a HUGE lemon lover myself…definitely more so than a chocolate lover. And the lemon-ginger combo sounds gloriously. These cookies are certainly the perfect bites!
I wish you had done more pictures while making these. Mine came out flat. I am sure the will still be tasty but a little more detail would have been nice.
Mine came out really flat too, and I’m trying to figure out why. I doubled the recipe and didn’t measure the butter suuuuper exactly, so maybe I put in too much…? Oh well, I expect they’ll still be delicious and the gals at our ladies’ night will love them. :)