Lemon Curd Cookies
These lemon curd cookies are made with a buttery shortbread base, filled with bright, tart lemon curd and topped with a simple glaze. They’re beautiful and full of zesty lemon flavor. Simply put, these lemon thumbprint cookies are lemon lover’s dream.
Why you’ll love these lemon curd cookies
These lemon cookies are so good. They’re like a burst of sunshine on these cold winter days, and we could all really use some sunshine right now.
It seems fitting that citrus season stretches through winter, and we’ve been really making the most of it. Did you see the poppy seed cake I posted last week?
I also dropped a key lime pie shot and a classic lemon drop shot recipe on my other site – Another Cocktail Blog.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Dairy free butter – I used Earth Balance sticks for this recipe, but you can use a different brand, or vegetable shortening in its place. You can also use traditional dairy butter if you aren’t dairy free.
- Eggs – I haven’t made this recipe without eggs, but they play an important role in the texture of the cookies and they are completely necessary to thicken the lemon curd, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting them.
- Lemons – You can substitute other citrus fruit such as lime or grapefruit in place of the lemons.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make the dairy free lemon curd
To make the lemon curd without butter: Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk it until smooth, and heat the mixture over medium to low heat.
Whisk in the eggs. In a small bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Then, slowly add them to the saucepan, whisking continuously to prevent them from scrambling. Continue to the whisk the mixture while it thickens.
It will take about 10 minutes or so for the lemon curd to thicken. You will want to whisk it continuously to prevent the eggs from curdling – similar to what you would do for eggnog.
Once the mixture has thickened – it should coat the back of a spoon and you will feel a difference in its viscosity as you stir – remove it from the heat. Stir in the olive oil.
Then, transfer the lemon curd to a container and refrigerate to let it completely thicken.
How to make these lemon curd cookies
Make the lemon curd. You will want to do this ahead of time. I like to make my lemon curd the day before so it has time to rest overnight, but you can do it the same day just a few hours to chill in the fridge before adding it to your cookies.
Make the cookie dough. Cream the dairy free butter with sugar and lemon zest until it’s light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla extract, egg and lemon juice. Mix until combined, then add in your flour and salt, and mix it until a dough has formed.
Shape the cookies. Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop and roll it into balls. Place the ball in a parchment lined baking sheet and use the back of a measuring spoon (or your thumb) to make a well for the lemon curd. Make sure the cookies have a few inches between them to help the bake evenly.
Fill with lemon curd. Take your lemon curd and put it in a piping bag (or a ziploc bag) and cut a small hole in it. Fill the indentations that you made in the dough, making sure not to overfill them.
Bake the cookies. Put the cookies in the oven for about 15 minutes. The cookies are done with the bottoms are golden brown, but the tops won’t look much different. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack after a few minutes. Let the cool completely before glazing.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar with water and lemon juice. I like to also add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness. Then, put that in a piping bag. Cut an even smaller hole for this one. Then glaze the cookies as desired.
Everything you need to know about lemon curd cookies
Prepared lemon curd will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator. It will also freeze well, keeping for up to 6 months. Always store in an airtight container.
Lemons naturally contain acids which can discolor when mixed with metals such as aluminum and copper. Depending what saucepan you cook the curd in, the metals in the pan could discolor the curd. We have not had this problem using stainless steel for cooking.
Yes, lemon curd will start to clump if heated for too long. Cooking lemon curd should take about 10 minutes. Cook until curd is thickened and or the curd coats the back of a spoon, then remove from heat.
More lemon recipes you will love
More dairy free cookie recipes to try
Print
Lemon Curd Cookies
- Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies 1x
Description
These lemon curd cookies are made with a buttery shortbread base, filled with bright, tart lemon curd and topped with a simple glaze. They’re beautiful and full of zesty lemon flavor. Simply put, these lemon thumbprint cookies are lemon lover’s dream.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (400g)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
For the lemon curd:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 3 large eggs
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or water
Instructions
For the lemon curd:
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Combine lemon juice, zest, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth, and heat the over medium to low heat.
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In a small bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Then, slowly whisk the eggs into the saucepan, whisking continuously to prevent them from scrambling. Continue to the whisk the mixture while it thickens.
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Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat. Transfer the lemon curd to a container and refrigerate to let it completely thicken, minimum 4 hours.
For the cookies:
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Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the dairy free butter with sugar and lemon zest until it’s light and fluffy.
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Add the vanilla extract, egg and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
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Then, add in your flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, and mix it until a dough has formed.
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Using a cookie scoop, portion and roll the dough into balls. Place them on your prepared baking sheet and use the back of a measuring spoon (or your thumb) to make a well for the lemon curd.
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Fill the indentations that you made in the dough, making sure not to overfill them.
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Bake for 15 minutes, or until tops have set and the bottoms are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze:
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In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, water and lemon juice together until smooth. Using a piping bag or a spoon, drizzle over the cookies as desired.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Rest Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 119
- Sugar: 8.9 g
- Sodium: 102.7 mg
- Fat: 3.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.8 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 12.4 mg
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