Pale vanilla butter shells with smooth lemon-yellow curd centers added after cooling and kept refrigerated.
Lemon Curd Thumbprints
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Allow about 127 minutes: 35 hands-on, 30 chilling or resting, 32 whole-batch cooking and 30 cooling/setting. Cooling includes tray rest. Follow the method for batch sizes and doneness cues.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Kitchen scale and US measuring tools
- Mixing bowl and spatula
- Two parchment-lined 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Cooling rack
- Rounded measuring teaspoon
- Covered refrigerator storage container
Pale vanilla butter shells with smooth lemon-yellow curd centers added after cooling and kept refrigerated.
Ingredients
Optional sprinkles are for decoration and are not included in the nutrition estimate. Spice weights are approximate.
Instructions
Make the butter shells
- 1Make the butter shellsMix butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in yolks, vanilla and salt, then flour. Press together gently to make a short dough. This raw yolk dough is baked fully; the filling is commercially prepared cooked curd.
Shape and chill
- 2Shape and chillDivide into 24 portions of approximately 19 g. Roll into balls and flatten gently. Press a shallow 3/4-inch-wide well into each with a rounded measuring spoon, leaving a firm base and smoothing any cracked rims. Set 12 per lined sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake empty wells
- 3Bake empty wellsHeat the oven to 350°F (177°C) conventional or 325°F (163°C) fan. Bake sheets separately for 14–16 minutes each, allowing 32 minutes total, until the edges and bases are pale golden and the dough is set. Gently redefine puffed wells with the spoon immediately after baking.
Cool, fill and refrigerate
- 4Cool, fill and refrigerateRest each sheet for 10 minutes, then cool shells on a rack for 20 minutes. Spoon 5 g chilled prepared lemon curd into each fully cold well and refrigerate filled cookies promptly in a covered container. Filling is counted as hands-on time; the final batch needs 30 minutes cooling. Serve chilled or briefly temper only the portion being served.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Use cooked commercial lemon curd with a readable ingredient and storage label.
Technique & texture
Cold shells keep the filling from thinning and soaking rapidly into the crumb.
Finishing & serving
Fill shortly before serving for the crispest rim.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | For serving only | Refrigerate promptly after filling; limit unrefrigerated serving to 2 hours, or 1 hour in temperatures above 90°F (32°C). |
| Refrigeration | Up to 3 days | Keep filled cookies covered and refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below. Follow any shorter curd-label limit and count from filling or the remaining opened-curd life, whichever is shorter. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 1 month, shells only | Freeze shaped unfilled dough airtight; thaw in the refrigerator and bake before filling. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 1 month, shells only | Freeze cooled unfilled shells. Freezing filled curd cookies is not recommended in this formula. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Thaw plain shells covered, then add chilled curd and refrigerate. Discard curd left beyond the label's opened-storage limit. |
Notes
- Use cooked commercial lemon curd with a readable ingredient and storage label. Cold shells keep the filling from thinning and soaking rapidly into the crumb. Fill shortly before serving for the crispest rim. This home formula has not been kitchen-tested.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition per serving calculated from ingredient weights divided by 24; required fillings and toppings included, optional decorations excluded. Brands, unused coating and actual serving size affect the estimate.
THE COOKIE INDEXITALIANCHRISTMAS COOKIES
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave these in a holiday cookie tin?
Keep filled lemon-curd cookies refrigerated. Bring out only the portion being served.
Is lemon curd the same as lemon jam?
No. This formula specifies cooked egg-and-butter lemon curd; lemon marmalade has a different texture and nutrition.
Can I bake the curd in the wells?
This method fills cooled shells. Baking a prepared curd may separate it and requires separate testing.
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