thecookieblogger.com

what can i say about a cookie that has the tang of lemony goodness in both the cookie and the filling? with an infusion of pure lemon oil in the cookie dough and a rich, creamy lemon curd as the filling, these cookies are as tasty as they are pretty to look at! be sure to either use your own homemade lemon curd, or a top of the line curd such as DIckinson’s for the best flavor as well as superior spreading ease!

lemon thumbprint cookies
ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons pure lemon oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
coarse white sugar

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt.
3. with your mixer, beat the butter and confectioners sugar together until pale yellow and fluffy.
4. add lemon oil and vanilla, beating until well incorporated.
5. slowly add flour mixture into butter mixture, just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. this create a soft dough.
6. with your #50 scoop (approximately 1 tablespoon), take a scoop of dough and roll into a ball. dip into the coarse white sugar, completely covering the dough ball. re-roll and repeat dipping into the sugar.
7. place on your prepared pan, leaving approximately 1 1/2 inches between each mound of dough.
8. press a thumbprint into the center of each cookie. (i use the handle end of my largest wooden spoon and it works very well!)
9. bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes, turning the pan 1/2 rotation at 7 minutes, so cookies will bake evenly.
10. remove from oven and re-press thumbprints in center before cookies set. let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. after 10 minutes, remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
11. when cookies are completely cooled, use a small spoon or offset spatula to fill the cookie holes with lemon curd. the curd should lie flat against the top surface of the cookie, not mounded out of the thumbprint.
enjoy!
yield: approximately 40 cookies.