These Easter Egg Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are a lemon lovers dream and (in my opinion) the most delicious way you could ever eat eggs! They have a soft and buttery sugar cookie base, a dusting of powdered sugar, and a sweet and tart homemade lemon curd “yolk” filling.

If you have extra lemon curd left over, I highly recommend dipping your cookies in it, dunkaroo style! Or, make Easter bunny lemon curd cupcakes with the leftovers. The tangy homemade curd paired with lemon cream cheese frosting is absolutely incredible.

Egg shaped sugar cookies dusted with powdered sugar with a small dollop of homemade lemon curd filled into the bottom to look like a yolk

Recipe used for the lemon curd cookies:

Lemon Curd Cookies by Barley & Sage.

When I first saw the picture of Kyleigh’s lemon curd cookies, they were so gorgeous I knew I had to make them. With Easter coming up, I couldn’t resist shaping them into eggs!

I originally started with her homemade lemon curd recipe, which I used to top my Easter Bunny Lemon Curd Cupcakes.

This lemon curd recipe made enough for me to top the cupcakes with and I also had quite a bit left over to use for the thumbprint sugar cookie eggs!

Why I love this Lemon Curd Thumbprint Sugar Cookie recipe:

The sugar cookie dough is easy to make: With minimal ingredients, this dough is super easy to throw together. I appreciate the simplicity given the time that goes into making the lemon curd.
They are delicious with or without the almond flour: The recipe suggests using 1/4 cup almond flour. I didn’t go this direction and only used all-purpose flour. I didn’t have almond flour on hand and also wanted to accommodate for any nut allergies. They still turned out soft and buttery, as I hoped!
The homemade lemon curd is beyond amazing: Tart, silky, lemony – this homemade lemon curd exceeded my expectations. It reminds me so much of lemon meringue pie filling!

Tips for making the homemade lemon curd:

Don’t skip using a fine mesh strainer: To achieve a smooth curd without extra texture from the lemon zest or possible pieces of cooked egg, quickly run the curd through a fine-mesh strainer.
Cover the curd with cling wrap as it cools down: Taking this steps ensures a film doesn’t form on the top of the curd. Once it fully cools, you won’t have to worry about needing to cover it or a film forming again.
Prepare it ahead of time: This curd lasts up to a week, so you have ample time to perfect the recipe and make the sugar cookies when you are ready.

Check out my Easter Bunny Lemon Curd Cupcakes post for even more details surrounding making this homemade lemon curd!

Tips for making the thumbprint sugar cookies:

Weigh the ingredients: Investing in a food scale does wonders for how recipes turn out! Most importantly, it ensures you don’t over or under measure your flour, which greatly impacts the texture of the cookies.
Make the dough in advance: To split the cookie baking and lemon curd making process up, I made the dough a day in advance. I placed it in an airtight glass container and covered it directly with plastic wrap for an extra air-prevention measure. This method ended up working out great, as I found shaping the dough to be much easier when it was chilled and firm.
The dough balls are about 45 grams each: If you are also meticulous about your cookies being even, please note that I weighed my dough and divided it by 14, as the the recipe yields that many cookies. I didn’t have the recommended 3 tablespoon cookie scoop so measuring them each out in grams was extremely helpful!

two rows of sugar cookie dough shaped into ovals to replicate the shape of an egg on a parchment lined baking sheet

How to make the egg-shaped lemon curd thumbprint cookies:

Make the lemon curd and allow it to chill.
Next, prepare the sugar cookie dough and allow it to chill in the refrigerator. I let mine chill overnight, but you can give it 30 minutes or so in the fridge to firm up, making it is easier to shape.
Form 14 balls of dough once your dough has chilled. They should be 3 tablespoons each, or about 45 grams.
Form each dough ball into an oval/egg shape. Flatten the ball a bit and use the nook of your hand in between your pointer finger and thumb to mold the bottom part of the oval. Keep flattening and shaping until you reach an egg/oval shape.
Place the oval shaped cookie dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets, with room around them as they will spread as they bake.
Make an indent in the bottom of the sugar cookie dough. I used the back of a teaspoon since less surface area is needed for the “yolk” part of the cookie. Lightly flour the back of the teaspoon and make a half-circle indent in the bottom of the cookie, being careful not to go too far to the bottom and break the dough.
Important – Chill the dough after shaping it and before baking! I cannot stress this enough. This helps minimize the amount the dough spreads in the oven.
Bake the cookies. They are done when you can lightly press into the edge of the dough and it doesn’t leave an ident from your finger. It will feel a bit more set/solid.
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, use the teaspoon to re-indent the divot at the bottom of the cookie. Lightly press the back of the teaspoon into the original indent you created to ensure there is room for the lemon curd filling.
Use a sifter or fine-mesh strainer (with a light touch) to dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar.
Fill your chilled lemon curd into a piping or ziplock bag and add a dollop of curd to the divot in each cookie.

You are now ready to enjoy these dessert-style eggs and wow your friends and family with the unique and fun design!

Side note – Be careful when transporting these, as the curd may move around and the cookies will stick together if they touch.

Egg shaped sugar cookies dusted with powdered sugar with a small dollop of homemade lemon curd filled into the bottom to look like a yolk with a small bowl of lemon curd in the background

If you are a lemon lover looking to make a fun treat for Spring, these Easter Egg Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are guaranteed to be a delight in both flavor and appearance. No one will be able to resist the sweet and tangy flavor combination, or the absolutely adorable design!

Since they are egg shaped, they’re acceptable to eat for breakfast, right? Asking for a friend!

If you like this recipe, I think you’ll also love:

Easter Egg Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies

Course: Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Festive Treats

Servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

These Easter Egg Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies are soft, buttery, dusted with powdered sugar, and filled with tangy homemade lemon curd!

Ingredients

Lemon Curd Cookies by Barley & Sage.
Helpful tools
Food scale
Light colored baking sheets

Directions

Cook the lemon curd first to allow time for it to chill. Cover it with Saran Wrap after cooking so a film doesn’t form on the surface as it cools.
Prepare the sugar cookie dough. Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, it is easier to shape without getting soft.
Once your dough has chilled, form 14 balls of dough. They should be 3 tablespoons each, or about 45 grams.
Take each dough ball and form it into an oval. Flatten the ball a bit and use the nook of your hand in between your pointer finger and thumb to mold the bottom part of the oval. Keep flattening and shaping until you reach an egg/oval shape.
Place the oval shaped cookie dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets, with room around them as they will spread as they bake.
Make an indent in the bottom of the sugar cookie dough. The original recipe says to use the back of a tablespoon, but I used a teaspoon since less surface area was needed for the “yolk” part of the cookie.
Lightly flour the back of the teaspoon and make a half-circle indent in the bottom of the cookie, being careful not to go too far to the bottom and break the dough.
Important – Chill the dough after shaping it and before baking! I cannot stress this enough. This helps minimize the amount the dough spreads in the oven.
Bake the cookies. Testing for doneness: When you lightly press into the edge of the dough, it won’t leave an ident from your finger. It will feel a bit more set/solid.
The top of the dough will also lose its shine when they are ready to be pulled from the oven.
As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, use your teaspoon to re-indent the divot as it rises and flattens as it bakes. Lightly press the back of the teaspoon into the original indent you created to ensure there is room for the lemon curd filling.
Use a sifter or fine-mesh strainer (with a light touch) to dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar.
Fill your chilled lemon curd into a piping or ziplock bag and add a dollop of curd to the divot in the cookie.
Store in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Notes

Be careful when transporting these cookies as the curd may move around and the cookies will stick together if they touch.

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If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.

Happy Baking!

XOXO,