Lemon Curd Cookies Recipe

My easy cream cheese recipe is so simple to make. The rich, velvety cream cheese cookie dough provides a soft and buttery base, while the luscious lemon curd filling adds a burst of bright citrus flavor. Each bite is a heavenly mix of creamy, tangy, and sweet, making these cookies an irresistible treat for any occasion.

They’re perfect made with my homemade lemon curd recipe, or you can mix it up and use fresh pear jam.

Other great cookies to try include these classic butter cookies and wonderful nostalgic peanut butter cookies.

Simple Recipe Ingredients

I took these photos ages ago, so it’s not very artsy, but it serves its purpose! I promise to get around to taking a better set of photos.

• The cream cheese and butter should be at room temperature so its easy to cream together
• vanilla extract, or substitute a vanilla paste.
• powdered sugar makes it much easier to cream the ingredients without a gritty texture. You can also easily make your own powdered sugar.
• I prefer using my homemade lemon curd, but you also get great results using a store-bought version.

Recipe Directions

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step One: In a large bowl use an electric hand mixer to mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter together.

Step Two: Add in the flour to form a stiff batter.

Step Three: Scoop out dough into equal size balls onto baking sheet.

Step Four: Lightly knead each ball and pat down into a roughly 1.5 inch diameter cookie and 1/4 inch thick. Place back on cookie sheet. Press down lightly and make a small impression in center of cookie dough. Chill cookie dough for about 1 hour

Step Five: Spoon in 1 teaspoon of preserves into the middle and spread being careful not to reach the ends.Bake in 375 degree F oven for about 20-22 minutes. Cookies will be lightly browned.

Step Six: Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Let cool slightly before serving.

Cookie Filling Variations

• Different Flavor Curd: My homemade Orange curd is really good.
• Homemade or Store-bought Jam: Try a homemade strawberry rhubarb jam or your favorite store-bought jam.

How to store the cookies

If you don’t gobble these all up the same day, store the thumbprint cookies in an airtight container, which can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days. They will taste best if you let them return to room temperature before serving.

Can you freeze lemon curd cookies?

Yes, Let the cookies cool to room temperature, then place them in a single layer in a Ziploc freezer bag or airtight container. It’s good to use parchment paper between the layers. 
For best quality freeze for up to a month.  These can be frozen longer but I’ve never had them in my freezer longer than a month. 

Cookie Tips

• This recipe does not require rolling out the dough, I’ll lightly knead and pat the dough into the desired size and shape using my hands.  For some recipes, this works almost as well as rolling out the dough. Be aware that you might not have a uniformly sized cookie with drop cookies.
• The taste and consistency of these cream cheese lemon curd cookies are part cookie, part biscuit.
• With the jam in the middle, you want to make sure the center is cooked properly.  I usually sacrifice one cookie by taking it out of the oven after twenty minutes and cutting it in half.  For a smaller cookie, reduce the cooking time to around 15 minutes.
• Before baking, it’s always a good idea to check the temperature of your oven.  Using an accurate oven thermometer makes all the difference in your baked goods. 
• These lemon curd cookies are equally good with any other jam you might have hanging around in your refrigerator.  I always have five or six different varieties, and when I start getting overwhelmed with jams and preserves, I make up a batch or two of these cookies.