12 Days of Holiday Treats 2024: Lemon Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Scroll to the bottom of the post to get ALL the “12 Days” recipes from 2019 – 2023!

Welcome to Day 8 of

The Twelve Days of Holiday Treats!

Once again, this year, from December 1st-12th I’ll post a new holiday treat recipe every day – inspiration for your holiday entertaining!

The recipes I’m sharing are small-er batch – each recipe makes 1-dozen or a few more smaller-sized treats that are simple to prepare and that use everyday ingredients and equipment so hopefully you’ll be able to whip up any of these on a whim. Check out the treats from 2019 – 2023 at the bottom of this post too for more inspiration!

Today’s treat is a melt in your mouth shortbread flavoured with lemon zest made into a kind of thumbprint cookie and filled with lemon curd (again, store bought is fine!). Because the dough is so soft and the texture is melt-in-your-mouth, they don’t look quite as pretty as a regular thumbprint cookie but don’t judge a cookie by its appearance!

See how they are a little wonky? You could make these in muffin tins to make them more uniform in shape but these did ok just on baking sheets.

Using store-bought lemon curd makes these an easy holiday bake because they only have a few staple ingredients otherwise so you can whip them up on a whim!

Yield: 16

Lemon Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Print

Thumbprint cookies with a lemony twist!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 113g (8 tablespoons/ 1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 113g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour, sifted
• approx. 1/4-1/3 cup lemon curd

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Rub the zest into the sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar is quite wet.
3. Add the butter and use electric hand beaters on medium speed to mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, approx. 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the flour and use electric hand beaters on low speed to mix until the flour is just incorporated.
5. Add the juice and mix until the mixture sticks together when it’s pinched with your fingers.
6. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the dough into 14-16 pieces.
7. Hold each piece for a few seconds in your hand until it’s pliable, roll it into a small ball, flatten this into a small disk and place it on the baking tray, using your thumb to make an imprint in the middle.
8. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of lemon curd into each indentation and smooth to cover evenly.
9. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the curd is bubbling and the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
10. Remove the tray from the oven, place it on a wire cooling rack and if your lemon curd has cooked down, add 1/2 to 1 extra teaspoon of cold lemon curd and swirl to combine.
11. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a wire cooling rack and allow them to come to room temperature. They are very fragile, so do wait!

Notes

Cookies can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days in an airtight container. If stacking more than one layer, place parchment paper in between the layers.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Small Cookie Scoop, 1 tablespoon/ 15 ml
• 
  Bakeware Set – 2 Aluminum Sheet Pan – Half Size (13" x 18")
• 
  PaperChef Natural Release Coated Non-Stick Culinary Parchment Paper
• 
  Cooling Rack Baking Rack Twin Set
• 
  Cuisinart 5-speed hand mixer

did you make this recipe?

please leave a comment or review on the blog or share a photo and tag me on Instagram @eatlivtravwrite !

These cookies really do melt in your mouth and they are pretty fragile so handle them with care. Or better still, eat them quickly 😉

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s treat!

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Check out 2023’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:

Day 1: Holiday Speckles

Day 2: Soft Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies

Day 3: Funfetti Thumbprint Cookies with Ruby Drop Centres

Day 4: Chocolate Orange Creme Cups

Day 5: Chocolate Filled Shortbread Cups

Day 6: Pistachio Fruit Bread Crackers

Day 7: Pistachio Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Day 8: Iced Mocha Financier Bars (GF)

Day 9: Lemon Meringue Thumbprint Cookies

Day 10: Chocolate Hazelnut Financiers

Day 11: Cranberry, Almond and Pistachio “truffles”

Day 12: Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies (GF)

Check out 2022’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:

Day 1: Chocolate Peppermint Creme Cups

Day 2: Chocolate-Dipped Wafer Cookies

Day 3: Gingerbread madeleines

Day 4: Funfetti Cookies

Day 5: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Day 6: Coffee Financiers

Day 7: No-Bake Strawbery Cheesecake Cups

Day 8: Holiday Joys

Day 9: Holiday Spice Marmalade

Day 10: Soft Molasses Cookies

Day 11: Coconut Roughs

Day 12: Holiday Lights Jam Sandwich Cookies

Check out 2021’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:

Day 1: Speculoos financiers

Day 2: Chocolate Dipped Orange Sugar Cookies

Day 3: Madeleines à la Clémentine

Day 4: Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

Day 5: Sunbutter and Jam Chocolate Cups

Day 6: Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies

Day 7: Linzer Cookies

Day 8: Chocolate-Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Day 9: Choc-Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Day 10: Pailles (Puff Pastry and Jam Cookies)

Day 11: Strawberry Santa Hats

Day 12: Mulled Wine Jam

Check out 2020’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:

Day 1: Rice Krispie Wreaths

Day 2: Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Day 3: Peppermint Bark

Day 4: Orangettes

Day 5: Rocky Road Chocolate Crackle Slice

Day 6: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

Day 7: Orange Pim’s

Day 8: Mendiants

Day 9: Chewy Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies

Day 10: Apricot, Coconut and Cranberry “truffles”

Day 11: Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Brownies

Day 12: Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Check out 2019’s 12 Days of Holiday Cookies:

Day 1: Easy Three Ingredient Shortbread

Day 2: Jam Drops

Day 3: Chocolate Caramel Slice

Day 4: Melting Moments

Day 5: White Christmas

Day 6: Langues de Chat

Day 7: Chocolate Coconut Slice

Day 8: Cornflake Biscuits

Day 9: Rocky Road

Day 10: Honey Joys

Day 11: Rum Ball Truffles

Day 12: Giant Florentine Cookie (to share)

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