These perfectly sweet and buttery Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies burst with fresh lemon flavor and are so easy to make! Made with fresh sweet blueberry jam, this perfect summer cookie is sure to be as much of a hit in your house as it is in mine.
Lemon Blueberry Cookie Recipe
Buttery, sweet, and lemony, these beautiful jammy shortbread cookies are one of my family’s very favorite cookie recipes. Delicious year-round, they can be altered to include your favorite seasonal jams and flavors. Super easy to make, make a big batch and enjoy with coffee, tea, or a big glass of milk! They take just 45 minutes to make!
History of Thumbprint Cookies
Many Americans are familiar with the childhood classic “thumbprint cookies,” named for the indent encasing the jam filling that’s often made by a literal thumbprint. But you might not know that they’re originally a Swedish treat. Known as Hallongrotta, meaning “raspberry cave” in Swedish, these shortbread cookies were traditionally filled with raspberry jam. These versatile treats can be made in a variety of flavors and are known as “jam drops” in Australia.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of room-temperature unsalted butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix for approximately three minutes on medium speed or until light and fluffy. Then, mix in the zest of two lemons and three tablespoons of lemon juice. Finally, add two and a half cups of all-purpose flour and mix at low speed until just combined.
Add ¼ cup granulated sugar to a shallow bowl. Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it into a ball between the palm of your hands. Coat the dough in granulated sugar. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Press your thumb, or a small spoon, into the center of each cookie, creating a small well. Fill each well with your favorite blueberry jam and bake for approximately 12-14 minutes (until golden brown). Allow the cookies to cool slightly, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
As the cookies are baking, add the powdered sugar, milk, and fresh lemon juice to a small bowl, whisking well to combine. Thin with more milk if needed. Gently flick the tangy lemon glaze over the tops of the cookies (when cooled) using a fork, spoon, or whisk.
Storage and Freezing
These cookies are best enjoyed fresh, and the intense blueberry flavor will pop when warm! Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to one week or in the freezer for up to six months. This means you can make a big batch of them in the summer with seasonal blueberry jam and freeze them to enjoy around the holidays!
How to Serve
Enjoy these lemon blueberry thumbprint cookies fresh out of the oven! You can also store them in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven when you’re ready to enjoy them. Try them with an afternoon cup of tea or as a dessert. They’re the perfect cookie for practically any occasion!
More Cookie Recipes:
If you try making this Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
cookies
- 1 cup butter - softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour - (or a gluten-free alternative like almond flour or coconut flour)
- ⅓ cup blueberry jam - or raspberry, peach, blackberry…(check out your local farmer's market!)
glaze
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1.25 teaspoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Mix on medium until light and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes). Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low until just incorporated.
- In a separate shallow medium bowl, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it between the palm of your hands. Roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar and place it on the prepared pan. Repeat this process with 11 more balls of cookie dough–1-inch balls, slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball, are ideal.
- Using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon, press a circle into the center of the cookie. Try to keep the dough uniform to prevent the jam from bubbling out. Add approximately 1 teaspoon of jam to the center of each cookie. Bake in the oven on your greased cookie sheet for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Allow cookies to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, and fresh lemon juice. Whisk until completely combined. If the glaze is too thick, add a tiny more milk 1/4 teaspoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Use a spoon, fork, or whisk and gently flick the glaze back and forth over the tops of the cooled cookies. Allow the glaze to set completely before stirring, but I highly recommend eating one right away! Serve the rest at room temperature and store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Hi from Singapore! I just baked this with a jar of expiring-soon blueberry jam that I got from Seoul. I didn’t roll the dough in any more sugar, neither did I do the glaze as I usually don’t like my cookies too sweet. They turned out perfect, so buttery, lemony and melts in my mouth!! I weighed out about 25-29 g of dough (25 g is better) and made a deep indentation for the jam. I found out that if the jam is too watery, it will boil over and spread over the top of the cookie! So use the thicker jam.
I love Singapore, and Singaporean foods! Thanks for the tips, I am so happy you loved this recipe and were able to use that jam before it expired 🙂
Can I use blueberry pie filling instead of jam
I dont see why not 🙂
These look delicious! Would you recommend chilling the dough before baking to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven, or was that not an issue that you encountered?
Great question Mel! I have not needed to chill the dough when making this recipe, but I don’t see it being an issue if you do so. It would just require a little extra time in the oven the counter the chilled dough 🙂
I loved the tart of the lemon with the sweet from the blueberry!
I made these tonight for Valentine’s Day treats for work. I used raspberry jam for the color!, but will make again using blueberry or strawberry. I followed the recipe as is.
So delish!
I am glad it worked well for you Julie – they sound good with raspberry jam 😀
Made these today to test if I would bring to cookie exchange, made 37 not 20 which was good but took longer than 14 mins to bake for me. I kept them in about 16-17 mins. I used raspberry jam. They came out great.