These Blueberry Lemon Cookies are made with lemon sugar cookie dough, rolled in lemon sugar, and baked with a quick homemade blueberry jam in the center. These cookies are irresistible – thick, soft, and full of fresh blueberry and lemon flavor!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Blueberry Jam – Adding blueberries to the cookie dough didn’t give enough blueberry flavor, and I found it to be a lackluster cookie. Adding blueberry jam to the center of the cookies in the thumbprint style adds more blueberry flavor and makes these the best blueberry lemon cookies.
- Lemon Sugar Cookies – This recipe makes a thick, soft, chewy cookie, full of fresh lemon flavor! I didn’t want the cookies to be cakey like muffin tops – these are true soft, sugar cookies!
- White Chocolate Drizzle – Drizzle these cookies with white chocolate for a polished look. This step is optional.
Ingredient Overview
- Butter – I always use salted butter, but use whichever you prefer.
- Blueberries – You can use these with fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Lemon – Be sure to use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Blueberry Jam – Use store bought blueberry preserves if you’re short on time.
- Dairy-Free Cookies – You can use sticks of dairy-free butter instead of regular butter.
How to Make this Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Make the blueberry sauce. Add blueberries and sugar to a pot, and cook until they begin to release their juices. Then, add a mixture of lemon juice, cornstarch, and water to thicken the sauce. Add extra whole blueberries at the end for a nice variety of texture! Once the sauce is done, transfer to a medium bowl to chill for at least 2 hours, or up to a few days.
Step 2: Mix up the cookie dough by creaming together butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Then add your wet ingredients – the eggs, vanilla, and fresh lemon juice and zest. Add the dry ingredients last. You’ll have a soft cookie dough. Form into balls and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Step 3: Roll the chilled dough balls in sugar mixed with lemon zest for extra flavor! Make an indent in the cookies with the back of a teaspoon.
Step 4: Add 1-2 teaspoons of the chilled blueberry sauce to each cookie.
Step 5: Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. The cookies won’t look super fancy when they come out of the oven, but they certainly taste like a million bucks! If your cookies are a bit lopsided, use a round cutter to scoot them into a circle (optional).
Step 6: Let the cookies cool on a wire rack, and drizzle melted white chocolate chips over the tops of the cookies. Now for the best part – dig in!
Expert Success Tips:
- Scooping the Dough Balls: Chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping, to make it easier.
- Cookie Dough Balls- Let the dough balls sit out for 10-15 minutes before doing this so that they don’t crack like crazy when you make the indent. If they do crack, that’s fine – your baked cookies just won’t look as perfectly round.
- Lemon Sugar – Be sure to rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers before rolling the cookie dough balls.
- Too Much Jam – Add the amount of jam specified in the recipe card. If you add more, the jam can run out and make a mess.
- Lemon Flavor – Be sure to use real, fresh lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice or lemon extract. These other things can have a less fresh taste.
Recipe Variations:
- Glaze – You can leave the white chocolate drizzle off and use a glaze instead, or serve them as is!
- Jam Flavors – You can use blueberry jam, or you can try another flavor like blackberry, strawberry, or raspberry.
Serving + Storing this Recipe:
Serve the cookies once they’ve cooled to your liking. Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. Let soften a bit at room temperature before serving.
These are the perfect summer cookie! I know you’ll fall in love with these – they’re the perfect cookie.
More of the Best Cookies to Bake:
- Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies
- Bakery-Style Monster Cookies
- Key Lime Slice and Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
- Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies
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Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Sauce
- 2 cups frozen blueberries, plus 1/2 cup more Do not thaw
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp warm water
For the Lemon Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature 16 tbsp or 226 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large lemon, zested
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 and 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
For Rolling Dough Balls:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large lemon, zested
For Serving:
- 3 ounces white chocolate optional
Instructions
- Make the Blueberry Sauce: Add the 2 cups frozen blueberries and the sugar to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes so the berries begin to release their juices. (Cook for 1 additional minute if using fresh blueberries.)Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and warm water to a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Add this to the berries, and bring to a heavy simmer over medium-high heat, then continue simmering over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries, and cook for 2-3 minutes more, until thick enough that the blueberries hold for a second when you drag a wooden spoon through the pot (like you're parting the red sea). It should feel like a jammy sauce and shouldn't feel thin and runny. If it's thin, bring it back to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes until this texture is reached. Pop this in a bowl to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. If chilling longer than 2 hours, cover the bowl once it's not piping hot anymore. Alternative: You can also use a jar of store-bought blueberry jam if you want a few less steps in this recipe!
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the sugars to the butter mixture and mix until creamed together with the butter, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until just combined. Add the lemon juice and zest, and mix until just incorporated. Add the dry ingredients last, and mix until a dough forms.
- Chill the Dough: This dough needs a bit of a longer chill time so that it can contain the blueberry sauce when it bakes. I recommend pre-scooping your dough balls – thoroughly chilled dough is hard to scoop. (You can chill about 30 minutes first to make it a bit easier, though.)Scoop the dough into balls that are 60-65 grams with a medium cookie scoop (about 2 and 1/2 tbsp), and place in an airtight container to chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Assemble the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Mix the sugar and lemon zest together in a small bowl, rubbing the zest into the sugar. Roll the dough balls generously in this mixture, then place on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined sheet pan. (I can fit about 6 on a sheet). Use the back of a tablespoon measuring spoon to press an indent into each cookie, and fill with 1-2 tsp of the blueberry jam. Note: If you chilled the dough overnight, let it sit out for 10-15 minutes on your counter before beginning this step, so the balls don't crack like crazy when you make the thumbprint indent.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The edges should appear just set, and the centers will appear a tad underdone. The cookies will set up as they cool.When they come out, if the cookies aren't perfectly round anymore you can use a round cutter to scoot them into place. If you don't have one, they'll be fine either way. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet about 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating and serving.
- Serve + Store: Drizzle cooled cookies with white chocolate or eat them as is. They're delicious either way. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 days, and after that I recommend refrigerating. Let cookies come back to room temp a bit before serving.
- Glaze: You can make a tangy lemon glaze to top these cookies in place of the white chocolate. Add 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar to a small bowl with a little bit of lemon juice, milk, and a splash of vanilla. Adjust until you have desired taste and consistency. Drizzle over the cookies.
Notes
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