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White chocolate drizzled lemon blueberry sugar cookies on a blue surface.
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Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies

These Lemon Blueberry 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!
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword Spring Cookies, Easter Desserts
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Dough Chilling 4 hours
Servings 20 cookies
Calories 276kcal
Author Stephanie Simmons

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 110 grams
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 large lemon, zested
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled 390 grams
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 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. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to get everything mixed in. 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. You must pre-scoop your dough balls - thoroughly chilled dough is hard to scoop, and you'll re-warm the dough in the process. (You can chill about 30 minutes first to make scooping a bit easier, though.)
    Scoop the dough into balls that are 60-65 grams with a medium cookie scoop (about 3 tbsp), then indent the centers with the back of a tablespoon measuring spoon. This will be hard to do when the dough is solid later on.
    Place in an airtight container to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the dough balls (rolled in sugar and indented) for 2 hours or up to 2 months. (Cookies can be filled & baked from frozen.)
  • Assemble the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 365° 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). Fill each dough ball with 1-2 tsp of the blueberry jam.
  • Bake: Bake the cookies for 11-13 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.
    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. 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

Saving under baked cookies: I accidentally under baked a pan of these cookies during my recipe testing, but was able to save them with a simple trick. You'll be able to tell that they're under baked once they've cooled and you break one open and see the texture of the inside, or a wet-appearing spot on the bottom of the cookie. Simply preheat the oven back to 350 degrees F, and add the pan of cookies once the oven is preheated. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the cookies inside the oven as it cools down, for about 10 minutes. Pull them out, and they should be properly baked, but not dry. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg