Thumbprint Cookies with Lime Curd
Description
Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth thumbprint cookies filled with a zesty homemade lime curd. Add a toasted meringue topping and a piece of graham cracker to give them key lime pie vibes!
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Ingredients
Lime Curd
- 2 large egg yolks (40g)
- 1 large egg (50g)
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 4 limes, zested and juiced
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled
Cookies
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (72g) light brown sugar
- 4 limes, zested (1 lime juiced)
- 1 large egg yolk (20g)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups (281g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
Optional Meringue and Graham Topping
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 graham crackers broken into small small pieces (1-inch x ¼ inch), optional
Instructions
Lime Curd
- Whisk together 2 egg yolks, 1 egg, ⅓ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons (12g) lime zest, ¼ cup lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan until smooth. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula, until mixture thickens and registers 160°F, about 4 minutes.
- Off heat, add in 2 tablespoons chilled butter and stir until completely melted and combined. Strain lime curd through fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of curd and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
Cookies
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat 1 cup butter until smooth; about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and add ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon + 2 tsp lime zest; beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down sides of bowl and add 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add 2¼ cups flour and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix on low just until no pockets of dry flour remain. Scrape down sides of bowl and give dough one more mix by hand to ensure no dry flour remains.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop and roll dough into balls (16g each) and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Use your thumb to gently press an indent in center of each dough ball, pressing about three-quarters of the way through; mend any cracked edges.
- Chill indented dough balls in fridge until hard, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (Indented dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months.)
- Heat oven to 375ºF (190ºC) with rack set in middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Arrange 8 indented dough balls on prepared sheet and fill each with about 1 teaspoon lime curd.
- Bake until edges of cookies are set and bottom edges are just starting to turn golden, 10–11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Meringue and Graham Topping
- Whisk together 3 egg whites, ¾ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water. Do not let it touch the water. (You can use a double boiler if you have one.) Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out and reached 160ºF (71ºC), about 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in ½ teaspoon vanilla. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, or to a zipper-lock bag with corner lightly snipped.
- Pipe meringue over top of cookies as desired (I like to do a tight back and forth sqiggle). Torch meringue with a kitchen torch until golden brown, then top with a small piece of graham cracker and serve.
Notes
A total of 7-8 limes are needed for this recipe.
Makes ⅔ cup curd.
For the curd, I cook it to 160ºF, which is lower than most recipes. I do this because the curd is cooked again in the oven. If you are using this curd for a no-bake application, cook it to 162ºF.
Prep Ahead (fridge): The cookie dough can be made, rolled and indented up to 3 days before baking. (I will even fill them with the lime curd sometimes.) Wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
Prep Ahead (Freezer): Once the dough is rolled into balls and indented, chill in the fridge until firm, then transfer the indented balls to a zipper-lock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours before filling and baking as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 56mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 190IUCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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