These Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are soft and fluffy with a creamy “curd” middle! They’re also AIP, Paleo & Top 8 friendly.
I love the bright flavor of lemon, and I’m particularly fond of it in a dessert. These Lemon Thumbprint Cookies have a wonderfully tart taste balanced by the sweetness of honey. The grain-free soft cookie base is made with tigernut and arrowroot flours. Then, the simple dairy-free and egg-free creamy “curd” filling is created with coconut manna (aka coconut butter) and spooned onto the cookies once they’re cooled. All I can say is these are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Cookies
Cookies
- Tigernut flour
- Arrowroot flour
- Honey
- Lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Liquid, refined coconut oil
“Curd” Filling
- Raw coconut manna (aka coconut butter)
- Lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- Honey
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Combine all the cookie ingredients together in a bowl and mix well with a spoon.
- Make the base of the cookies by taking a 2″ piece of dough and rolling it into a ball with your hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and press down to flatten slightly. Then create a crater with your fingers to put the “curd” in after the cookies have baked and cooled. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 9-12 minutes.
- While the cookies bake, spoon out the coconut butter to a small ramekin and zap in the microwave for 5-10 seconds (you want the butter to be somewhat stirrable.) Then combine with the lemon zest and honey to make the curd and set aside on the counter.
- Once the cookies are done baking, remove and let them cool completely (~30 min). Then, spoon small dabs of the curd into the cookie craters. Use your fingers to gently press down and spread the butter out more evenly if necessary, but do so with care.
- Allow the cookies to set fully until the “curd” is no longer soft. Store in a container with a tight lid on the counter. Enjoy within 4 days.
Combining the cookie base ingredients.
A shot of the “curd” filling ingredients.
Pressing craters into the cookie base.
After the “curd” has been added and the cookies are hardening.
Hint: The cookies are fragile, handle with care. This is especially important when adding the curd at the end.
Variations
These will work with any type of citrus fruit so give another flavor a try!
You can also just make the cookie base without the curd filling to create simple Lemon Cookies! When I do this variation, I put the lemon zest into the flour since it gets skipped otherwise.
Substitutions
I have not tried to substitute any other type of grain-free flour with these.
Storage
Store in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 4 days.
Tips & Tricks
- Liquid, refined coconut oil works better than the hardened version as it’s quicker to combine with the flour ingredients.
- Do not overbake the cookie base otherwise they’ll come out too dry and crumbly.
Recipe
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1½ cup tigernut flour
- ¾ cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup liquid, refined coconut oil
"Curd" Filling
- ⅓ cup raw coconut manna (aka coconut butter)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 2 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Combine all the cookie ingredients together in a bowl and mix well with a spoon.
- Make the base of the cookies by taking a 2" piece of dough and rolling it into a ball with your hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and press down to flatten slightly. Then create a crater with your fingers to put the "curd" in after the cookies have baked and cooled. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- While the cookies bake, spoon out the coconut butter to a small ramekin and zap in the microwave for 5-10 seconds (you want the butter to be somewhat stirrable.) Then combine with the lemon zest and honey to make the curd and set aside on the counter.
- Once the cookies are done baking, remove and let them cool completely (~30 min). Then, spoon small dabs of the curd into the cookie craters. Use your fingers to gently press down and spread the butter out more evenly if necessary.
- Allow the cookies to set fully until the "curd" is no longer soft. Store in a container with a tight lid on the counter. Enjoy within 4 days.
Notes
- Liquid, refined coconut oil works better than the hardened version as it’s quicker to combine with the flour ingredients.
- Do not overbake the cookie base otherwise they’ll come out too dry and crumbly.
- The cookies are fragile, handle with care. This is especially important when adding the curd at the end.
