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Fruity Thumbprint Cookies

These colorful fruit filled thumbprint cookies are the perfect springtime dessert! Filled with flavorful freeze dried fruits and unique jams and curds, these pastel cookies are sure to brighten up your kitchen this spring.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Total Time57 minutes
Servings: 12 cookies
Author: Abigail Bingham

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 6 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1¼ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup freeze dried fruit

Lemon or Lime Curd:

  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup lemon or lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
  • zest of 4 limes (if making lime curd)
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • green food coloring (optional if making lime curd)

Instructions

For the curd:

  • In a small bowl, whisk egg, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and zest (for lime curd) together until combined, then whisk in the citrus juice and vanilla.
  • 
In a small saucepan, melt butter on low-medium heat.
  • Pour the lemon mixture into the saucepan and whisk over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and bubbling slightly. Curd should coat the back of a spoon when it's ready.
  • Optional: if making lime curd, add a drop of green food coloring to enhance the green color.
  • Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a jar or bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
  • Store any excess curd in a sealed container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

For the cookies:

  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
  • Add freeze dried fruit to a blender or food processor and grind into a fine powder. If needed, use a mortar and pestle (or a rolling pin) to grind down any large chunks left.
  • Mix the flour, salt, and fruit powder together in a separate bowl, then combine with wet ingredients and mix well to form a dough.
  • Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough, roll into 12 smooth balls, and arrange them on the baking sheet. Gently press your thumb, knuckle, or the back of a spoon on top of each dough ball to make a circular indent.
  • Chill the sheet of cookies for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and bake cookies for 12 minutes, scooting after baking if needed. Let the cookies cool completely before adding your jams or curds to each one!

Notes

  • Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe - it will help save you time and keep you organized.
  • Chill time required. Don't skip the chill time! If you bake these cookies at room temperature, the butter will melt too quickly and the cookies will spread too much. We want round, puffy cookies that can hold filling in the center!
  • Make multiple flavors. This recipe makes about 12 cookies and can be scaled up or down depending on how many different flavors you want – I like to make two batches and use a different type of fruit for each batch!
  • Pick your favorite fruit. Good news – you can find a freeze-dried version of almost any fruit, so choose your favorite flavors (and colors) for extra unique cookies!
  • Mix and match fillings. Play with different color and flavor combinations by pairing lemon curd with a strawberry cookie, or raspberry jam with mango. The options are endless, and you can use homemade or store-bought fillings!