Lemon Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies

• servings: 20 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 59 minutes

Ingredients

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

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

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large lemon, zested

3 ounces white chocolate (optional)

Directions

Make Blueberry Sauce

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 Cookie Dough

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 Dough

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 Cookies

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 Cookies

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

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.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 276 kcal
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 7 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
• Trans Fat: 0.4 g
• Cholesterol: 44 mg
• Sodium: 170 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 42 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 28 g
• Protein: 3 g