No, those are not deviled eggs that you are seeing in the pictures before you; they are soft and delicate ricotta cookies that are slightly spiced and topped off with a silky and perfectly tart lemon curd. I know I always say this, but these little bites of perfection are my favorite dessert at the moment and I couldn’t be happier with how they came out.
With exactly a dozen cookie recipes on my blog so far, I found it quite surprising that I hadn’t yet included a single recipe for a thumbprint cookie - you know, the ones that have a slight “crater” or indentation on the top that is filled with jams or preserves, with raspberry being the most popular flavor. They’ve been around since the 1800s and apparently were invented in Sweden, but were also popular in Poland and other Eastern European countries. I grew up eating a similar version of them because my Czech grandma would bake them all the time and it’s a dessert of hers that I seriously miss.
The thumbprint cookie recipe that I’m sharing with you today isn’t exactly the standard way to make them but one that is kind of a hybrid with another traditional cookie: Italian ricotta cookies. It’s no secret that I adore dishes that have ricotta in them (whether used in ice creams, cakes, or pancakes), so I wanted to make a thumbprint cookie using the ricotta cookies as a base, and then further driving home the Italian influence by using lemon curd to fill the indentation instead of a fruity jam. It’s the best of both worlds and I find them to be insanely addicting, especially since they’re so small in size.
For the ricotta cheese, you can either go the route of making it yourself, which I actually have a recipe for here, or you can buy a tub of it at your local grocery store to make your life a little bit easier. Just make sure to buy whole milk ricotta and not the part-skim variety. The cookie base also has a couple of spices, cardamom and cinnamon, added to make for a more interesting flavor but feel free to play around with different spices like ginger and nutmeg. I also added a couple teaspoons of lemon zest to the dough to just give a bit more lemon flavor in addition to the lemon curd on top.
As for the lemon curd, I’ve found the easiest and most straightforward recipe via Epicurious: it doesn’t require you to use a food processor or a double-boiler like a lot of other recipes do, and you technically don’t even need to use a kitchen thermometer (fruit curds need to reach a temperature of 170°F in order to properly set), but I’ve made this recipe multiple times both with and without a thermometer, and had the exact same results each time. If you’re worried that you may have curdled the eggs, all you have to do is strain the mixture after taking it off the heat. The recipe will yield about 1 1/3 cups which will be more than enough needed for the cookies, so feel free to use up the rest by slathering it on pancakes, waffles, scones or as a filling in a layer cake.
Also, if you want to switch things up, you can absolutely make a different flavored curd, like blood orange, passion fruit or grapefruit. I recently made a blood orange curd and was almost going to use it for this recipe but honestly, it wasn’t the most appealing color. In my opinion, nothing beats the color and flavor of lemon curd but definitely use whatever fruits speak to you.
Note: if you plan on making the curd yourself, make it the day before baking the cookies so that the curd will be properly chilled.
Lemon Curd Ricotta Thumbprint Cookies
Yields about 4 dozen cookies
Recipe adapted from Food52
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
6 oz. (about 2/3 cup) whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature (homemade or store bought)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 to 3/4 cup lemon curd, homemade (recipe below) or store bought
Chopped pistachios and/or confectioners’ sugar, to finish
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix again until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
With the mixer off, add in the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low for about 10 seconds before increasing the speed to medium for about 30 seconds, or until the dough comes together - try not to over mix the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour..
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out about 1 tablespoon portions of dough and roll into a ball using your hands - it will be messy but not too difficult if the dough is properly chilled. Bake 12 cookies at a time for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies will be done when they’re golden brown on the bottom and when the cookie springs back when gently poked with your finger.
Allow the cookies to cool for about 30 seconds on the baking sheet, and then, using the back of a teaspoon, press down on each cookie for about 5 seconds in order to create an indentation for the lemon curd. After a couple of minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and fill each indentation with about 3/4 to 1 tsp. of lemon curd.
Finish each cookie with chopped pistachios and/or a good dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. Enjoy!
Lemon Curd
Yields about 1 1/3 cups
Recipe slightly adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained if pulpy
1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
3 oz. (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
To a small/medium saucepan, add the lemon juice and zest, eggs, sugar and salt and turn the heat on the stovetop to medium-low. Immediately begin to whisk the mixture together in order to temper the eggs - the more frequently you whisk, the less of a chance you’ll have of curdling the eggs.
After about a minute of whisking, start to slowly add in the small pieces of butter to the saucepan - I add the butter in about 4 batches, allowing the butter to melt before adding in more. Continue to whisk like crazy, and after about 5 minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken. If using a thermometer, you want the curd to reach 170°F. If not using a thermometer, the curd will be done when the mixture is beginning to bubble (don’t allow it to boil or the eggs will curdle).
Immediately strain the curd through a sieve into a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap (have the plastic touching the top of the curd) and refrigerate for about an hour. Store the curd in an airtight container like a mason jar and keep in the fridge.
*For the above cookie recipe, you would want to have the curd chilled before using it, so I would suggest making the curd a day before baking the cookies.