Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

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Lemon Poppyseed Cookies have a vibrant, intense lemon flavor with a subtle crackle and crunch from the poppyseeds. These bakery-style cookies are coated in a sweet lemon glaze that melts beautifully into the cookie.

Course Dessert, Snack, treat

Cuisine American, Vegetarian

Keyword Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, Lemon Poppyseed cookies

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Chilling Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings -18 cookies

Calories 308kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $6.32

Ingredients

1 cup (16 tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature (do not melt!)
1-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons lemon zest (~3 large lemons) (Note 1)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Note 2)
2 teaspoons lemon extract (Note 3)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cups all-purpose, white flour (Note 4)
1/2 cup white sugar (or coarse sugar for a little more crunch!)

Glaze

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon poppyseeds
Tiny pinch of salt

US - Metric

Instructions

WET INGREDIENTS: Add 1 cup butter to the base of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer). Add in 1-1/2 cups white sugar and 3 tbsp lemon zest. Beat until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape sides and add in 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp. lemon extract. Beat until incorporated.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Scrape sides and add 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp. poppyseeds, and 1 tsp salt. Mix to combine. Finally, add in the flour and beat just until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
CHILL: Cover dough tightly and chill in fridge for 20 minutes. Line a large plate with parchment paper.
FORM COOKIE DOUGH BALLS: Portion out dough, measuring each ball to be exactly 1/4 cup (60 grams) of dough (I don't recommend bigger or smaller cookies -- they work best in this size -- Note 5) Repeat with remaining dough to get about 16-18 cookie dough balls. Once dough balls are rolled, roll each dough ball in 1/2 cup white (or coarse) sugar and then set them on the parchment-lined plate.
CHILL AGAIN: Return to the fridge for 30 minutes or freeze for 20. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (162 degrees C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat liner.
BAKE AND COOL: Add cookies to the prepared pan, only 6 at a time (they need a lot of space to spread!). Keep the rest of the dough balls in fridge/freezer while baking. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until cookies have puffed up and aren't gooey or wet looking on top. Bottoms/edges should be ever so slightly browning. Be careful to not overbake as you'll lose out on flavor and texture! Remove from oven, let stand on sheet pan for 5 mins before removing to a wire cooling rack to fully cool. Do not glaze until completely cooled. Repeat to bake all the cookies or save some for later (See Instruction #8)
GLAZE: Meanwhile, combine all the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small zip-top bag and seal without air. Cut the tip off the bag and drizzle glaze evenly over all of the cookies. If desired, add a touch of lemon zest to the top. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.
STORAGE: Instead of freezing baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake these lemon cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.
The glaze doesn't freeze and thaw well, so I recommend making that fresh.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Lemon zest: The zest packs a huge flavor punch without adding liquid. There is a lot of zest --and it's all needed here! When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one), zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon for this recipe.

Note 2: Vanilla: I'll often use vanilla bean paste (3/4 teaspoon) instead of extract for even more flavor! Totally optional if you prefer to use paste.

Note 3: Lemon extract: Not to be confused with lemon juice, lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (just like vanilla extract) that gives these cookies an intense citrusy lemon flavor. This extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store; I recommend using a pure lemon extract. Do NOT substitute with lemon juice -- the two aren't the same.

Note 4: Flour: Use a food scale if you have one! Measuring flour can vary from person to person and is usually the culprit for cookies not working out. 400 grams is perfect for this recipe. (Having a food scale is also helpful when measuring cookie dough balls to ensure they're all the exact size, which makes them look more professional and bake evenly.)

Note 5: Cookie size: Cookies work best at this size. While you may want smaller cookies, know that the texture is not the same. The "sweet spot" for this recipe is exactly 1/4 cup (60 grams) of dough. Big, I know, but totally perfect!

Nutrition