Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, lemony sweet treat. If you love lemon, these are the cookies for you.
Shawn’s new job has made us a very early morning house.
He now works 6:30-3:00. Great because he’s off work so early. Bad because our alarm is now set for 5:30. Am. In the morning. When it’s still dark out.
It’s been quite the adjustment.
And since I’m such a light sleeper nice wife, I wake up with him and make his breakfast and coffee so it’s ready for him after he’s done showering and getting dressed.
To help wake us up in the morning, I’ve been putting on the news to play in the background, which I’m quickly realizing isn’t not the most pleasant morning viewing. Have you watched the morning news lately?! So many horrible things to report on every day! Murders. Major draught here in California. And many, many car accidents all around the Bay Area that are jamming up the freeways.
I need something a little more gentle for the morning time. I may have to switch us to children’s cartoons.
These sugar cookies have both lemon zest and lemon juice for lots of lemon flavor. The poppy seed give them cute little blue speckles, and a nice little pop of flavor.
I love these lemon poppy seed cookies because they are so EASY! No need to chill the dough or roll them out. No chilling means I can have these cookies within 30 minutes! Just make the dough and scoop them out. I am obsessed with my medium size cookie scoop. Now all of my cookies turn out the same size and bake evenly.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks 16 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about half a lemons worth
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer) beat the butter and sugars at medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat for over medium speed for 1 minute, until combined. Add in the flour mixture, and beat of low speed until just combined. Scrape down the bowl if necessary.
- Use a medium cookie scoop* (or manually measure 1.5 tablespoon balls), scoop out the cookies and transfer to parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in the oven for 16 minutes, rotating the trays half way thru baking. Cool for 3 minutes before eating. Will keep in an airtight container for 1 week.
- This dough freezes beautifully. Just freeze the scooped dough on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe container. Bake an additional 2-4 minutes than when baked raw.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated as a courtesy and not guaranteed.
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
More Sweet Treats
 
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Poppy Seed Recipes from my Food Blogging Friends
Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Loaves by Pumpkin N Spice
Lemon Poppy Seed Granola Bars by Maebells
Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts by Live Well Bake Often
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44 Comments on “Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies”
Love these!! I made lemon poppy seed cookies a while back and they were delicious. Such a perfect Spring treat!
I’m so glad you liked them Danielle! Can’t beat delicious lemon cookies. So perfect for this weather. Big hugs!
I’m all set to make the cookies but now have a silly question. I believe you said to position the oven rack on the upper and lower third of the oven. Do you bake two trays of cookies at a time, one on each rack? And then half way through baking, move the trays top to bottom and bottom to top and front to back? Am I over thinking? Hate to “mess up” when baking — love everything lemon!
Yes! That’s exactly how I do it! I bake 2 trays at once. Then half way through baking, I rotate the trays on the shelves, just for even baking.
Lemon is really good for health and skin :d I love lemon like you but actually I don’t know how to make some cake with lemon. Thank you for your recipe that can help me make 1 cookie ?
I was reading another post and was linked to these amazing looking cookies… boy, am I glad I saw this recipe. LOVE lemon and poppy seeds together. Thanks Natalie!
If you love lemon and poppy seeds, then you’ll LOVE these cookies! They’re my absolute favorite for spring. Hope you love them if you make them!
I was at a conference and they set out these cookies for a snack. All i could think about the rest of the day were these cookies. I found your recipe and they resembled the conference cookie the most.
I made them this past weekend and mine spread like a cookie while cooking. I’m wondering if refrigerating the dough and then cooking would help keep the thicker look? And if not then not cooking for as long, maybe 10 minutes otherwise the cookie isn’t soft, but got crisp with cooking for 16 minutes.
I’m so glad you liked them Cecily! Sorry yours got thin. Do you have a cookie scoop? I have the medium size by OXO. I think that really helps them stay “thick”. Chilling the dough would help too, but then it’s really hard to scoop out the cookies. Maybe try adding an extra 2 tablespoons of flour. Maybe that will keep them thicker. Hope it helps! Now I’m craving these. I always make them when spring comes : )
Just made these! Love them. SUPER delicious. Mine spread, too. I didn’t use a scoop, but the balls of dough were v rounded pre-bake – similar to a scoop. I don’t mind, but next time I’m going to refrigerate the dough for 15 mins before baking. What a treat, though!
I just made these a few times in the past few weeks, and they didn’t spread. But if yours are, definitely chill the dough! That will keep them from spreading. These are my favorite cookies for spring! Glad you found them delicious! Hugs Melissa!
OY VEY! I can’t even IMAGINE getting up at 5:30am!!! I’m ashamed to even whisper what time I wake up every morning.
These cookies are so pretty – I love the poppy seed speckles – and your video! I feel like I was in your kitchen making them with you:)
I definitely crave lemon in the Spring! I think the cartoons are a good idea. I mean, I don’t really enjoy the news regardless of time of day! Lol. I’d definitely need some of these cookies to cheer me up :)
Love these!! I made lemon poppy seed cookies a while back and they were delicious. Such a perfect Spring treat!
Love all things lemon! the cookies look great! Pinned!
LOVE the idea of lemon poppyseed cookies! Can’t believe I have never thought to do this and can’t wait to try it! Have a wonderful weekend!
Oh gosh, I am SO not a morning person. You are the cutest, I can’t believe you wake up and make him breakfast! I am NOT going to tell Nick, I don’t want him to get any ideas! lol
I am with you for the morning cartoons lol. The news is SO negative!
Okay and these cookies are TOO perfect for words! I love anything lemon!! I don’t think I would be able to stop at just one!
Pinned!