These Lemon Poppyseed Cookies are delicious cookies that are soft, buttery, and bursting with a fresh lemon flavor! The poppyseeds add a nice crunch, and the sweet lemon glaze really takes them over the top. These cookies are perfect for lemon lovers, in the spring, summer, or anytime you’re craving something fresh and citrusy!
I adapted these cookies from my Powdered Sugar Lemon Cookies, by adding in some nutty poppy seeds, and a nice lemon glaze. These cookies are little bites of sunshine, and fresh flavor.
They’d be so fun on a holiday cookie tray, or at a cookie party. Perfect for when you want a cookie everyone will love, and will be a great unique option that not everyone is expecting. Don’t forget to try my Lemon Thumbprint Cookies for another lemon favorite!
Why make these Cookies
- Bright and Fresh Flavor: The perfect lemon flavor that balances sweet and tangy in every bite!
- Easy to Make: These are easy to make without any complicated steps, or difficult to find ingredients. Just mix, bake, drizzle, and enjoy.
- Perfect for any Occasion: I love the flavor of lemon all year long, not just for spring. It adds such a nice fresh flavor in the winter that is sometimes brushed over – definitely add these to your cookie trays, or make them for your next baby shower!
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Lemon Poppy Seed Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter – gives the cookies a nice buttery flavor
- Granulated Sugar – sweetens the cookies
- Eggs – helps bind the cookie dough together
- Vanilla Extract – adds balance to the tangy flavor
- Lemon Extract – this is optional, but helps bring the extra strong lemon flavor
- Lemon Juice – fresh squeezed please
- All Purpose Flour – the base of the cookies to hold it all together
- Poppy Seeds – Adds a little nuttiness, and crunchy texture.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda – gives the cookies a lift, and their soft texture
- Salt – enhances and balances the flavors
- Powdered Sugar – creates a sweet and smooth lemon icing
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, and mix until their are no longer yellow streaks of the egg.
Step 2: Add in the Dry Ingredients. Add in the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together until you have a nice soft dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Bake the Cookies. Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 TBS portions and roll into round balls. Place on a lined cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until the tops are set and no longer shiny. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Step 4: Add the Icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. You want it a texture that can drizzle, but isn’t so thin it will melt right off. Add more powdered sugar or lemon juice as needed. Drizzle over the cookies with a spoon. Let the icing harden for a couple hours, then serve the cookies.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Zest too Deep: You want to zest the yellow part of the lemon peel, but once you reach the white layer (called the pith) you want to stop zesting. The pith will be bitter and will not have the flavor we want.
- Zest then Juice: Zest your fresh lemon to get as much of the lemon zest as you can, then cut it in half and juice.
- Food Coloring: For a brighter yellow color, add about 3 to 4 drops of a liquid yellow food coloring to the dough if desired.
- Don’t Overbake: Bake the cookies until the tops are just set, and barely no longer shiny. They may still look underbaked, but they will keep baking on the pan for a few minutes outside of the oven.
Storage Instructions
Once the glaze is set, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cookies, but I recommend not freezing with the glaze as it will get smooshed too much. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw the cookies, then add the glaze fresh when you’re ready to enjoy them.
These fresh Lemon and Poppy Seed Cookies are such a nice sweet, citrus cookie! You’ll love making them for a special occasion, or just because!
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Toffee Doodle Cookies
- Haystack Cookies
- Drop Style Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
- Lemon Coconut Shortbread Cookies
- White Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies
If you try these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS fresh lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
- 3 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled, or weighed for accuracy)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS poppy seeds
For the Lemon Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- poppy seeds (optional, for topping)
- fresh lemon juice (optional, for topping)
Instructions
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies:
- Cream together the sugar and butter in a large bowl for about two minutes until light and fluffy. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add in the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and stir together until combined. (Add in the food coloring if using). 1 large egg, 3 TBS fresh lemon juice, 1 TBS fresh lemon zest, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3-4 drops yellow food coloring
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir till You have a nice soft dough. 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Stir in the poppy seeds. 1 TBS poppy seeds
- Place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, about 15 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 TBS sized scoops and roll into balls. ( I measure them out to be between 32 and 35g of cookie dough each).
- Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookie tops are crackly and no longer shiny. They may look a little under done.
- Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
For the Lemon Icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until combined in a small bowl. Add in more powdered sugar, or more lemon juice as needed to get a drizzle-able consistency. 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- Drizzle the icing over the top of the cooled cookies with a spoon.
- Sprinkle with extra poppy seeds or lemon zest if desired.
Notes
- Don’t Zest too Deep: You want to zest the yellow part of the lemon peel, but once you reach the white layer (called the pith) you want to stop zesting. The pith will be bitter and will not have the flavor we want.
- Zest then Juice: Zest your fresh lemon to get as much of the lemon zest as you can, then cut it in half and juice.
- Food Coloring: For a brighter yellow color, add about 3 to 4 drops of a liquid yellow food coloring to the dough if desired.
- Don’t Overbake: Bake the cookies until the tops are just set, and barely no longer shiny. They may still look underbaked, but they will keep baking on the pan for a few minutes outside of the oven.
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