Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies with Lemon Drizzle

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If there ever was a cookie that you NEEDED to bake this weekend, it’s these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies with Lemon Drizzle! Soft and chewy lemon cookies loaded with crunchy poppy seeds and made with both lemon juice and lemon zest for double the lemon flavor. Then, after baking, each soft yellow cookie is lightly drizzled with the simplest 2 ingredient lemon drizzle! These are the ultimate cookie for any lemon lover! Every bite is perfectly balanced between tartness and sweetness, chewiness, and lemon-y goodness. Simply delicious!

About The Recipe

2023 has really been the year of cookies for my mom and I! We’re only 3 months into the new year and we’ve already shared 10+ unique and delicious cookie recipes.

Though, that doesn’t mean we are anywhere near ready to stop! We are back with yet another cookie recipe and I have been SO anxious/excited to share this one with all of you.

Anything made with lemon really seems to be the favorite flavor here. With all the love we’ve received on our various lemon recipes, we always try to find new/fun ways to give you all more delicious lemon-y bakes!

Though, this time, we combined two of MY favorite treats to create the ultimate treat.

Ever since I was a little girl, even though I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I have always had a soft spot of lemon poppy seed bread.

It’s just one of those treats that I have adored for as long as I can remember!

Then, I am just a sucker for cookies. I could eat my weight in cookies. They make me so happy!

So, with April/Easter right around the corner, we thought that his combination would be the perfect treat for Spring.

Honestly, these cookies are delicious ANYTIME of year, but I think especially during the Spring/Summer months. Every bite is bright, lemony, with a delicious crunch coming from the poppy seeds!

It’s reminiscent of the classic treat, but made into delicious cookie-form. I am simply OBSESSED and I hope you all love them just as much as we do!

What Are Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies?

This cookie is inspired by two of my favorite treats…lemon poppy seed bread and chewy sugar cookies!

The cookie itself is a simple sugar cookie, but made with the addition of lemon juice and lemon zest to give it some extra flavor, as well as lots of poppy seeds! Then, each cookie is drizzle with a two ingredient icing that really adds a punch of lemon flavor.

These cookies are super simple, but SO delicious!

Reasons You Will Love These Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

• Made in one bowl and is super easy to make!
• Full of lemon flavor.
• Chewy, crinkly, and oh-so delicious.
• The perfect treat for lemon lovers!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer
• Medium Cookie Scoop
• Sheet Pans
• Whisk

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Cookies:

• Unsalted Butter – For this recipe, we opted to use unsalted butter to help us control the amount of salt in this recipe. If all you have is salted butter, you can use that, but just remember to omit the salt in the recipe!
• Granulated Sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness, while also giving these cookies the perfect texture.
• Large Egg – Remember to set the egg out ahead of time to bring it to room temperature.
• Lemon Juice – This adds a delicious pop of lemon flavor to these cookies! Using fresh juice will provide the most amount of flavor.
• Lemon Zest – We added extra lemon to really give these cookies a punch of flavor.
• Vanilla Extract – This rounds out the flavors in the cookie.
• All-Purpose Flour – No need for fancy flours in this recipe! Regular unbleached all-purpose flour gives these cookies the perfect structure and texture.
• Poppy Seeds – This is essential! The poppy seeds adds a perfect amount of crunch to these cookies.
• Baking Soda – Since this recipe is made with lemon, we added baking soda to ensure the perfect rise, as lemon is an acidic ingredient, but also to promote some spread, as we didn’t want these cookies to be too thick.
• Baking Powder – Adds just the right amount of rise to give these cookies the perfect structure!
• Salt – Cuts some of the sweetness, while also enhancing the flavor.

For The Icing:

• Powdered Sugar – Remember to sift the powdered sugar to ensure no lumps!
• Lemon Juice – Adds just the right amount of lemon flavor to give this icing a bright and delicious flavor.

How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Step 1: Prepare dough

With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat well.

Stir in flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt just until combined.

Step 2: Divide dough and bake

Use a 1½ Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion cookies onto prepared pans. Bake for 12 minutes, until light golden brown around edges.

Step 3: Make icing

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix until combined.

Drizzle over cooled cookies.

How To Get a Perfectly Round Cookie

The best way to achieve this is using a cookie scoop, as the dough balls will already be in close-to-perfect round. As they bake, the cookies will spread into a perfect round shape!

Choosing The Right Lemon & How To Get The Most Juice From It

It may sound a little odd, but I promise there is actually a trick to this!

• First things first, when you’re at the store, don’t go for the larger lemons. I know it’s tempting, but generally… that size yields in quite a bit of rind. Not juice.
• Pick them up! Use that scale you see by the other fruits. See what’s heavier. The heavier the lemon, the more more juice it’ll have.
• Squeeze it gently. A thinner rind will have some give to it, whereas a thicker rind will be about as hard as a rock.

So, now that you have the perfect lemons, what’s the best way to get the most amount of juice? Using room temperature lemons!

But, that’s not all. From there, roll them onto the counter until they’re super soft and squishy! This will yield the most amount of juice. Especially if you’re using a citrus juicer!

How To Zest A Lemon

The best way to zest a lemon is with a zester! Though, if you don’t have one, a very fine cheese grater will do, but it’s really worth investing in a zester, as it’s a great tool to have. From there, thoroughly wash your lemon and dry it with a towel.

Now, you’re ready to zest!

Hold the zester at an angle over a plate and push/pull your lemon until you reach the white of the rind. Once you see white, stop zesting and rotate the lemon! Continue as you did before and repeat until the entire lemon has been zested.

Depending on the size of your lemons, you may need more than one lemon.

How To Store

The best part about these cookies? They can be frozen for up to 3 months! Oh, yes, that’s right. After baking and cooling, you can place the baked cookies in an airtight freezer safe zip top bag and put in the freezer.

Though, if you’d like fresh baked cookies, you can actually freeze the cookie dough itself! Follow the directions all the way to portioning out the dough. From there, place a few inches apart on a lined sheet pan and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the cookie dough is frozen solid. From there, place the frozen cookie dough balls in a zip top bag and keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.

You can also keep these cookies in an airtight container or zip top bag on the counter for about a week!

Substitutions

• You can use store-bought lemon juice, but you will still need fresh lemons to zest.
• To make this recipe vegan, you can use a non-dairy butter and your favorite vegan egg substitute. We love to use aquafaba!

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Expert Tips

• Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature!
• Be careful to not over-mix the cookie dough!
• Depending on how your oven bakes, if baking multiple pans at a time, be sure to check on the cookies at about 10 minutes into the bake time.
• Don’t forget to line your sheet pans.
• It’s best to use a cookie scoop to ensure all cookies are the same size.
• The cookie dough can be frozen and baked at a later date!

When you make these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies with Lemon Drizzle, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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