Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
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These Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are soft, chewy and flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest! They’re so simple and easy to make!
These Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are perfect for Spring and Summer. They’re soft, chewy and full of bright citrus flavor thanks to the fresh lemon juice and zest! The poppy seeds give them a little bit of extra crunch and complement the lemon flavor so well.
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Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cookies structure.
Poppy seeds – gives the cookies their poppy seed flavor. You can omit them if you just want plain lemon cookies.
Baking soda – helps the cookies spread. Do not use baking powder!
Granulated sugar – sweetens the cookies.
Lemon zest – adds extra lemon flavor by rubbing zest and sugar together until it looks like wet sand. This releases lemon oil from the zest.
Butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1 teaspoon of salt.
Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.
Lemon juice – gives the cookies their lemon flavor. Always use fresh lemon juice!
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
1. In a small bowl combine all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt.
2. In a mixing bowl rub together granulated sugar and lemon zest until it looks like wet sand. Add the softened butter then cream until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix the dough because it will make the cookies tough.
5. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger).
6. Bake cookies at 350°F for 12 minutes then cool on the baking sheet. The cookies will still look slightly raw when they come out but will continue to bake as they cool. Store Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Pro Tips For Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the dough! Only mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here!
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Don’t over bake them! They will still look a little raw when they come out of the oven but will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet.
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Cookie scoop (I use a 3 tablespoon scoop)
Ingredients
- 330 g (2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 350 g (1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 30 g (2 tbsp) lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 18 g (2 tbsp) poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl combine all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt.
- In a mixing bowl rub together granulated sugar and lemon zest until it looks like wet sand. Add the softened butter then cream until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix the dough because it will make the cookies tough.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger).
- Bake cookies for 12 minutes then cool on the baking sheet. The cookies will still look slightly raw when they come out but will continue to bake as they cool.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1 tsp salt.
- Store Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
