Lemon poppy seed cookies taste like your favorite lemon poppy seed bread but with a perfectly soft and chewy cookie texture. They’re sweet, full of refreshing lemony flavors, and incredibly addictive!
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
If like me you have this thing for all things lemony and are clearly obsessed with cookies, you will fall in love with these cookies instantly! For once, there’s no chocolate chips in my cookies, and I promise you won’t miss them one bit.
Unlike most lemon cookies that tend to be thick and a little dry, these cookies really taste like your favorite cookies, with a soft, chewy inside and slightly crispy edges. They also pack a punch of citrusy flavors, and have an irresistible sweet lemon glaze on top. The best part? The recipe is ridiculously simple and quick from start to finish, with no chilling time required for the cookie dough. Try them too, and let me know how you like them!
Why you’ll love lemon poppy seed cookies:
- A perfect soft and chewy cookie, with crispy edges ✔
- Refreshing lemony flavors ✔
- No chilling time required ✔
- A sweet lemon glaze on top ✔
- A great alternative recipe to your favorite lemon poppy seed bread ✔
What goes into lemon poppy seed cookies?
- Lemons. You will need both lemon zest (what brings all the lemony flavors to your cookies) and lemon juice for the glaze.
- Poppy seeds. Because lemon and poppy seeds are like best friends.
- All-purpose flour + baking powder + baking soda + salt. These are all the dry ingredients you need in the recipe. Make sure your measure your ingredients properly (especially the leavening ones).
- Sugar + light brown sugar. For the best cookie texture, make sure you use both granulated sugar and loosely packed light brown sugar, and respect both quantities and ratio. Cutting the sugar in the recipe for a healthier cookie is not an option here.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter (since the recipe already calls for salt) and use it very soft, but not melted.
- Egg. You need one large egg only, to create moisture and bind the ingredients together.
A delicious lemon poppy seed glaze
These cookies wouldn’t be the same without the lemon poppy seed glaze slightly drizzled on top, that adds some sweet and additional refreshing and lemony flavors to your cookies. Only a slight drizzle over your cookies is enough, and remember to wait until your cookies cool down slightly before drizzling the glaze over so it can set easily.
Pro tips for perfect lemon poppy seed cookies
These cookies come together in a pinch, but like for every cookies, there are a few basic rules to follow in order to get the right texture and flavor.
- Use room temperature butter and egg. If butter or egg are too cold, they won’t mix in properly with the sugars and will separate rather than creating a smooth, creamy texture. Butter in particular, must be softened to room temperature but in no way melted.
- Rub lemon zest and sugar with your fingertips. This is a little trick that helps release the oils from the zest into the sugar and enhances the lemon flavor.
- Use both sugars and respect ratios and quantities. I say it every single time I share a cookie recipe, but believe me, this is the key to achieve the perfect cookie texture. To the question “Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe”, the answer is no. Enjoy a cookie, you’ll balance your diet at the next meal 😉
- Under-bake your cookies slightly. One common mistake when making cookies consists in respecting the baking time indicated in the recipe to the minute. But every oven is slightly different, and yours might be slightly warmer than mine (even if calibrated the same way). This is why I always recommend to monitor your oven closely while cookies are baking, and look for a slightly under-baked cookie (that gives a perfect soft and chewy texture) rather than over-bake it.
How to store these cookies?
Lemon poppy seed cookies will stay fresh for days, stored in an airtight container or a ziploc bag at room temperature. I like to warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating, so they taste like fresh out from the oven.
To freeze the cookies, let them cool completely after baking and then lay them flat in the freezer in a ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Allow them to defrost at room temperature or place them 40-50 seconds in the microwave. To freeze the cookie dough, place the cookie dough balls onto a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper and flash-freeze for 1 hour. Then, transfer to frozen cookie dough balls in a large ziploc bag and freeze for 3 months. You can them bake them according to recipe instructions, adjusting the time by 1 or 2 minutes longer if necessary.
Other cookies you’ll love:
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
With lemon and poppy seed, try also…
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
Lemon poppy seed cookies taste like your favorite lemon poppy seed bread but with a perfectly soft and chewy cookie texture. They’re sweet, full of refreshing lemony flavors, and incredibly addictive!
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
For the lemon poppy seed cookies:
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- Zest from 1 large lemon
- ¼ cup (45g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (125g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, rub the granulated sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips for about 20 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add brown sugar and softened butter to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 3 full minutes with a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 or 3 additions, and switch to a rubber spatula to mix until just combined. Add the poppy seeds and mix until evenly spread throughout the cookie dough. Do not overmix.
- Using a medium size cookie scoop, divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Place 6 cookie dough balls on each prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2-3 inches between each ball.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at at time in the center rack of the oven for 9 to 10 minutes. The edges should be set while the top still look pale and slightly puffy.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and bang your cookie sheet on the countertop a few times to flatten the cookies a little and give them some texture. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth but still thick, adjusting the quantity of dry/wet ingredients as needed to get the right consistency. Add the poppy seeds and mix. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies, and enjoy!
Notes
* Lemon poppy seed cookies will stay fresh for days, stored in an airtight container or a ziploc bag at room temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Molly
Made these to bring to a summer bbq and they were a hit! Only note is that my dough remained a bit puffed up at the end of bake time, so right out of the oven I flattened a little with a glass bottom. They turned out looking really uniform and perfect so this ended up being a feature, not a bug lol! Will make again for sure. Thanks for the recipe!