Lemon is one of my all time favourite flavours so it was high time I got a lemon dessert on here. So today I’ve got iced lemon poppy seed cookies which are buttery and soft and full of lemon flavour from both the cookie and the lemon glaze.
Lemon poppy seed is one of my favourite combos and is also one of my father in law’s favourites’ so for Easter this year, I tested out this cookie. I wanted basically a chipless thicker chocolate chip cookie style that was both buttery and lemon forward. I’m happy to say these turned out exactly how I wanted and were so good! They were a hit with everyone although I didn’t attempt any for the kids. I went with the safer choice and gave them my fudgy mini egg brownies.
These lemon poppy seed cookies are easy to make and the perfect dessert for Spring or Easter. If you want a less citrusy spring cookie, try my strawberry chocolate chunk cookies.
How to Zest A Lemon
The most simple tool for this is a zester. I love this one. It works great, cleans easily and is inexpensive. Using your zester, use a gentle but firm, smooth circular motion. Only go over each area once. This helps just get the zest and avoid the pith (white part) which is very bitter.
Do I Need the Glaze
No, the cookies themselves have some lemon flavour and taste great on their own BUT if you want that bright pop of lemon in your mouth, I highly recommend adding the glaze. This just takes them to the next level.
Do I Need to Chill the Dough?
Yes, I highly recommend you do. Chilling the dough allows the flavours to marinate and sugars to dissolve leading to a better texture, thicker cookie and better flavour.
If you’d like a no chill cookie, try my monster cookies or almond flour chocolate chip cookies, both of which are also gluten free. Or for a different kind of lemon dessert, try my vanilla cupcakes with lemon marshmallow frosting. They taste like lemon meringue pie but you don’t need to make lemon curd!
Can I Make the Dough in Advance?
Yes, while the dough should be chilled for at least 2 hours, it can also be chilled for up to 48 hours. If you’d like to freeze the dough and bake from frozen, see below.
How to Freeze and Bake Chilled Cookie Dough
If you’d like to make the lemon poppy seed cookies and freeze the dough to save time in the future, follow these simple steps.
- Prep the dough as instructed.
- Chill the dough as instructed. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP. (Chilling the dough helps the flavours marinate and the sugar dissolve. Not properly chilling the dough as instructed can alter the flavour and texture of the cookie.
- Roll or scoop the dough into balls.
- Place in an airtight container or bag.
- Label with type or flavour of dough, date, bake time and baking temperature. This makes life much easier when you pull the bag out of the freezer in a couple months and have forgotten what it is. (If you’re using a reusable bag, you can just write this information on a piece of masking tape or something similar.)
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven and place balls on baking sheet.
- Add 1-2 minutes to bake time as baking from frozen and enjoy!
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
Baking Tips
- For best results, ensure all your ingredients are room temperature. This allows your ingredients to incorporate into each other leading to a much better bake and texture.
- For best taste, make sure you use fresh lemons for both the zest and juice.
- Make sure you chill the dough as instructed.
- Don’t overmix your batter once you’ve added the flour. Mix until just combined.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Cookies
Today’s song is one I can’t stop listening to lately. Here’s Stuck In The Middle by Tai Verdes. Happy Baking! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Iced Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (330g) all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (20g) poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups (260g) granulated sugar
- Zest from 2 lemons
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup (140g) icing sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into sugar with your fingers until it feels like wet sand. Add the butter beat for about 3 minutes. Add the egg mixing until combined. Then mix in the vanilla and lemon juice until well combined.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
- Line or spray a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350℉. Scoop 2 tbsp size cookies and ensure they're at least 2 inches apart on the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges have just started to set. Allow to cool for a couple minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack.
- While the cookies cool, in a small mixing bowl, add the icing sugar and lemon juice to make the glaze. Stir together until combined and set aside.
- Once the cookies are cooled, drizzle the glaze over the cookies using a piping bag or just a spoon. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days and enjoy!
