These soft & buttery lemon poppyseed cookies require no chill time and are finished off with a sweet lemon glaze! Bake for 6 minutes for nice soft cookies, or bake a couple minutes more for satisfyingly crisp, golden-brown edges.
These are adapted from one of my favorite recipes in “The Cookie Collection” by Brian Hart Hoffman (Pg. 90, Orange Butter Cookes). Easily one of my favorite cookbooks—I find myself constantly pulling it out to bake from. You really can’t go wrong with any of the recipes in there, friends!
What’s the difference between Butter & Sugar Cookies?
There are two main differences between the two! The first is that butter cookies contain a higher percentage of, yep you guessed it—butter! On the flip side, sugar cookies contain a higher flour to butter ratio.
Butter cookies will also hold their shape more when baking and you may even see recipes where you’re asked to pipe the dough (don’t worry, not for my lemon poppyseed cookies). With sugar cookies, the dough is often just rolled thinly on a surface and cut out.
Butter cookies tend to be much softer than sugar and typically don’t require any sort of chill time. Shortbread cookies are very similar to butter, but are more crumbly and often baked at lower temperatures.
How to Achieve That Straight-Edged Glaze Look
Yes, you could very well just cover these lemon poppyseed cookies head-to-toe in glaze, but where’s the fun in that? There’s two ways to get that fancy half-glazed look, one cleaner than the other!
The first option is to simply dip half the cookie in your glaze, letting the excess drip back into your bowl, and gently placing it back onto your rack.
The second option which uses a straight edge, will give the cookies a much neater, more “refined” look! You can use a bench scraper like I did, but any sturdy straight edge will work (I’ve literally used a chip clip before).
How to Achieve the Straight Edge:
Place your bench scraper (or other straight-edged tool) in the middle of your cookies (like you’re going to cut them in half), then spoon the glaze over one half, dragging your bench scraper towards the glaze once finished spooning to keep the line clean. I like to keep my bench scraper on the line while I nudge the glaze around with my spoon to fully cover the one half.
Materials You’ll Need:
- Various sized mixing bowls
- Measuring cups & spoons (love these adjustable spoons)
- Stand Mixer fitted with paddle attachment
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Citrus Zester (this one from Microplane is amazing/what I use!)
- Cookie Scoop
Fresh Lemon Juice vs. Bottled Lemon Juice
Is there a difference between fresh citrus juice and store-bought? Is one better than the other? The answer to both is simple: yes!
Use fresh lemon juice, please and thank you!
Juicing vs. Pouring
The argument that it just takes “too long to juice a lemon” is weak—there I said it (sorry, please stay, I love you)! It takes maybe 10 seconds longer (at most) for you to grab a lemon, slice it in half, and juice it.
Grab yourself this easy 2-in-1 Citrus Juicer from OXO to make life easier!
Preservatives
Also, using fresh lemon juice allows you to avoid any unwanted preservatives that you’ll find in bottled (chemicals designed to prolong expiration dates). Not all preservatives are necessarily bad, but by opting for fresh citrus juice you’ll be choosing the more natural route every time!
Fresh citrus has less time to oxidize and is just going to give your bakes more flavor/potency than store-bought will. The choice is yours, but I say fresh squeezed all the way baby!
Lemon Zest Tip: Whenever zesting lemons, try and do it as close to adding to your mixture as possible. The oils from your lemon zest will start to dissipate quickly after being zested and you may lose some of the fragrance/flavor for your bake!
You’re going to be hooked on these—I’m telling you! Be sure to share your bakes and tag me over on Instagram (@joshisbaking). Also be sure to grab a copy of “The Cookie Collection” from Brian Hart Hoffman for more amazing cookie recipes! Like I said, it’s one of my favorites!
Happy baking, friends!
Print
Lemon Poppyseed Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 Min.
- Cook Time: 6-8 Min.
- Total Time: 45 min.
- Yield: 22–24 Cookies 1x
Description
These soft & buttery lemon poppyseed cookies require no chill time and are finished off with a sweet lemon glaze! Bake for 6 minutes for nice soft cookies, or bake a couple minutes more for satisfyingly crisp, golden-brown edges.
Adapted from one of my favorite recipes in “The Cookie Collection” by Brian Hart Hoffman (Pg. 90, Orange Butter Cookes).
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227g)
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (240g)
- 1 large egg (50g)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (10g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (10g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (3g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 tablespoons poppyseeds (17g)
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (210g before sifting)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained (30g)
- 1 tablespoon whole milk (10g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
- Poppyseeds (for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg, zest, and vanilla, beating until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until a dough forms. With the mixer still on low speed, add your poppyseeds one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, scoop dough, and roll into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar, coating completely. Place on prepared pans. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass, gently press down to flatten dough balls until about 1/2 inch or so high. Cookies should be 2 inches apart on pans.
- Bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
- Once your cookies have cooled completely, whisk together all of your glaze ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Glaze needs to be thick (see notes below). You can either dip your cookies halfway into the glaze and immediately sprinkle the glaze half with extra poppyseeds or use the straight edge method like I did (see notes for how to do this).
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Notes
- Your glaze needs to be thick in order for the straight line coating to work properly. Add powdered sugar by the tablespoon if not, but the above measurements should give you the right consistency.
- Straight Edge Glaze Method:
- Place a bench scraper (any sturdy straight edge will work) in the middle of your cookies like you’re going to cut them in half and spoon the glaze over one half, dragging your bench scraper towards the glaze once finished spooning the glaze to keep the line clean. Immediately sprinkle the glazed half with extra poppyseeds.
- Make sure to use the same lemons you zested for the lemon juice—fresh lemon juice is always going to taste better than store-bought! Also be sure to zest the lemons as close to adding to the recipe as possible for maximum potency, trust me.
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make. The perfect amount of sweetness and the lemon makes a refreshing dessert bite. The cookie on its own is a treat, but the glaze takes it to the next level. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
LOVE hearing this Linda—thank you! So happy they turned out great and I know—that glaze is a must!
New favorite cookie!!! Especially for Summer!!! Perfectly balanced flavors – lemon and poppyseed really pop, plus the perfect amount of sweetness. The cookie itself is like a fancy breakfast biscuit and has every texture you could want in a cookie. Will be making batches and batches of these!! Thank you, Josh!!
Love this so so much Claire!! Thanks again for making and sharing! 🙂