Lemon Poppy Cookies
These lemon poppy cookies taste fantastic and are so pretty, if you’re looking for a delicious lemon sugar cookie… YOU FOUND IT!
These Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor. The perfect balance of tangy lemon and nutty poppy seeds makes them irresistible—so good you’ll want to bake a double batch because they disappear fast!
I’ve been on a lemon kick!
More great lemon recipes:
- Creamy Lemon Pasta Salad- homemade lemon mayo makes this irresistible.
- Lemonade- so yummy and cocktail options!
- Lemon Scones- one of my all-time requested recipes.
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs- tender and juicy and full of flavor.
- Shrimp Roll with Lemon Basil Sauce- a fun sandwich you will enjoy anytime.
- And you’ll find more lemon recipes here!
I love everything LEMON, and these cookies are SO worth making, trust me…they have a delicious light texture and wonderful lemon flavor.
These are one of my all-time favorite cookies to make. They are insanely pretty and whether you ice them or not, they will be loved by all.
Tell me I’m not alone, tell me you love lemon as much as me!
A Little History of Poppy Seeds
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Poppy seeds have been used in baking for centuries and were especially popular in Eastern European and Mediterranean desserts. Their subtle crunch adds both texture and a nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with citrus.
Why Lemon and Poppy Seeds Work So Well Together
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Lemon’s bright, zesty flavor balances the earthy nuttiness of poppy seeds. The poppy seeds don’t just add crunch—they actually enhance the citrus notes, making every bite more vibrant.
Kitchen Tip: Boosting Lemon Flavor
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Want your cookies extra lemony? Add a bit of lemon zest directly into the sugar before mixing. Rubbing the zest into the sugar releases the natural oils and intensifies the citrus punch.
Fun Fact: Lucky Little Seeds
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In many cultures, poppy seeds symbolize luck and prosperity—so you could say these cookies bring a little extra good fortune with every bite.
Lemon and poppy seeds seem to go so well together and just wait until you take one bite into these, you will know why…
They are delicious!
Don’t skimp and not add the poppy seeds.
Roll the dough out evenly to 1/4 inch thick and cut with a cookie cutter. My favorite is this heart-shaped cutter.
I had some leftover lemon glaze from the Lemon Scones I made, and hoped it would be enough to ice these and save me some time
…..as luck would have it
I had just enough. YAY! But it really only takes a minute to make the icing, and it’s so delicious. You can add real lemon juice into it instead of the water. I make it both ways!
I didn’t flood all of the cookies all the way with icing; I just outlined some.
I really liked that you could see the poppy seeds, they didn’t need to be all covered up!
You can add more poppy seeds on top of the icing if you like.
The recipe is very easy and OMG so delicious!!!
These look so pretty all piled high on a platter, perfect for any occasion or just for snacking!
The silky smooth lemon glaze icing with egg yellow food coloring makes these cookies really stand out!
Lemon Poppy Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon lemon baker’s emulsion
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 ¾-3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed
- Add the egg and lemon and vanilla flavors
- Mix in flour, baking powder and salt and poppy seeds
- As the dough mixes together it will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball
- Take the bowl off the mixer
- Begin rolling the cookie dough between wax paper or on a lightly floured surface
- Cut dough with a cookie cutter
- Space cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets to cook evenly
- Bake at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes
- Cool cookies completely before icing
Lemon Icing
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract or baking emulsion I prefer LorAnns lemon baking emulsion
- 2-3 drops lemon food coloring I prefer egg yellow color from Americolor
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together with a whisk or spatula until smooth,add a little more water to make the icing thinner, or powdered sugar to thicken the icing to the desired consistency.
- add food coloring a drop at a time and blend completely until the desired color is reached
- Fill a piping bag with the #3 tip and fill it with icing and ice cookies.
- Allow icing to dry on cookies 24 hours before stacking cookies
Callye from Sweet Sugar Belle makes amazing cookies. I couldn’t wait to try them when she messaged me she had a cookie she knew I would love. I linked to Callye’s Recipe.
So pretty! I love these
Thanks!
Too cute and I bet they are tasty as well.
If you like lemon these have a great flavor!
beautiful! I saw these on Sweet Sugar Belle as well (love that site!!), and I can’t wait to try them! your yellow icing makes them look so pretty!
They really are so delicious! I do love how only a little icing is needed to pretty them up, it makes them quick to complete.
Love you and your heart cookies
Love you too 🙂 Thanks.
Diane, these cookies are so fun & I bet filled with lemony flavor.
I brought them to Campblogaway, did you get to try them?
I’m on a lemon craze right now and these look so good! I’d love to make a batch of lemon poppyseed cookies for some spring-themed cookies. 🙂 I will link you from my Blue Sugar Cookie Co. Facebook page!
I love that you use Google Docs! I plan to make this recipe but cut out “egg” shapes for Easter, Thank you!
yes, google docs works well. I hope to have a direct printable link up on the recipes shortly it’s been in the works for some time, along with a redesign 🙂
Egg shapes sound great for Easter!
How thick do you roll out the cookies for them to cook in 7-9 minutes? Does the icing dry hard enough to stack, pack and ship the cookies?
I roll my cookies to 1/4 inch. I use two wooden dowels now, I didn’t used to and did a lot of guessing. Yes the icing dries hard to stack I’d wait 24 hours before stacking to wrap and ship them, so the moisture in the icing is completely dried out. The cookies won’t be stale if you leave them on a cookie sheet iced, overnight.
is the icing on the outline the same kind of glaze as the filler just piped on?
Yes it is the same icing used to outline and flood in the cookies.