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You are here: Home / Cookies and Bars / Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

June 8, 2023 By Dawn 7 Comments

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are soft crumbly cookies with a touch of lemon and poppy seeds and topped with tangy lemon icing.

A large stack of cookies on a white plate with a lemon rind in the back.

Lemon poppy seed cookies are super addictive and very easy to make. Once you make them you will be making them over and over again.

Lemon and poppy seed is a classic combination. It is the perfect combination for these sweet crumbly cookies. The cookies themselves have a light lemony flavor, the lemon icing brings more of the lemon flavor to the cookie.

Looking at a side view of a stack of cookies with one cookie on the side.

Helpful Tips

  • Use real butter for these cookies. I use salted butter in this recipe for great flavor.
  • Use an electric mixer to blend the ingredients together. The butter and sugar should be creamed together.
  • Make sure to preheat the oven to bake the cookies.
  • The cookies have enough butter in them, so there is no need to grease the baking sheets or use parchment paper.
  • Try to roll all the cookies into the same size balls, this will help the cookies to bake evenly.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
  • These cookies freeze well. Place in an airtight container or a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Step for making lemon poppy seed cookies

Step one

Preheat oven. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and cream together with an electric mixer.

Butter and sugar added to a large mixing bowl.
One egg added to the butter and sugar mixture.

Step two

Add the eggs one at a time and mix in. Mix in the lemon zest and juice.

Dry ingredients are added to the cookie dough.
Lemon cookie batter in a mixing bowl.

Step three

Sift together the flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Cookie dough rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet.

Step four

Roll into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 11 to 13 minutes.

Lemon icing in a small bowl.
Looking down at iced cookies on a cooling rack.

Step five

While the cookies are cooling make the icing. Combine enough lemon juice with powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread icing over cooled cookies.

I have more cookie recipes that I am sure you will love:

  • Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies
  • Amazing Orange Cookies
  • Blueberry Coconut Pecan Cookies
A pile of cookies on a white plate.

If you make these lemon poppy seed cookies, I would love to hear about them! Please leave me a comment and a rating.

A large stack of cookies on a white plate with a lemon rind in the back.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies a soft cookie with a touch of lemon and poppy seeds and topped with a tangy lemon icing.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 157kcal
Author: Dawn

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • zest from one lemon
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Icing

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and mix in. 
  • Mix in the lemon juice and zest. 
  • Sift together the flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, cream tartar, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix in.
  • Once the cookie dough is completed, roll dough into about 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are starting to brown.
  • Remove from the oven. Then remove from the cookie sheet and cool completely on a cooling rack.
  • While the cookies are baking mix together the lemon icing. In a small bowl add the powdered sugar and gradually add the lemon juice until you have the right consistency for icing the cookies.
  • Once the cookies are completely cooled spread each cookie with the lemon icing.

Notes

  1. Use real butter for this recipe. It will give the cookies the best flavor. 
  2. Make sure to cream the sugar and butter together thoroughly.
  3. Roll the cookie dough into about 1-inch balls. Try to keep the balls the same size, this will help them to bake evenly.
  4. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
  5.  These cookies freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. 
 
 
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary with brands of ingredients used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.4g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 15.8g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was originally published on May 17, 2018. It has been updated with new content and pictures on June 8, 2023.

Filed Under: Cookies and Bars

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. gloria

    May 17, 2018 at 10:31 pm

    what lovely cookies !
    I love poppy seeds !
    xo

    Reply
  2. Angie@Angie's Recipes

    May 17, 2018 at 11:39 pm

    The combo of poppy and citrus is one of my favourite thing :-)) These cookies look seriously delicious and addictive!

    Reply
  3. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    May 20, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    Lemon iced cookies…yes please. The look great and would be perfect with a cup of tea.

    Reply
  4. Jeff

    May 20, 2018 at 5:53 pm

    I also love a lemon dessert, so thank you.

    Reply
  5. David @ Spiced

    May 30, 2018 at 6:26 am

    I’m like Mike when it comes to desserts. I like chocolate, but I’ll often find myself going to other options first. And these lemon poppy seed cookies sound like an option I would love! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    November 25, 2024 at 10:11 pm

    I have circled back to this recipe for years now. They are a crowd favorite every time. This recipe also has me adding cream of tartar to tons of cookie recipes. They stay so nice and chewy !!

    Reply
    • Dawn

      November 26, 2024 at 7:18 am

      I am happy to hear that you like these lemon poppy seed cookies. They are some of my grandchilder’s favorite cookies also.

      Reply

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Dawn

Welcome to Words of Deliciousness!
My name is Dawn! I am a wife, mom, grandma and the blogger behind Words of Deliciousness! I love sharing my favorite recipes and I hope some of these become your favorites too.
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Updated on June 8, 2023