These lemon poppy seed cookies are soft and chewy with ribbons of lemon curd swirled throughout! They're bursting with the same buttery, bright lemon flavor as lemon poppy seed muffins.
Lemon poppy seed isn't just for muffins! These lemon poppy seed cookies are perfect for lemon lovers! They're one of the best cookie recipes for Spring and Summer and taste like sunshine.
The cookies are flavored with tart lemon juice and zest, plus they have a satisfying crunch from the poppy seeds, just like my lemon poppyseed cake and lemon poppy seed Rice Krispie treats. Each bite is soft and chewy with tangy, creamy lemon curd dolloped and gently swirled throughout the dough.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and chewy texture- An extra egg yolk makes these cookies melt-in-your-mouth tender like my lemon rosemary shortbread cookies and lemon lavender cookies!
- Lemon curd swirl- There are thick, jammy swirls of lemon curd in the cookie dough for even more tartness. You can use homemade or store-bought lemon curd.
- No mixer required- This recipe is made with melted butter, so you don't need to worry about having a mixer to cream butter and sugar together! All you need is a whisk and a rubber spatula. Plus, this is a drop cookie recipe so there's also no shaping or slicing required.
Key Ingredient Notes
- All purpose flour- Gives the cookies structure. I recommend measuring it in grams with a digital kitchen scale for the best results. If you don't have a scale, use the spoon and sweep method. Fluff up the flour, gently scoop it into your measuring cup, and swipe off the excess.
- Baking soda- This reacts with lemon's acid to help the cookies spread as they bake.
- Lemon zest- This is the yellow part of the lemon peel, full of lemon oil which adds a bold citrusy flavor. Zest your lemons before juicing and be careful to not zest any of the bitter white pith
- Poppy seeds- These add crunch and pretty freckles throughout the dough. Some people soak poppy seeds so they're easier to digest, but you don't need to when baking lemon cookies with poppy seeds.
- Melted unsalted butter- I prefer unsalted butter so the cookies aren't too salty.
- Granulated sugar- Adds sweetness and moisture to the dough. Don't reduce the amount of sugar because the cookies won't spread properly.
- Egg and egg yolk- An egg binds the ingredients together, and the extra yolk adds richness and chew.
- Lemon juice- Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright citrusy flavor. Don't use store-bought bottled lemon juice because the flavor is muted. To make your lemons extra juicy, roll them on the counter a few times before squeezing.
- Lemon curd- Swirl homemade or store-bought lemon curd into the cookie dough. I used eggless lemon curd.
Substitutions and Variations
- Lemons: I used regular lemons, but you can zest and juice Meyer lemons for a sweeter, more aromatic flavor. You can also try making these cookies with other citrus fruit, like grapefruit, limes, or oranges!
- Icing: Make a quick icing or glaze by whisking ยฝ cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons milk, cream, or lemon juice. Drizzle it over the cookies before serving like lemon poppy seed muffins! Or you can dip them in melted white chocolate.
Helpful Equipment and Tools
- To prep the lemons, I zest them with a Microplane zester and then juice with citrus squeezer. You can use any juicer you want or squeeze the lemons by hand.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cool melted butter and sugar together vigorously.
Tip: For even more lemon flavor, rub the lemon zest and sugar together instead of adding the zest to the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Then mix in the lemon juice.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula until there's a few dry streaks of flour left.
Step 5: Next, dollop spoonfuls of lemon curd over the bowl of cookie dough. Fold 3-4 times with your spatula. There should be ribbons of curd throughout the dough.
Step 6: Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop onto the baking sheets. Place the uncovered trays in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF. Bake 4-8 cookies at a time for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are set and golden.
Let the cookies cool on the hot tray for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. The egg and egg yolk need to be room temperature so they mix in easily to create an even cookie dough. If you store lemons in the refrigerator, the juice also has to be brought to room temperature.
- Don't overmix. It's important that the lemon curd is gently swirled throughout the dough. When mixing it in, only fold 3-4 times to maintain the swirls! Overmixing can make your baked cookies brittle and tough too.
- Chill the dough. Don't skip the chill time! The cookie dough needs to chill for at least 3 hours. During this time, it drys out slightly and the dough hydrates, soaking up all that tangy flavor. The result is a beautiful, chewy lemon cookie that spreads perfectly!
- Underbake the cookies. The secret to super soft cookies is to underbake them a little. Take the cookies out of the oven when the edges are slightly golden but the centers are puffy and underdone. They'll keep baking on the hot cookie sheet for the perfect texture!
How to Store Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
To keep the lemon poppy seed cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Freezing Tips
- Baked cookies- Make sure the cookies have cooled, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Cookie dough- Follow the recipe through scooping the dough. Set the cookie dough balls you want to freeze on a lined cookie sheet, then freeze for 2 hours or until frozen solid. Place the dough balls in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
You sure can! You can make the dough up to 48 hours in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator after 24 hours. If you need to make the cookie dough more than 2 days in advance, I recommend freezing it as described in the Storage and Freezing section of this blog post.
As a professional recipe developer, I created this recipe to have plenty of flavor from real lemons, so you shouldn't need lemon extract. If you really want to add it, start with ยผ teaspoon and increase from there.
Yes! If you don't like poppy seeds, you can leave them out completely.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 330 grams all purpose flour
- ยพ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 10 grams lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 226 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 220 grams granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 175 grams lemon curd heaping ยฝ cup
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds together. Set aside.330 grams all purpose flour, ยพ teaspoon baking soda, ยฝ teaspoon salt, 10 grams lemon zest, 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Vigorously whisk cooled melted butter and sugar together in a separate large mixing bowl.226 grams unsalted butter, 220 grams granulated sugar
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined. Then mix in the lemon juice.1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until there are a few dry streaks of flour remaining.
- Plop spoonfuls of lemon curd across the bowl of cookie dough. With the rubber spatula, fold 3-4 times until the curd is barely combined. There should be ribbons of lemon curd throughout the dough.175 grams lemon curd
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop onto the lined baking sheets. Include the most curd in the bottom of the scoop so it's on top of the cookie dough balls.
- Place the trays of scooped cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF/180ยฐC. Bake 6-8 cookies at a time with 1-2 inches between each for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is puffed but looks slightly underdone.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. Let them cool on the hot tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar, lemon zest, and more poppy seeds. Enjoy!
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