Description
Zesty lemon poppy seed cookies bring sunshine to classic baking traditions. Sweet-tart flavors blend perfectly with delicate poppy seed texture, offering refreshing enjoyment for dessert lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 yolk, room temperature
- 2 large lemons zested
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Filling and Frosting Ingredients:
- 6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese, room temperature (for filling)
- 3 tablespoons white sugar (for filling)
- 1/2 large lemon zested (for filling)
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese (for frosting)
- 2 tablespoons butter (for frosting)
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Yellow and green food dye
Instructions
- Prepare lemon cream cheese filling by whipping cream cheese with sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Create 17 small dollops and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Combine flour, poppy seeds, and salt in a separate bowl. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Incorporate eggs and lemon zest, mixing thoroughly.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined, avoiding overmixing. Chill dough for 30 minutes to enhance flavor and texture.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop chilled dough onto baking sheets, creating a small indentation in each cookie. Carefully place frozen cream cheese filling into center and seal dough completely around filling.
- Arrange cookies with ample spacing, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 13-15 minutes until edges turn golden brown and centers appear set.
- Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 4 minutes to stabilize structure. Transfer to wire rack for complete cooling.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting by blending cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Divide frosting and tint with yellow and green food coloring.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, pipe decorative lemon shapes and leaf designs using colored frosting for elegant presentation.
Notes
- Freezing the filling beforehand ensures a perfect, intact center that doesn’t melt during baking.
- Zest the lemon carefully to capture only the bright yellow outer layer, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.
- Use room temperature ingredients like butter and eggs to help the cookie dough mix more smoothly and evenly.
- For gluten-free options, swap all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to maintain the cookie’s soft texture.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg