Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

I’ve had a lemon dessert on my brain for weeks. Not sure why, but I bought a bag of lemons at the grocery store, determined to use them for something fun and special. I couldn’t decide between a cake or muffin, cookies or scones; all I knew for sure was the lemon part.

My family loves to tease that dessert made with fruit is really just a side dish and it has to be chocolate to count as a real dessert. For the record, I couldn’t disagree more, but often majority wins out around here and if I’m going to make a special treat, it leans heavily to the chocolate, peanut butter, more chocolate side of things.

But not this week. This week is all about this bright, sunshiny, feels-like-spring lemon poppyseed cookie. I’ve had a version of this recipe saved for years, never taking the time to play around with it.

Until finally, with the sun warming my face while I worked in the yard and the grass starting to green up again, it felt just enough like spring to fully embrace some spring-like recipes. I’m already dreaming of asparagus and spring peas, leafy early greens and garlic scapes hopefully available in the not too distant future.

But back to the cookies. The original recipe is by Melissa Coleman, of The Faux Martha, a recipe creator I adore and use for inspiration constantly. Her recipes are always a slam dunk and often have a little hint of a surprise to them. For example, her cookie recipe calls for cornmeal, a little unexpected, and yet absolutely perfect, giving the cookie texture and just a hint of color. Her recipe doesn’t call for a glaze, but I couldn’t resist adding one.

Growing up, there was a coffee shop near my high school that sold giant lemon poppyseed cookies with a thick layer of lemon icing. I wasn’t ready to commit to an entire batch of icing, but this sweet and super simple glaze, gives the cookie that little something extra for not a lot of effort. If I was planning to gift these or take them to a party, I would sprinkle the cookies with a bit of raw sugar and extra lemon zest before the glaze set for an extra special touch.

A quick note about the recipe, notice that it calls for four tablespoons lemon juice divided. The cookie dough requires two tablespoons lemon juice and then you’ll use the rest of the juice to make the glaze. I needed two medium lemons for this recipe, but you might be able to make a batch of cookies with one large, very ripe lemon.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup cornmeal

• 2 tablespoons poppyseeds

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, poppyseeds, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine before setting aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until well combined. Add in the oil, egg, two tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla extract; mixing again until the batter is pale, well combined. Make sure two scrape down the sides to incorporate all the ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter, turning the mixer to low, until just combined. The dough will be a bit dense, looking a little more like a sugar cookie or shortbread than traditional cookie batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, line the baking tray evenly with cookie dough balls, leaving a little room for the cookies to spread slightly. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 12 minutes. They will look slightly underdone, but pull them from the oven anyway and let cool on the tray. Transfer to a wire rack placed over a big sheet of parchment paper to drizzle with the sugar glaze.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, powdered sugar and almond extract. Whisk with a fork until smooth. If needed, add a little extra powdered sugar to thicken the glaze. Using a spoon, drizzle the cookies liberally with the glaze. Allow the glaze to set for about 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container.