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Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 30

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons)
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, plus more for sprinkling

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring the lemon juice to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook until reduced by half. Add 1 stick butter; stir until melted.

    Step 2

    Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the remaining stick butter and 1 cup sugar on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the egg and lemon butter. Mix until pale, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and 2 teaspoons zest. Mix in the flour mixture and poppy seeds.

    Step 3

    Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons zest. Roll spoonfuls of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll them in the sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press each with the flat end of a glass dipped in the sugar mixture until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with seeds.

    Step 4

    Bake until just browned around bottom edges, 10 to 11 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

The cookbook cover with a blue background and fine typeface.
Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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