Chewy Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Published on June 25, 2025
Quick Summary
These soft and chewy Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are bursting with bright citrus flavor, a hint of almond, and a touch of crunch from poppy seeds. Topped with a sweet lemon glaze, they’re easy to make with no chilling required—perfect for spring and summer gatherings, or anytime you’re craving a fresh, bakery-style cookie at home.
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Pin ItThe Best Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies – Soft, Chewy, and Glazed to Perfection
If you’ve been baking your way through the cookie recipes on my website or flipping through my cookie cookbook Let’s Eat Cookies, you know one thing for sure—I’m serious about cookies. With hundreds of cookie recipes under my belt, I’ve taste-tested, tweaked, and perfected just about every kind of cookie you can imagine. So when I tell you that these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies are amazing, I mean it.
These cookies are soft, chewy, and absolutely bursting with bright, fresh lemon flavor. A hint of almond extract gives them a subtle bakery-style edge, and the poppy seeds add the perfect little crunch in every bite. They’re finished with a sweet lemon glaze that makes them look as good as they taste (which is saying something!).
They’re a total crowd-pleaser—whether you’re baking them for a baby shower, bridal brunch, summer picnic, or just because you need a lemony treat. In fact, these are my oldest son’s all-time favorite cookie—and that’s saying something in our cookie-loving household!
Even better? You don’t have to chill the dough. Just mix, scoop, bake, and glaze. Easy, breezy, lemon-squeezy!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it creams easily with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps create those irresistibly chewy edges.
- Lemon zest: Packs a punch of lemon flavor!
- Egg + egg yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and makes the cookies ultra-chewy and soft in the center.
- Lemon extract: It enhances the lemon flavor in the cookie. Look for it in the baking aisle by the vanilla extract.
- Vanilla & Almond extract: Vanilla is always a must and the almond extract adds a subtle nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with lemon.
- All-purpose flour: The perfect base to give the cookies structure without making them dense.
- Baking powder & Baking Soda: The combo gives the cookies just the right lift while keeping the centers thick and chewy.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
- Poppy seeds: Add a bit of texture and visual flair; don’t skip them!
- For the glaze: You will need confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract! Makes a smooth, sweet, citrusy glaze!
Tips for Perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Rub the lemon zest & sugar together – Before adding the butter, use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it’s fragrant and slightly damp. This releases the lemon’s natural oils and boosts the flavor in every bite.
- Measure your flour correctly – Always fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Never scoop or pack it in—packed flour leads to dry, puffy cookies.
- Use fresh lemons – Fresh zest and juice (for the glaze) give a much brighter, cleaner flavor than bottled options.
- Zest before you juice – It’s much easier to zest a whole lemon than a squeezed one!
- Don’t over bake – The cookies should be just barely golden on the edges and soft in the center. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
- Glaze when cooled – Let the cookies cool completely before glazing, or the glaze will melt and soak into the cookie instead of setting on top.
Chewy Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
For the Glaze:
- 1 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar mixture together until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until combined. Mix in the vanilla, lemon, and almond extracts.
- With the mixer off, add the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix. Stir in the poppy seeds.
- Roll or scoop the dough into balls, 1 ½ tablespoons per cookie, and place them on the prepared baking sheet, 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, melted butter, almond extract, and poppy seeds.
- Use a spoon to lightly drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Let the glaze set up and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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