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If you love cookies that have that delightful contrast of crispy edges and chewy centers, you’re in for a treat today with our Lemon Poppyseed Cookies. A buttery, bright lemon cookie with the delicate crunch of poppyseeds and an optional lemon glaze.

Lemon poppyseed cookies boast perfectly crispy edges with tender, chewy centers and the crunch of poppyseed. The fresh lemon flavor is tangy and bright, perfectly balanced with rich butter and two types of sugar to sweeten.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies Recipe

While lemon desserts might seem like an exclusively summertime treat, I always see these lemon poppyseed cookies at Christmas fairs and think it’s such a great idea to bring some fresh, summery flavors to cut through all of the heavily spiced gingerbreads, boozy rum balls and rich shortbread.

These lemon poppyseed cookies boast perfectly crispy edges with tender, chewy centers and the crunch of poppyseed. The fresh lemon flavor is tangy and bright, perfectly balanced with rich butter and two types of sugar to sweeten.

You definitely don’t need that lemon icing drizzle to finish these cookies off – but you won’t regret it if you do add take the extra couple of minutes to add it.

These luscious lemon cookies are perfect for any time of year – whether you are enjoying the fresh bounty of summer lemons or looking for something unique to bring to your Christmas cookie exchange.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Variations:

Meyer lemons are sweeter and more aromatic than regular lemons
Swap out the lemon for orange, pineapple or lime for a unique twist
Make these lemon poppyseed cookies into sandwich cookies using a lemon curd or lemon buttercream (we have a lemon buttercream recipe here)
Omit the poppyseeds if you’re worried about them getting stuck in your teeth

overhead image of lemon poppyseed cookies set on a wicker tray on a red plaid napkin with lemons and poppyseeds in the background

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies FAQ

How to store lemon poppyseed cookies: these cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How to freeze lemon poppyseed cookies: You can freeze the unbaked dough or the baked cookies for up to 2 months.

To freeze the dough, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment before placing in a ziptop freezer bag or your favorite freezer containers (this set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain).

To store baked cookies, use parchment or wax paper in between layers of the cookies and store in an airtight freezer bag or freezer containers.

More Lemon Desserts:

Easy Lemon Cake
Lemon Lush (Layered Dessert)
Lemon Sticky Rolls
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Magical Color-Changing Galaxy Lemonade from In the Kids’ Kitchen
Lemon Pudding from The Food Network

composite image of a glazed lemon poppyseed cookie along with three in-process images of how to make the recipe

Ingredients for Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

All-Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Poppyseeds
Butter, room temperature
White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Honey
Egg
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest of One Lemon

Optional Lemon Glaze:

Powdered Icing Sugar
Lemon Juice

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

labeled ingredient image for lemon poppyseed cookies

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing Bowl
Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
Cookie Scoop
Cookie Sheets
Silicone Baking Mats
Citrus juicer <– I love how easy our glass juicer is to clean and it’s also so pretty!

close-up image of stack of glazed lemon poppyseed cookies

How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the honey, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest for 1 minute.

Add half of the flour mixture, beat to incorporate, then beat in remaining half.

Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are browned at the edges but only lightly golden on top.

Remove to a cooling rack after allowing to cool on the baking sheets for about 1 minute (to prevent breaking the cookies).

If you’d like to add a lemon drizzle, allow the cookies to cool completely, then whisk together the powdered icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Adjust the consistency with additional lemon juice, if desired.

Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies and allow to set for about 20-30 minutes before storing or cooling.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Pin this Easy Lemon Poppyseed Sugar Cookie recipe for your next baking session:

If you love cookies that have that delightful contrast of crispy edges and chewy centers, you're in for a treat today with our Lemon Poppyseed Cookies. A buttery, bright lemon cookie with the delicate crunch of poppyseeds and an optional lemon glaze.

Grab your free printable recipe card for our lemon poppyseed cookies recipe:

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Yield: 30 cookies

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Name: Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 4 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: dessert recipe
Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Flour; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 2 Tablespoons Poppyseeds; 1 cup Butter, room temperature; 1 cup White Sugar; 1/4 cup Brown Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Honey; 1 Egg; 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice; Lemon Zest of One Lemon (approximately 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

Lemon poppyseed cookies boast perfectly crispy edges with tender, chewy centers and the crunch of poppyseed. The fresh lemon flavor is tangy and bright, perfectly balanced with rich butter and two types of sugar to sweeten.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 4 minutes

Total Time 4 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Poppyseeds
1 cup Butter, room temperature
1 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest of One Lemon (approximately 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the honey, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest for 1 minute.
Add half of the flour mixture, beat to incorporate, then beat in remaining half.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are browned at the edges but only lightly golden on top.
Remove to a cooling rack after allowing to cool on the baking sheets for about 1 minute (to prevent breaking the cookies).
If you'd like to add a lemon drizzle, allow the cookies to cool completely, then whisk together the powdered icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Adjust the consistency with additional lemon juice, if desired.
Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies and allow to set for about 20-30 minutes before storing or cooling.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.