Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Start spring with these tender vegan lemon poppy seed cookies. Tantalizingly tart, sweet and filled with crisp poppy seeds for a satisfying crunch!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Refreshing Flavor: Lemon and poppy seed is a classic dessert combination for a good reason! The tanginess of the lemon perfectly balances the cookie’s sweetness, while the poppy seeds have a complimentary yet mild, nutty flavor.
- Ideal for Gift-giving: The vibrancy of these cookies makes them a great way to add a pop of sunshine to bake sales, baby showers or a Mother’s Day gift. Make them with these Vegan Coconut Lime Cookies.
- Easy to Make: Shape the cookie dough into a log and chill, then slice and bake. Make them thick for a softer, chewy bite or thinner for a more delicate and crisp cookie.
Key Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: Use unbleached varieties if possible for better structure.
- Light brown sugar and granulated cane sugar: Using both sugars in cookies gives the best consistency, flavor and color. Use granulated sugar, if necessary, for a crisper cookie.
- Cornstarch or tapioca starch: For a more tender texture.
- Vegan butter or margarine: Choose a salted vegan butter in stick or block form.
- Lemon zest: Use freshly grated lemon zest to add a more intense flavor and aroma. You could use lemon extract if you have no fresh lemons. Use ½ teaspoon of extract for every teaspoon of required zest.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemons for the best flavor. Bottled lemon juice is a good substitute.
- Yellow food coloring: Optional but adds an even brighter pop of color.
How To Make Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Add the sugars to a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest with a fork until evenly distributed. Sift and stir in the flour and cornstarch.
- Add the vegan butter and rub it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the poppy seeds and lemon juice.
- Gently knead the dough until a firm ball is formed. If it’s too crumbly, gradually add up to 2 teaspoons more lemon juice or water. The dough should not be wet or sticky.
- Add the dough to a clean surface or cutting board. Roll and shape it into a 10-inch log.
- Wrap the dough tightly in a large sheet of plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or until firm in the fridge. It also allows the flavors to develop.
- Store the dough in a cutout paper towel tube to help keep its rounded shape. This helps the cookies retain their shape better while baking.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Unwrap the dough on a cutting surface. Slice off the ends to make them neater, using a sharp, straight-edged knife and a slicing (not sawing) motion.
- Mark and cut the remaining dough into 8 one-inch or 16 half-inch slices. Arrange the rounds at least 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for thinner cookies and 25 to 30 minutes for thicker cookies. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time for an even bake. The bottoms should be golden brown. Add more time to make the cookies crisper, if preferred.
- Cool the cookies on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Storage Tips
Once baked, these cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to four days. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before storing.
You can also make the dough in advance, and once formed into logs, refrigerate the wrapped dough for up to five days. Just slice and bake when needed.
Both the dough and the baked cookies can be frozen. To freeze the raw cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap after shaping it into a log and place it in a freezer bag or container.
When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on your counter for an hour.
To freeze already baked cookies, allow them to cool and again place them in a freezer bag or container.
Separating the cookies with parchment paper, foil, or plastic wrap helps prevent them from sticking together and protects against freezer burn.
More Citrusy Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Orange Cranberry Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Cheesecake Bars
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Calories:250
Servings: 8 to 16 cookies
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Start spring with these tender vegan lemon poppy seed cookies. Tantalizingly tart, sweet and filled with crisp poppy seeds for a satisfying crunch!
Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements & measuring spoons.
How To Measure Baking Ingredients Correctly
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (175 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) granulated cane sugar
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch, or tapioca starch
- ½ cup (113 g) vegan butter or margarine, stick or block, not unsalted, cubed
- 2 teaspoons packed grated lemon zest, from 2 to 3 lemons
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) poppy seeds
Instructions
- Add the sugars to a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest with a fork until evenly distributed. Sift and stir in the flour and cornstarch.1½ cups (175 g) unbleached all-purpose flour ,2 tablespoons (20 g) light brown sugar ,¼ cup (60 g) granulated cane sugar ,¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch ,2 teaspoons packed grated lemon zest
- Add the vegan butter and rub it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the poppy seeds and lemon juice.½ cup (113 g) vegan butter or margarine ,2 tablespoons lemon juice ,3 tablespoons (30 g) poppy seeds
- Gently knead the dough until a firm ball is formed. If it’s too crumbly, gradually add up to 2 teaspoons more lemon juice or water. The dough should not be wet or sticky.
- Add the dough to a clean surface or cutting board. Roll and shape it into a 10-inch log.
- Wrap the dough tightly in a large sheet of plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or until firm in the fridge. Store the dough in a cutout paper towel tube to help keep its rounded shape.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Unwrap the dough on a cutting surface. Slice off the ends to make them neater, using a sharp, straight-edged knife and a slicing (not sawing) motion.
- Mark and cut the remaining dough into 8 one-inch or 16 half-inch slices. Arrange the rounds at least 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for thinner cookies and 25 to 30 minutes for thicker cookies. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The bottoms should be golden brown. Add more time to make the cookies more crisp, if desired.
- Cool the cookies on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Optional: Add 2 to 3 drops of Electric Yellow food coloring to the cookie dough for a brighter pop of color. Try not to add too much, as the color may become more intense when baked.
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Nutrition Facts
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Amount per Serving
Calories
250
% Daily Value*
Fat
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5
g
Sodium
89
mg
4
%
Potassium
61
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
32
g
11
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
1
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
56
mg
6
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.