Lemon Poppy seed Cookies
You may remember from my last post that Spring has sprung here in Rome, and with it, zona gialla, or loosened restrictions. The warm weather and return of outdoor dining has made for a lovely week or two of catching up with the city (we’ve not seen too much of each other in 2021, after all). I’ve spent the afternoon at l’orto botanico (botanical garden) tucked away in picturesque Trastevere, and taken long strolls around the city — stopping for a vignarola stuffed Trapizzino and a fritto made of tortellni called the lino (fuel for the journey, obviously). I’ve tried fried elderflowers for the first time — crisp, light, slightly floral in flavor — as well as gnocchi made with ortiche, or nettles, at Eufrosino in Tor Pignatarra. I’ve also managed to snag a table at the must-book-in-advance, blink-or-you’ll-miss-it Japanese restaurant, Mikachan, an incredible gem outside Rome. See for yourself below!
But to the recipe! I had planned on sharing a recipe for tiramisù alle fragole, or strawberry tiramisù this week, an idea that I’d been cultivating in my head for a while. But new recipes often need testing — I rarely get it right on the first try — and despite my enthusiasm and conviction that what I had written down was going to make for a game-changing, must-make Spring dessert, it, well, fell a little bit short. My cream/savoiardi biscuit ratio was off; I needed to be more generous with the strawberries in between the layers; I had been too timid in my dunking of said savoiardi, wary of producing a soggy tiramisù, only to find out that my lack of nerve had made for a rather dry one. Stay tuned for this one — it’s got potential, I know it.
My tiramisù may not have been ready to share, but these lemon poppy seed cookies — baked on a whim earlier this week — were. In fact, these cookies (a variation on a much beloved cookie recipe here) came out perfectly on the first try, no tweaks, adjustments, or revisions needed. They’re a riff on the usual lemon poppy seed cake or muffin, and are soft and pleasantly cake-y, wonderfully fragrant and citrus-y thanks to both lemon zest and juice. The addition of the poppy seeds (lemon’s soulmate) add a hint of nuttiness and a little texture. These are a departure from the usual American cookie — no gooey chocolate chunks, or under baking to be found here — and bring the cookie into lighter, fresher, Springier territory. Bonus: it turns out they are also delicious served alongside a few strawberries leftover from your B- tiramisù (think of their appearance in the photos above as a trailer to the recipe to follow).
A couple of notes: I used two large lemons, which was enough for both the juice and the zest. Feel free to up the lemon zest if you want an extra lemon-y cookie. You can also leave out the poppy seeds here and roll these in lemon sugar before baking (i.e sugar with lemon zest rubbed in, which releases the lemon oil in the zest) if you want just plain lemon cookies. If you want to freeze these to bake on a moment’s notice, shape the cookies, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze them until solid. Store them in a sealable plastic bag or in a tupperware and bake them directly from the freezer whenever you want; you make have to add a minute or so to the baking time, as they will be extra cold.
Looking for more cookie recipes? Click here. Looking for more Springy recipes? Click here. Want more citrus in your life? Click here.
LEMON POPPY SEED COOKIES
Makes 15-20 cookies.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick or 112 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) flour
1 tablespoon (9 grams) cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon (about 3.5 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (about 3 grams) salt
3 tablespoons (45mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons (i.e a heaping tablespoon, or the zest of two large lemons) lemon zest
2 tablespoons (18 grams) poppy seeds
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters or in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes, at least (the mixture should look very pale in color). Beat in the lemon juice and zest. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined (be careful to not overmix). Fold in the poppy seeds.
Using a large cookie scoop (an ice cream scoop works well), scoop balls of dough (about 2" wide each) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave a few inches between each as they will spread.
Freeze the sheets of dough balls for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate them for a least 1 hour. Don't skip this step!
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes. They should be golden brown around the edges and set. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool and enjoy asap.