Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Bars

I had picked up several lemons recently at the store as it’s a great ingredient to have on hand. Several recipes that I was considering called for lemon juice/zest, and I just needed to select the right one. I was comparing a couple of recipes, but also being mindful of how many lemons I had. One other recipe I considered required more juice and zest, but I probably would have been ok. That recipe was from a British cook, and I have noticed that lemons in the UK are considerably smaller than the ones I buy locally.

The only atypical ingredient was the sanding sugar to top the bars. It’s a large-grained sugar, but there are lots of other options if you don’t have it on hand. (I had orange sanding sugar, but that wouldn’t really work.) You could use regular sugar or raw sugar, but I crushed up some pearl sugar that I had on hand. Use whatever is convenient for you.

These bars came together quickly, and I was happy that the pearl sugar that I used on top of the bars didn’t completely melt while baking. The poppy seeds weren’t original to the recipe but it had been suggested in the comments. I have made lemon poppy Bundt cake that I adored, so I thought that would be lovely. These bars have a soft texture, not quite as soft as cake and just a little chewy. This recipe was a tasty surprise and super easy to make, and I look forward to making these again.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Bars
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla 
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Sparkling sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large mixer bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest. Mix on medium to mix the flavors and then allow the mixture to set for a few minutes. Add the butter on mix on medium for several minutes, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix until well combined.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the flour just disappears into the dough. Add the poppy seeds and stir on low to distribute throughout the dough. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the dough with sparkling sugar. 

Bake for 22-26 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Five Heart Home

Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

I think that the first cookie that I post each year is probably the hardest, as I have to decide what to make, what isn’t too much, likely what isn’t too sweet, etc. I didn’t end up posting last week because we were traveling, and I certainly had enough sweets and chocolates around that I was just fine. Now I am in the process of sorting through what we have, throwing out what is stale, and moving on, although I have a feeling that some of the treats we have on hand will last some time.

What should I make? This cookie seemed good, with the flavors of poppy seed and orange. I don’t traditionally bake a lot with orange, but it is in season right now so the time is right. I don’t use poppy seeds a lot, and as they tend to go stale, I decided to replace my supply. If you have had poppy seeds in your cupboard for a while, this might not be a bad idea.

This doesn’t make a huge batch of cookies, just over two dozen and I figured that was a good number. I ended up using the two tablespoons of poppy seeds that I had bought, and at least I know that they are fresh! I’m never sure if I should use food coloring or not, but I did add some orange powdered food coloring since I had that on hand. Ok, one or two cookies are a little streaky, but that’s not the end of the world. These are a lighter, refreshing start to the new year!

Orange Poppy Seed Cookies
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg + 2 yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

½ cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Additional orange zest

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and egg yolks and combine again on medium speed, until incorporated. Stir in the orange extract. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, salt, baking soda, orange zest and poppy seeds.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, using about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned along the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To finish, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice and drizzle on the cookies. Sprinkle with additional orange zest if desired. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Recipe from Mom on Timeout

Almond Poppy Seed Cookies

This time of year, it becomes a challenge to figure out what cookies to make. It’s starting to get nice, but it can be terribly cool in the evening. I guess that isn’t as bad as an Instagram video I saw this week from the UK where it was snowing! Yikes! I have nothing to complain about, I guess! I want to make items more fitting for spring, but then I am pulled in the other direction of baking with apples, pecans, and spices, since I love those flavors. It doesn’t help that we have some candied pecans that I can’t wait to put in a cookie.

Ok, so I searched through my recipes and they all lean heavily to peanut butter, oats, chocolate- not exactly perfect for spring. I suppose more people bake in the fall and during the winter holidays. I do have a couple recipes pinned that fit the bill, including these almond poppy seed cookies. I haven’t baked much with poppy seeds of late, so that’s a nice change. I love poppy seed muffins, so this is a way to get that flavor in a cookie.

These cookies don’t require much that is specialized. You top the cookies with sliced almonds, but you don’t need very many. I had part of a small bag left from another recipe and it was sufficient. Be careful with poppy seeds, as they tend to go rancid if they remain in your cupboard too long. I tell myself that I should store them in the refrigerator, but I never remember to do that. Several comments on the original recipe said that the cookies baked longer than the recipe stated, and that was my experience as well. Just keep checking if you are unsure if your oven is hot! It may be a challenge to wait until these cookies set to eat them, since they perfectly capture the lightness of spring, but I am sure that you’ll do your best.

Almond Poppy Seed Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
    
1½ cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
Sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until smooth. Add the egg and stir to combine. Stir in the almond extract, vanilla, and poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze: in a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla, and milk. Glaze the tops of the cooled cookies and top with sliced almonds.

Recipe from Chef in Training