Lemon Poppy Seed Slice & Bake Cookies

I was really hesitant about making these cookies - I love lemon poppy seed muffins (find the recipe I use HERE), but I didn't know if the lemon poppy seed combo would make a good cookie! Well, I was so wrong because these cookies are delicious! They make the most perfect tea cookie because they're not too sweet!

Another thing to note before we get started - I looove slice and bake cookies! These are so much fun to put together and the refrigeration/freezer time doesn't bother me as much because they're so quick to slice up afterwards! This recipe is from Oh My! Sugar High (how cute is that blog name!?), you can find it HERE.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup of softened butter and 1 cup of sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.

Mix in 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, but I increased this for a stronger lemon flavor (I usually do this with recipes that have lemon in them!). I put 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the cookies!

Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of poppy seeds, but that is a whole lot of poppy seeds, so I reduced the amount to 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds.

Once the poppy seeds are well mixed in, stir in 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.

Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured surface. Knead the dough into the flour a couple of times, then split it into 2 equal pieces.

Roll both pieces of dough into logs. The logs should be 8-10 inches long (I think mine were a little longer). Once both logs are rolled, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least four hours, or put them in the freezer for at least one hour.

When the dough is done chilling, unwrap it and cut it into slices that are about 1/3 of an inch think (this is based on the original recipe! I think mine were a little thinner!). I was able to get 40 cookies from each log (80 in total).

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies along the baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are golden brown around the ends. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to let them cool completely before enjoying!

LEMON POPPY SEED SLICE & BAKE COOKIES
yield: 80 cookies (the original recipe says 4-5 dozen cookies)

ingredients
3/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream softened butter and sugar together. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla extract.
2. Zest and juice a lemon and add the zest and juice to the mixing bowl.
3. Add in baking soda and salt and mix until well combined. Add in the poppy seeds and mix until combined.
4. Add in the flour and mix until the dough holds together.
5. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and split the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each part into 2 logs that are 8-10 inches long. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate the logs for at least 4 hours or freeze them for at least 1 hour. Once they are done chilling, cut slices off of the log that are about 1/3 of an inch thick.
7. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies along the baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between each cookie.
8. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let me know if you have questions!