Gluten free lemon poppyseed cookies that are crispy and chewy, with just enough lemon flavor and the crunch of poppy seeds!
Jump to Recipe
These gluten free lemon poppyseed cookies are packed with lemon flavor, and with the subtle crunch of poppyseeds. They're crispy on the edges, and chewy in the center with plenty of lemon flavor even without using any lemon extract.
Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Gluten free lemon poppyseed cookies that are crispy and chewy, with just enough lemon flavor and the crunch of poppy seeds!
Yield: 30 cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening) melted and cooled
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon) reduced by half
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend please click thru for info on appropriate blends
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Coarse sugar for rolling (I used Sugar in the Raw)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and shortening on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and reduced lemon juice, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and poppy seeds, and whisk to combine well, working out any clumps in the lemon zest.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl in 3 batches, beating until just combined after each addition. The dough should be fluffy and light.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until chilled.
- Once the dough has chilled, scoop it by the scant tablespoonful onto the rimmed baking sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart.
- Roll tightly into balls, roll in the coarse sugar to coat completely, and then press down into a disk about 1/4-inch thick.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown (about 10 minutes).
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Gluten free lemon poppyseed cookies that are crispy and chewy, with just enough lemon flavor and the crunch of poppy seeds!
Yield: 30 cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) (140 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening) melted and cooled
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon) reduced by half
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend please click thru for info on appropriate blends
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Coarse sugar for rolling (I used Sugar in the Raw)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and shortening on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and reduced lemon juice, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and poppy seeds, and whisk to combine well, working out any clumps in the lemon zest.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl in 3 batches, beating until just combined after each addition. The dough should be fluffy and light.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until chilled.
- Once the dough has chilled, scoop it by the scant tablespoonful onto the rimmed baking sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart.
- Roll tightly into balls, roll in the coarse sugar to coat completely, and then press down into a disk about 1/4-inch thick.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown (about 10 minutes).
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Kelly@TheNourishingHome says
Wow, these look so delicious! Thank you for sharing! :)
Laura says
Gluten free Kit Kats?! YUM!!
L R says
Yum!
I only recently made a gf Keebler pecan sandies cookie recipe, not exactly the same but fairly close. I haven’t had a pecan sandie in soooo long I may have forgotten what they taste like…lol :)
I love lemon and poppy seed muffins, these sound very nice indeed!
HUGS!
Lucy
Mare Masterson says
OK Nicole, I love that you are so wonderful that you even think of developing the regular and lighter version, never mind actually doing it! I wonder, though if you prefer the regular version? Reason I am asking is the regular photos are well lit with bits of lemon zest around and the lighter is not as well lit, without lemon zest (teasing you, you know!)
Anneke, I am diabetic. I think I am going to try the lighter version with honey and no corn syrup this weekend. I will report in on how it works, how it tastes, and how it affects my blood sugar.
Anneke says
Thanks, Mare, I’d love to hear your results!
jillie says
wondering what is the best way to use honey or coconut syrup to recipes…should i add more dry or change in another way? thanks, these look yummy
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Jillie. If you change from a granulated sweetener to a liquid sweetener, it’s really a new recipe. Sorry!
Mare Masterson says
Jillie, I know to replace sugar with honey in baking, you use 1/2 the amount of the honey. I am trying the lighter version with honey this weekend. I’ll let you know.
Cheryl Robinson Thomas says
Sounds delish and definitely want to try these. Just wondering about the lemon juice, reduced by half…I’m assuming you mean to ‘cook it down’ to concentrate, but with such a small amount, 1/4 cup, I’m not sure I have a small enough pan for my gas cooktop to reduce without a potential sticky mess. Suggestions welcomed! By the way, you are my new hero! The new Julia Child of gluten-free baking!! Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
Yup, Cheryl, cooking it down is exactly what I mean. I have done it both with the juice of 2 lemons to make it easier (and then you can just measure out half of the reduction, which should come to 2 tablespoons), and with just the juice of 1 lemon in a small “butter warmer” saucepan. You just reduce it over medium-low heat, and keep an eye on it. It happens relatively quickly. The only way it’s really going to reduce into a syrup is if you walk away. Go ahead and ask me how I know that. ;)
Jennifer S. says
I love options and I love that you get that about us! thanks for all you have done and continue to do. I’m just salivating for the new cookbook because I know GF Kit Kats will be in there and I.want.one.now.
Jennifer S. says
oh and I just went out and did some voting on your board – can’t wait to see some of that stuff! :)
Nicole Hunn says
Glad you ‘voted’ Jennifer! Gluten Free Kit Kats are definitely a labor of love to develop (still working on it!) but I will get there and that’s a promise! :)
Anneke says
Being the poor cookie baker that I am, I’d love to know what you think about which version of these cookies is likely to turn out better on the first try. Keeping in mind that I will follow the directions about room temp and weighing the ingredients, do you think I might have more likelihood of success with one version over the other? I’d like to do the lighter version (diabetic daughter, as you know), but I worry that my already suspect cookie skills may have trouble with not using typical cookie ingredients. Either way, lemon and poppy seeds together are one of my favorite combos, so I know I need to make one or the other! Possibly every day! Thanks, as usual!
Nicole Hunn says
Oh, Anneke, you are boxing me IN here! As far as ease, I’d say that the original version is a tiny bit more straightforward. But really, if you follow the temperature guidelines for the ingredients, they’re both a total snap. The only slightly different ingredient in the lighter version is the tablespoon of light corn syrup, but that’s still a pretty common, everyday ingredient. I say go for the lighter version in honor of your diabetic daughter. They taste really good!
Anneke says
I’ll give it a try and let you know! You know how timid I can be about cookies . . .