Did anyone read the Anne of Green Gables books growing up or watch Avonlea on the Disney Channel? My favorite books and my favorite show growing up, for sure. There were church picnics where Anne and Gilbert would make eyes at one another and Anne and Diana would hold hands; I imagine these cookies would be at those church picnics.
The cookie is straight from America’s Test Kitchen, but I added the glaze. The cookies are rolled in sugar so they have that nice, crackely crispy crust but are soft and chewy inside. The glaze is like super sugary lemonade and adds a little something extra. I hate waste, so after zesting a lemon I didn’t want to send it back into the produce drawer to harden up – I made a glaze with the juice! The cookie is delicate, pretty, and crazy fresh. The sweetness is offset by a touch of sour – just enough to keep you coming back for more.
Sometimes I think the Anne of Green Gables era was my era. I would like to live back then but take with me an air conditioner. You know I still have some of the books laying around – I think I’m going to tab through and look for lemon poppy seed sugar cookies. They’d be great for a baby or wedding shower, and are quick/easy enough to make for a barbecue.
Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies
Makes 24
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool (2 sticks)
1 c. sugar, plus 1/2 c. for rolling
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon (1 tbsp.)
Glaze
2 c. powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray).
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Cream butter, sugar (1 c.), and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes on medium high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest and beat to combine, about 30 seconds.
5. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
6. Make a small bowl of ice water and a second small bowl with the 1/2 c. sugar. Using wet hands (let excess water drip back into bowl before rolling), roll dough into 24 balls (about 1 1/2 tbsp. amounts). Roll each ball in sugar and place on cookie sheet (12 per sheet).
7. Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with nonstick spray and dip in remaining sugar. Press the bottom of the glass down onto each cookie, flattening to about 3/4 of an inch.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating sheets midway.
9. Meanwhile, make glaze by whisking together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth.
10. Let cookies cool about five minutes on sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
11. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies using the tines of a fork. Let sit at least one hour for glaze to harden. Store in air tight container at room temp about three days.
