Sourdough Lemon And Poppy Seed Cookies With Lemon Glaze

Brighten up your day with these fresh and zesty sourdough lemon and poppy seed cookies with lemon glaze. Not only they taste phenomenal but they are so light and airy that they will simply melt in your mouth. With a satisfying crunch from the poppy seed and a citrusy glaze, these sourdough discard lemon cookies have it all.

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These cookies are thick and fluffy and not flat as a regular lemon and poppy seed cookie. I have made good use of my discard in the right proportion with the butter, flour, and leavening agents in order to achieve a tall and chewy cookie. Hope you will enjoy them as much as I did!

Ingredients you will need:

For the cookies

• Sourdough discard: do not use your discard with hooch as it can affect the end result of the cookies.
• Lemon: you will need the juice and the zest from the lemon. I only use unwaxed organic lemons for zesting. You make your own choice.
• Sugar: I used granulated unrefined sugar.
• Butter: I used soft unsalted butter. The amount of butter will determine how chewy your cookies will be.
• All-purpose flour
• An egg: for binding and texture purposes.
• Poppy seeds: For a lovely nutty flavor and a satisfying crunch.
• Baking powder: as a leavening agent.
• Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): an alkaline reacting with the acid from your sourdough discard and your lemon juice to create the most tender and light cookie crumb.
• Vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt: to bring out and balance the sweetness of the cookies.

For the glaze

• Lemon juice
• Icing sugar

How to make the sourdough lemon and poppy seed cookies:

1. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, vanilla extract and sugar until well combined (wet sand texture).
2. Add wet ingredients: Start with the egg and lemon zest. After you mix those well, add in the sourdough discard and the lemon juice.
3. Add in dry ingredients: First mix in the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then add in the flour and mix until well combined. The last step is to fold in the poppy seeds. The cookie dough should be thick but sticky.
4. Chill the dough: Chill the dough in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). This step is important if you want a light and airy cookie and it helps you shape the dough easier.
5. Shape the cookies: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and divide your dough into 18 equal cookie balls (I used a scale for this). Shape the pieces of dough into balls using the palms of your hands. Place them on the cookie sheet leaving some space between them. I baked 6 cookies in one batch. Note: put the remaining cookie dough in the fridge while the first batch is baking.
6. Bake the cookies: The cookies should take 10 to 12 minutes to bake at 350°F (175°C). They are ready when they look set but still soft to the touch. The sides will get slightly golden (but not brown). Take the cookies out of the oven and leave them on the tray for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down.
7. Make the glaze: This lemon glaze is extremely easy to make. You just need to mix the icing sugar and lemon juice with a whisk. It should form a paste that resemble liquid glue.
8. Glaze the cookies: Once the cookies have cooled off slightly and while on the wire rack, pour the lemon glaze on top of each cookie. This step is messy, so you might want to put the baking paper you used before under the rack to catch all the drippings. Let the glaze set on the cookies. It should only take a few minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy!

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