POPPY-SHAPED LEMON COOKIES

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  • 1
  • 50 mins
  • 320 mins

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice until combined. Beat in flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out about 18 cookies using 2 sizes of flower cookie cutters (one 3-inch and one 3 3/4-inch; fancyflours.com).

Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake until edges just start to brown, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely.

Decorate the cookies: Transfer each batch of tinted icing to a separate pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (you can use as many colors as desired). Pipe an outline of icing around the edges, then "flood" each cookie with more icing to cover. Immediately

pipe a circle of small dots in the center of each cookie using a different-colored icing. Drag dots to outer edges using a toothpick to create thin lines. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, and let dry completely,

about 30 minutes.

Once cookies are set, pipe a large dot in the center of each cookie using the same tinted icing as the small dots. Gently sprinkle poppy

seeds around large dot. Let dry completely.