Recipe: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Hearts

Here is another recipe I tried for my Sunday School class. Yum, yum, yum. I love lemon and these have a really lemony/buttery flavor. Aren't they pretty?

I skipped the candied lemon peel because that was too much work and for the glaze I simply used fresh lemon juice and added powdered sugar until I had a nice consistency.


Glazed Lemon Poppyseed Hearts from The Good Cookie

Make the dough:
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
3/4 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c poppy seeds

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extracts, cardamom, and salt and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. At low speed, add the flour and poppy seeds and mix until combined. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a rectangle, and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, or until firm (or up to three days).

Meanwhile, make the lemon garnish:

1 lemon
1 c granulated sugar
1/3 c water

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemon lengthwise. Stacking three pieces of peel on top of one another, thinly slice them crosswise. Repeat with remaining strips. Set aside. Place 1/3 c sugar in a small bowl.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine water and the remaining 2/3 c sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon peel and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the lemon peel with a slotted spoon and toss with the reserved sugar until coated. Transfer the peel to a plate and let dry for about 30 minutes.

Transfer the lemon peel to a sieve and shake to remove excess sugar.

Make the glaze:

1 c sifted confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat all ingredients until just combined, about 30 seconds. Cover the surface of the glaze with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.

Cut and bake the cookies:

Position 2 racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two baking sheets.

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough about 3/16" thick. Using a 2 1/2" heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1" apart. Gather up the scraps of dough, reroll, and cut out more hearts. Repeat the process with the remaining piece of dough. Bake the cookies, two sheets at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes, until they are pale brown around the edges; switch the position of the baking sheets halfway through baking. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and glaze the cookies while they are hot.


Glaze and garnish the cookies:
Using a small offset metal spatula, spread about a teaspoon of glaze over each cookie. Garnish each cookie with a piece of candied lemon peel. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 36 cookies.