Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Ingredients you need

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• Almond flour: I really can’t recommend anything other than almond flour for these cookies. Other nut and seed flours are too coarse and can make the cookies crumbly. And coconut flour really doesn’t have the right texture and they end up tough, rather than tender.
• Powdered sweetener: Make sure you use an erythritol-based sweetener, as it is the only kind that will produce the crisp texture of shortbread. Any amount of allulose or BochaSweet will prevent the cookies from crisping up properly. I always use Swerve Confectioners.
• Xanthan gum: A little xanthan gum helps add strength to the dough so that it’s not as fragile. You don’t have to use it but I do recommend it.
• Butter: Cut the butter into small pieces and return to the fridge until you are ready to use it, so that it doesn’t soften. Chilled butter is key to that tender-crisp texture.
• Lemon zest: The zest of the lemon has much of the flavor so don’t skimp! You will need about 1 tablespoon from 2 lemons.
• Lemon extract: Lemon juice will introduce too much liquid, but lemon extract helps intensify the flavor.
• Vanilla extract: A little vanilla helps tame down the sharpness of the lemon extract.
• Poppy seeds: The addition of poppy seeds adds delicious crunch and a unique flavor.

Step by Step Directions

1. Pulse to combine: In a food processor, combine the almond flour, sweetener, xanthan gum, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.

2. Cut in the butter: Scatter the butter over top, add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and begins to cling together.

3. Add the poppyseeds: Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the poppyseeds by hand. This ensures that they don’t get chopped up by the food processor.

4. Roll out the dough: Gather the dough together into a ball and transfer to a silicone mat. Cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper and roll out to an even ¼ inch thickness. Do not roll too thinly or they will cook too quickly.

5. Cut out the cookies: Use a 2 to 2 ¼ inch cookie cutter to cut out circles. Gently lift the cookies with an offset spatula and place on the prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake: Bake 18 to 23 minutes, until just golden brown around the edges. Turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and let the cookies sit inside until just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.

Expert Tips

Using a food processor cuts the chilled butter into the dough evenly, which adds to the unique shortbread texture. If you don’t have a food processor, the next best thing is to grate the butter with the large holes on a cheese grater. Then work it in with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to cling together.

I recommend using silicone mats over parchment paper as they protect the bottom of the cookies better from over-browning. They are also more sustainable than parchment paper, as you can use them over and over.

Keep your eye on the cookies! They can go from pale to too dark quickly. If your oven has hot spots, be sure to rotate the pan partway through for more even baking.

Do be aware that adding the lemon curd icing or cream filling makes the cookies become softer. It’s actually quite a pleasant texture. However, if you want them to be crisp, add the curd or filling only when ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions