Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies

I have been craving desserts with lemon, mostly because it is in season, but also because Spring is just around the corner and I love lemon in the spring!  It is such a bright sunny flavor!  I have always loved lemon poppy seed muffins, ever since I was a kid, they are sweet but scented with lemon and the poppy seeds give a satisfying crunch!  So I was thinking, why not make Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies?  They were bound to be delicious after all!

So I whipped up a batch last weekend!  These are so quick and easy to make, that is one of the things I love about them!  For the flour, I used whole wheat pastry flour, but you could use regular all purpose flour if you prefer or have that on hand.  Or even a gluten free all purpose baking flour (like Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour which I have used with success) if you wanted to make them gluten free.  Since these are sugar cookies, I used granulated sugar to give them a clean lemony flavor but if you prefer a less refined sugar like maple sugar you could use that also.  Just keep in mind the color might be a little darker then.

I used apple sauce in these as an egg replacer, and it gives them a nice chewy texture.  I added plenty of lemon in the form of zest, juice and extract.  I love lemon and I really wanted to be able to taste it!  I also added a hint of vanilla though for sweetness. These cookies smelled so heavenly while baking, and filled my kitchen with a wonderful aroma!

I could not wait to try them!  I did have to try some warm, and they are so delicious!  Soft and chewy, just the right amount of lemon and sweet vanilla and a pleasant crunch from the poppy seeds!  If you love lemon desserts too, definitely give these Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies a try!

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies

Makes 16

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup melted vegan butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
• granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line two sheet pans with foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, apple sauce, lemon juice and zest and vanilla extract until well blended.
3. Mix in the poppy seeds, salt, baking soda and baking powder then the flour until smooth.
4. The dough will be slightly soft, so refrigerate about 30 minutes then stir again before scooping.
5. Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on the cookie trays about 2 inches apart.
6. Press the dough balls down slightly.  Sprinkle each with granulated sugar.
7. Place the pans in the oven and bake for about 7 minutes, then rotate them and bake another 7 or so until the cookies are done and lightly brown at the edges.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before enjoying.