Melt in your mouth buttery, not too sweet, subtly flavored with orange, topped by a single chocolate chip, these poppy seed cookies are a family favorite. My mom treats us with these cookies every Christmas. Since poppy seed cookies aren’t really a traditional Dutch Christmas cookie, I asked why she always includes them on her Christmas cookie platter. Her reason was simple and practical: she always whips up cinnamon meringues at Christmas, using two egg whites. What should she do with the leftover egg yolks? Look through her cookbooks and find a recipe for cookies which calls for exactly two egg yolks! I guess that’s how traditions are born. Reminds me of the story of the bride cutting off both ends of the ham before baking it. When her curious husband asked why she cut the ends off, she said her mother always cooked hams that way. Turns out her mother simply had a roasting pan that was a bit too small. I did a bit of research and found that poppy seed cookies are a traditional “old fashioned” cookie originally made by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, according to Wikipedia. You might know them as Mohn kichel, or Mun or Munn cookies, or even “Moon” cookies. “Mohn” is German for poppy. So brew a cup of tea or better yet, orange hot chocolate, and enjoy a poppy seed cookie! Perhaps they’ll become a tradition in your family, too!
About these cookies
There’s nothing fancy or tricky about making these easy cookies. Simply cream together softened butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Stir in the flour, poppy seeds, and orange zest. You can do it by hand, a mixer isn’t necessary. Form the dough into balls, flatten slightly, and place one chocolate chip in the center. Bake until just lightly browned. So easy!
What You’ll Need
Butter: Always choose unsalted butter for baking, unless otherwise directed. If you only have salted butter, you can use it but omit the salt in the recipe. Allow the butter to come to room temperature. Sugar: These cookies aren’t overly sweet. There’s only a half a cup of sugar in this recipe. Flour: Measure the flour by spooning it out of your canister and lightly adding it to a dry measure measuring cup, leveling the top with a knife. Don’t shake it down or compact it. Poppy seeds: These tiny seeds add crunch, texture, and visual appeal to the cookies, not to mention good nutrition. Grated orange zest: You’ll want the zest to be pretty finely grated. Wash the orange first and try not to zest the white part (pith) because it tends to be bitter. Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives a nice warm sweet flavor to the cookies. Pinch of salt: You’ll find that cookies taste flat if you don’t add a pinch of salt. Chocolate chips: Just one for each cookie! You’ll need about a half cup.
Make It Your Own
Substitute lemon zest for the orange. Roll the cookie dough into logs, refrigerate until firm, and cut slices to bake, or try these lemon poppyseed slice and bakes. Omit the chocolate chip on each cookie, if desired. Right before serving, top the cookies with jam, just a dab, any kind you like. Substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Try this non-dairy poppy seed cookie made with oil instead of butter, by The Spruce Eats, as an alternative.
Storage Tips
Cool completely and store in a tightly covered container for up to two weeks. Poppy seed cookies freeze beautifully. Simply wrap them well and freeze for up to a couple of months.
More Old Fashioned Cookie Recipes
I love paging through the stained pages of well-used school or church cookbooks or hearing about Grandma’s wonderful cookies. Here’s a few recipes I’d like to share:
Oh Henry Bars — my grandma brought these to every family get-together and potluck Snickerdoodles Lemon Sugar Cookies Sand Tart Cookies (Slice & Bake Buttery Sugar Cookies) Windmill Cookies (Speculoos) Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Iced Oatmeal Cookies GingerSnaps Mom’s Russian Tea Cakes by Crazy For Crust
I’d love to hear about cookie traditions in your family! Quick-Start Guide!
