In case you weren’t aware, LiveSTRONG Day is coming up on October 2.  I have been looking forward to the LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow Food blog event since the last time I participated.  Then, wouldn’t you know it – I spaced the deadline!  Thankfully, the wonderful hostess Barbara was kind enough to cut me some slack and let me submit my late entry anyway.  Depending on how long you have been reading the blog, you may or may not know how deeply my life has been touched (punched? kicked?) by cancer.  I won’t reiterate the whole entire story in this post, but you can read about it in my last LiveSTRONG entry.  As a cancer survivor and a physician who deals with cancer diagnoses on a daily basis, I obviously think this is an extremely important cause.  So show your support for cancer awareness by doing a self exam, making an appointment for cancer screening (mammogram, Pap smear, colonoscopy, prostate exam, etc.), encourage your friends and family to do the same, volunteer, make a donation, say a prayer or send good vibes.  Whatever you do, please take a moment to think about what you can do to make a difference.

When life gives you cancer, you have to suck it up and deal with it because you have no other option.  But, when life gives you lemons I say – make lemon poppy seed cookies!  I have a major thing for lemon poppy seed, what can I say?  Even our wedding cake was lemon poppy seed!  So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a recipe for finding yet another way to enjoy the lemon poppy seed combo.  It is no surprise that these cookies are fantastic.  With the use of a cookie dough scoop, they are beautifully shaped round domes of tender, lemony cookie with a nice sweet glaze on top.  I could eat a whole plate full – and I just might :)

Other wonderful lemon poppy seed treats:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Lemon Mousse
Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Raspberry Curd Filling

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Printer-Friendly Version

Yield: 18-24 cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 large egg

For the glaze:
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the lemon zest and egg until blended.  Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.

Drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are set and just beginning to brown at the edges (do not let the tops brown).  Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack set over wax paper to cool a bit before glazing.

To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  Add more lemon juice if necessary, just until the glaze has reached a consistency good for drizzling over the cookies.  Glaze the cookies and let the glaze set before serving.  Store in an airtight container.

Source: adapted from Baking Bites