Poppy Seed Cookies#2

These poppy seed cookies are Eastern European in spirit: thin, crisp, and loaded with half a cup of poppy seeds that give each cookie a nutty crunch and a speckled, striking appearance. Fresh orange juice and grated orange zest bring a citrus brightness that lifts the earthy poppy seed flavor.

The dough uses oil instead of butter, which makes it easier to roll and produces a crispier cookie. Oil-based doughs don’t develop the same flaky layers that butter creates, so what you get is a clean, snappy bite that shatters when you eat it.

Roll a small portion at a time on a well-floured board and keep the rest covered. This dough softens quickly at room temperature.

Kitchen Tips

• Roll to ⅛ inch thick for a crisp cookie. Thicker than that and they stay soft and chewy in the center.
• Use plenty of flour on the board and rolling pin. The oil in the dough makes it sticky, and under-flouring means it sticks and tears.
• Watch closely after 10 minutes. These go from golden to burnt fast because they’re so thin.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. They crisp up more as they cool and need airflow underneath.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a spiced version.
• Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate for a chocolate-orange-poppy combination.
• Use lemon juice and zest instead of orange for a more tart, sharper citrus note.