Lemon Poppy Seed Drops
Making these cookies reminded me of some of my foodie favorites, particularly my favorite (and craziest) food memory. Like many of my foodie favorites, this memory involves pork – and lots of it.
When many learn that my family is from the Dominican Republic, they immediate think oh yes, island…beach…fun in the sun. But my roots are far from that. Yes, there are gorgeous beaches on the island. However, the closest to Santiago, where my family is from, is over an hour drive away. So even though spending my summers there as a child provided a drastic change from the concrete jungle of New York City, it really wasn’t the sort of change I wanted.
You see, I come from a family of farmers. And while my uncles all grow their fair share of plantains, yuca and other yummy starchy veggies, their “bread and butter” comes from their pig farms. My family sells lots of pork and eats probably more of it. It’s seriously a major food group of ours. So keep that in mind with what I am about to say.
Dominicans make a HUGE deal about celebrating a child’s first birthday, which really turns out to be a party for adults. Good music is a must and a delicious Dominican cake is a given. But what gets the most attention is the savory food. The food has to awesome and there has to be LOTS of it. To the point of insanity. Enter my favorite food memory.
I will never forget all the prep that went into my baby sister’s first birthday party in May 1991. My mother was hell bent on making sure it was a party everyone would remember. Which meant that the food had to be on point. So she opted for the “obvious” showstopper – a whole roast pig. In order to make sure that it was the best tasting pork, she decided she was going to season it herself. In our New York City apartment. IN OUR TUB!!!!
My poor dad gave into my mother’s insanity and with the help of one of my uncles brought the enormous pig home wrapped in thick black garbage bags. He put it in the tub. My mom put on some rubber gloves and went to WORK. I had seen people do season whole pigs a thousand times before in DR but never in the US, let alone in my own tub! And the thing was huge. It barely fit in the tub. After the pig was thoroughly seasoned, it was taken to a local bakery to roast in a commercial oven.
Of course, the pig turned out to be the “life” of the party and one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten.
I realize this story has nothing to do with cookies. Haha. But making them reminded me of some of the foods I cannot live without. Like pork. And pizza. And ice cream.
And lemon poppy seed muffins. So I was excited that when flipping through Modern Baker, I came across this recipe. These cookies could not be simpler to make, require no special techniques or equipment in the process and provide another way for me to enjoy poppy, lemony goodness.
I hope you enjoy them as well.
Lemon Poppy Seed Drops
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1 2/3 cups slivered almonds, finely chopped but not ground, divided use
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon saltDirections:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs to break them up. Whisk in sugar in a stream, followed by the butter, lemon zest and vanilla and set aside.
In a another medium bowl, mix together flour, poppy seeds, 1/3 cup almonds, the baking powder, and salt, and stir into egg and butter mixture.
Spread remaining 1 1/3 cups almonds on a plate. Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time in the chopped almonds, then transfer to the prepared pans, 2 to 3 inches apart and flattern with the bottom of a glass. Repeat until all dough is gone.
Bake cookies until they are spread, well risen, and golden, about 15 minutes. About halfway through the baking, rotate the pans in your oven to ensure even baking.
Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Share
Rosa — June 16, 2011 @ 1:20 am
Those cookies look wonderful! Poppy seeds are a great addition.
Cheers,
Rosa
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets — June 16, 2011 @ 1:59 am
Very cute! This is such a classic flavor combination and for good reason!
CookiePie — June 16, 2011 @ 9:35 am
I love the roast pig story!! And those cookies look fabulous — I love the idea of lemon-poppy seed in a cookie.
megan @ whatmegansmaking — June 16, 2011 @ 10:37 am
that is so funny!! It would take me awhile to feel ok taking a bath after a pig was in my tub! !
Eliana replied: — June 16th, 2011 @ 10:45 am
Oh – my mom went on a cleaning frenzy after that cleaned every last bit of that bathroom. So it was ok. Haha.
dani — June 16, 2011 @ 10:43 am
what an awesome food memeory
Hungry Sofia — June 16, 2011 @ 12:31 pm
Great story! The cookies look amazing but now I have roast pork on my mind!
Lisa @ The Cooking Bride — June 16, 2011 @ 2:44 pm
Okay, so my son’s first birthday is in two months. But, I think I’m just going to buy some pulled pork from the bbq stand down the street and call it a day. No whole pig in the bathtub for me!
donna — June 17, 2011 @ 8:04 am
These cookies have a great flavor combination and they look fabulous!!
Kimberly — June 17, 2011 @ 10:57 am
That is a great story about seasoning the pig in the bathtub — love it! Being a Southern girl through and through, I can tell you, I am a huge lover of pork myself, as are many Southerners. Pig pickins’ (where we roast a pig outdoors) are common here, and I’ve been to more than I can count.
Southerners love to throw a pig on a spit outside, throw lots of beer in coolers, and invite their friends, family and neighbors over. In fact, the last pig pickin’ I went to was in March of this year, and dang, that was some of the tastiest pig I’ve ever had! Reading the pig in the bathtub story actually made me crave some good old fashioned Southern BBQ. Mmmmm. : )
Tracy — June 17, 2011 @ 12:11 pm
Haha, I can’t believe she brought that pig home to season it in her bathtub – that’s dedication right there!
These cookies look delicious!
Lori — June 17, 2011 @ 12:32 pm
Thanks for sharing part of your culture and food history! I loved reading about it. I have a bit of the same experience when I tell people we lived in Brazil, they automatically think beaches and Rio. Nope, center of the country, no beach for a 5 hour drive.
These cookies look so good. I am a huge fan of lemon poppyseed as well and I like seeing it in a different baked good!
Yvette — June 17, 2011 @ 3:30 pm
YUMMY photos!
Your story cracked me up! Too funny. Do you have any photos of the piggy in your bathtub? You should post on your FB wall with your fans leaving their own comments. I can only imagine the funny comments! LOL!
Gloria — June 18, 2011 @ 3:28 am
What a great story! I guess it would be hard to forget a whole pig in your tub. LOL! P.S.
Gloria — June 18, 2011 @ 3:29 am
Your cookies look great too.
Brian @ A Thought For Food — June 19, 2011 @ 9:05 am
I rotate between making blueberry muffins and lemon poppy seed. I’ve always loved the flavor and texture of that pairing and I have no doubt that these cookies are nothing short of scrumptious.
And I know very well what the DR is like… E and his mom have made a few trips to put in water purification systems in various areas. They always come back with lovely stories about the people and the food.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story with us.
Tammy — June 19, 2011 @ 12:35 pm
Beautiful cookies…you have an absolute GORGEOUS site! I am so happy to have stumbled upon it!
Tammy~
Kerstin — June 19, 2011 @ 2:13 pm
Oh man, a whole pig in your tub – I wish our family had celebrations like that! Your cookies sound lovely as well
LimeCake — June 20, 2011 @ 7:42 am
I love the distinct shape of these cookies! they look fantastic!
Joanne — June 20, 2011 @ 8:32 am
My parents have done some crazy things with food, but never pig-in-a-tub crazy. That is awesome.
Lemon poppy seed anything is a can’t-live-without-favorite of mine as well! These need a place in my life.
Spike — June 20, 2011 @ 12:14 pm
almond, lemon and poppy sounds like a great combo
The Duo Dishes — June 27, 2011 @ 10:43 am
Not too many people can say they’ve had a pig in their tubs, right? So you win! And that means you can have more cookies. Great story to back this on up.
naomi — July 17, 2011 @ 12:41 am
Love this combination and what a great looking cookie!
Lindsay@GirlFromScratch — August 12, 2011 @ 10:18 am
Great story and great recipe! I live in a Dominican neighborhood here in NYC and now work at a Dominican-owned restaurant. I loved your story and learning more about the culture. I am certainly learning a lot working at this restaurant. (Our specialty is our Gourmet Chimi’s!)
As for the recipe, I’ve been looking for something light and feminine for an upcoming bridal shower, I think I found what I’m making!
Thanks!
Aggie — August 26, 2011 @ 5:48 pm
these are my favorite kind of muffins…I love lemon everything! Looks delicious!