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1
Preheat your oven to 350.
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2
Bring the lemon juice to a simmer in a saucepan, over medium heat. Cook until it is reduced by half. Add 1/2 cup of butter, stir until melted. Set aside.
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3
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tbsp poppy sends in a bowl, set aside.
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4
Put the remaining 1/2 cup of butter and one cup of white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on medium until creamy. Add egg and reserved lemon butter, mix until pale. Mix in vanilla and 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Gently add flour mixture. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, until a chunk forms into a soft ball shape easily.
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5
Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, and a goodly sprinkle of poppy seeds. in a bowl. Roll or scoop the dough into into 1 1/4-inch balls, and roll the balls in the lemon-sugar mixture. I recommend gently shaking them one by one in your bowl of mix.
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6
Space the balls two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in the sugar/lemon zest/poppy seed mix.
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7
Bake the cookies until they are just browned around the edges, about 12 to 13 minutes. Let them completely cool on wire racks. Store them in an airtight container for a week, or freeze them to save them for Christmas.
