Halfway through! I am keeping the cookie exhaustion at bay, thanks, in part, to cookies like these poppy seed and honey gems. I love these cookies. Bryan doesn’t love them, he just likes them. Take what you will from that. But remember, I’m usually right.
I like them because of the poppy seeds and honey and because they aren’t too sweet. They are delicious with a cup of tea, or even a glass of wine. The recipe can easily be halved if you don’t want 5 dozen cookies. I’ve never actually made the whole recipe, it would be a lot of cookies and I think these are most tasty for the first 24 hours of their life. I will still happily eat them for another couple of days, but their texture becomes less interesting. They soften and no longer have the crunch they had on day one. I’m excited to make these for Hanukkah.
I can’t cut straight lines to save my life. These diamonds are all goofy, though the photos make them seem less crazy than they were. Feel free to cut into squares or whatever shape you like. Enjoy!
Poppy Seed-Honey Cookies (aka Pirishkes, adapted from Saveur)
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
Heat oven to 350°F. Whisk flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each; mix in dry ingredients. Form dough into a disk; halve. Roll each half on a floured work surface until 1/4-inch thick; chill. Cut out 1 1/2-inch wide diamonds from dough; transfer to paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until golden, 12–15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil honey and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Place all cookies in a single layer on one of the baking sheets; brush with honey. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies.
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Previously, on THE 12 DAYS OF COOKIES
Day 1: Maple Pecan Cookies
Day 2: Fig and Date Swirls
Day 3: Evergreen Shortbread
Day 4: Rugelach
Day 5: Gooey Butter Cookies
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Katie says:
December 10th, 2011 at 9:32 am
These cookies are really beautiful! I love the geometric shapes and the appearance of the poppy seeds.
lynn @ the actor's diet says:
December 10th, 2011 at 10:06 am
yum! i am still not tired of cookies – just baked a batch of “figgy pudding” ones yesterday!
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/bring-us-some-figgy-pudding-cookies/
Irene says:
December 10th, 2011 at 10:57 am
These look so yummy, I love poppy seed :)
Marcia says:
December 10th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Am loving this 12-day cookie celebration, and six more days still to go! All of these are so original too– I’m having trouble deciding which ones I want to make. Thanks for the inspiration as well as the great photos!
Debbie says:
December 10th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
My grandmother always made these, she called them Munn cookies.
Mary Anne says:
December 10th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Beautiful shapes! Love how the diamonds make a star. Those sound really great.
Emily says:
December 10th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Eek! My dough isn’t coming together! Maybe I should a bit of water? or milk?
Tim says:
December 10th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Hey Emily,
Yes, a little milk should work. Or even try mixing a little longer. How do you measure flour? Make sure you are fluffing and scooping into measuring cup.
Sue/the view from great island says:
December 11th, 2011 at 8:43 am
Love these! They look perfect for tea, but I would make them just to be able to play with the fun patterns, your photos are beautiful.
Jessica @ Hungrygems says:
December 11th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Elegant, sophisticated and appropriately unique in flavor- these poppyseed cookies boast an exotic cookie complexion and Bryan just doesn’t know what he’s missing!
Valerie - Nettleandquince says:
December 11th, 2011 at 11:11 am
Ooh, another great poppy recipe! I’ve been stalking your blog for a while, though I don’t think I’ve left a comment before. Love it.
Leslie says:
December 11th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Oh these look tasty. I have too many cookies on my holiday baking list – too hard to narrow it down!
amelia says:
December 12th, 2011 at 10:01 am
These are the prettiest cookies EVER. and (bonus!) they look like the Dwell Patterns tile at Heath Ceramics. (I’m sure that was your intention!)
Tim says:
December 12th, 2011 at 10:55 am
It was my intention. Heath can thank me by sending me a gift certificate asap. ; )
Lisa says:
December 18th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
I made these yesterday for last night’s Christmas party, along with the fig swirl cookies. Both are wonderful. Thanks for sharing these great recipes!
David says:
December 19th, 2011 at 10:59 am
OMG Tim you are like so Jewish.
Mary Anne says:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Hi again! So… does the glaze ever soak in? Mine have been sitting here for almost an hour and they are still all sticky with honey on top. They are so pretty and delicious though! Love them! Thanks!
Tim says:
December 21st, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Hi Mary Anne! They stay a little shiny and sticky on top. Maybe you used more glaze than I did (if they are looking different than the photos) but they should taste good either way. : )