This post is sponsored by vnlla Extract Co. Thank you for supporting brands who support VK!

If you’re a lemon fan (and to be honest, even if you’re not!) – this Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookie recipe is sure to become a new favorite in your cookie arsenal.

These pillowy-soft, naturally gluten-free lemon poppyseed cookies are bursting with zesty lemon flavor thanks to fresh lemon zest and sustainably grown vnlla Extract Co. Vanilla Extract + Lemon, a delicious and creative way to add warming vanilla and bright lemon flavor to these cookies and other delicious baked good recipes – and beyond. Since partnering with vnlla Extract Co., I’ve learned so much about the sourcing and production of vanilla extract from vanilla beans, and it’s a lot more complex and intensive than I could have ever imagined. Read on to learn more!

What to look for when choosing vanilla extract:

vnlla Extract Co.‘s vanilla beans are grown in the SAVA region of Madagascar where 80% of the world production of vanilla beans are grown. Their company has been sustainably sourcing vanilla beans in this region since 2006, partnering with over 7,000 farmers across 84 villages, and ensuring their vanilla extract is traceable to the source every single year.

When it comes to sustainability efforts and fair farming standards, all vanilla is not created (or grown) equally. vnlla Extract Co. partners with farmers and local communities to help to improve cultivation practices that include trainings in crop diversification and soil management. Partnering with farmers and teaching sustainable growing practices not only allows the farmers to grow a wider range of crops, it ensures their financial security, too.

When farming vanilla, location is everything – as the vanilla plants can be quite picky. Too much sunshine can be damaging to the plants, soil moisture needs to be absolutely perfect, and a necessary amount of shade is required to protect delicate vanilla plants. Once planted, it takes three years before the first flower appears on each vanilla plant. According to vnlla Extract Co. “As blossoms are only open for six hours over a flowering period of three to four months, and are best pollinated in the morning, timing is everything. Our farmers pollinate the flowers and harvest the beans, all by hand.”

Isn’t that wild?! It makes me appreciate vanilla extract so much more, and consider the amount of time and intensive labor that goes into each and every single bottle.

Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookie Ingredients:

The rich sweetness of vanilla paired with lemon, coconut flour, almond flour, a pastured egg and a handful of other pantry ingredients creates a luscious and flavorful cookie, perfect for spring!

Almond flour – a good source of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, almond flour is actually almonds ground into a fine powdery flour. When grocery shopping, you may notice that there are two different kinds of almond flour on store shelves: unblanched and blanched almond flour. In blanched almond flour, the brownish/red papery skin has been removed from the almond. Unblanched almond flour uses the entire nut – skin and all. In these cookies, I prefer to use blanched almond flour – but feel free to use whichever variety you happen to have on hand.

Coconut flour – Derived from ground coconut meat, coconut flour contains fiber and medium-chain triglycerides, and is supportive of digestion and blood sugar stabilization.

vnlla Extract Co. Vanilla Extract + Lemon – this delicious blend of vanilla extract and lemon extract adds wonderful warming and zesty flavor to these gluten-free cookies. It’s also a delicious addition to other baked goods (lemon loaf, anyone?) cocktails and even smoothies! You can snag a bottle on Amazon for 15% off with the code ‘vegukate.’

Lemon zest – surprisingly, the peel of a lemon actually boasts some nutrition properties. In fact, just a tablespoon of lemon zest provides a gram of fiber and about 10 percent of the daily value of vitamin C. The peel also contains D-limonene, an antioxidant compound that gives lemon its zesty aroma and may help lower oxidative stress and reduce whole body inflammation.

Organic cane sugar – feel free to swap this with coconut sugar, if you’d prefer. Coconut sugar contains some trace minerals and fiber, but glycemic-wise, still breaks down to sugar in the body. I like to choose organic cane sugar to ensure it’s free of pesticides and glyphosate.

Pasture-Raised egg – a wonderful source of B vitamins (including folate and choline), protein, and even antioxidants, eggs are an essential ingredient to these cookies. Because base of these cookies is almond flour and coconut flour, the moisture content and binding-properties of the egg adds moisture and texture.

Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Yields one dozen cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes
Total time: 24 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp. coconut flour
1 tbsp. poppyseeds
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 egg
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. vnlla Extract Co. Vanilla Extract + Lemon

Lemon Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. vnlla Extract Co. Vanilla Extract + Lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Mix together dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, sea salt, poppyseeds, baking powder and sugar. Set aside.

3. Mix together wet ingredients: coconut oil, lemon zest, egg and Vanilla Extract + Lemon. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. The batter will be thick and slightly spongey. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add in another splash of Vanilla Extract + Lemon.

4. Use hands to scoop and roll cookie dough into 12 small balls. Transfer to lined baking tray and slightly flatten into disks.

5. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

6. Prepare the lemon glaze: whisk together powdered sugar, lemon zest, Vanilla Extract + Lemon until smooth and drippy. Carefully pour about a teaspoon of glaze onto each cookie.

7. Enjoy! Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes:

-This recipe is adapted from Ambitious Kitchen’s Paleo Lemon Poppyseed Cookies recipe