These amazing little cookies taste exactly like the crunchy, delicious part of a lemon poppyseed muffin: the top.

Because who likes the stumps, right?

Lets be real.  The famous Seinfeld muffin episode is so right on.  Nobody wants the bottom part of a muffin, because the top is where it’s at.  The top has all the crunchiness.  It has all the glaze.  It has all the good stuff.

The bottom is just something you have to either choke down, or feel guilty for wasting.

Now you can make these cookies.  The taste is right on for the top of a muffin.

And the calories are substantially less than a whole muffin.

The cookie itself is a burst of lemony flavor with almond undertones.  There is something about almond and lemon flavors that goes so nicely together.  And the glaze, oh, the glaze, sweet and tart, lemony goodness.  You really can’t put too much of it on the cookie.

These are just elegant enough for a tea party or a baby or bridal shower, and so easy they come together in just a few minutes.

Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Pham Fatale

Ingredients:
(yields about 20 cookies)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
the zest of two large lemons
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

lemon drizzle:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixer, cream together butter, sugar, egg, lemon zest, and almond extract until light and fluffy.

Mix together dry ingredients, and add them, with the mixer on low, into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Scoop out spoons of dough and roll into a walnut sized ball, and then roll each one around in a bowl of granulated sugar.  Place on cookie sheet and lightly press down on each cookie twice with a fork (like you would a peanut butter cookie)

Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.  Remove from oven and cool.

Mix glaze ingredients together well until there are no lumps.  Drizzle over top of cooled cookies.  Enjoy1