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A Profusion of Poppy Seeds

So maybe you wouldn’t want to nibble on these cookies right before taking a physical, or more specifically, a drug test.

That’s because there is a profusion of poppy seeds in them. A whopping 1/3 cup to be precise.

And we wouldn’t want anyone to falsely test positive for opiates, would we?

But any other second of the day when you’re not due to see the doc, you’ll want to enjoy these lovely Lemon Poppy Seed Drops. The recipe is from “The Modern Baker” (DK) by baking authority Nick Malgieri, the former executive pastry chef of Windows on the World in New York City.

These just-sweet-enough cookies are all about the texture. The copious amounts of poppy seeds, along with a generous 1 2/3 cups finely chopped slivered almonds make these otherwise soft cookies do the bump and grind against your molars in a most delightful way.

Go ahead: Eat at least one of these cookies a day, and keep the doctor at bay.

Lemon Poppy Seed Drops

(Makes about 40 cookies)

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 salt

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.

In a 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 teaspoon of dough at a time in the chopped almonds, then transfer to the prepared pans, 2 to 3 inches apart and flatten 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, place pan from the lower rack on the upper one and vice versa, turning pan back to front at the same time. If you know that your oven gives strong bottom heat, place pan on lower rack, stacked on top of a second one for insulation.

Slide parchment papers off the pans to cool the cookies.

From “The Modern Baker”