• Cream butter and sugar.
• * Make flax jelly: In a separate bowl add 3 tbsp flax seed plus ½ cup of boiling water. Allow it to sit for 3 minutes. Beat with a fork until foamy and viscose. Strain out the clear viscose liquid. This is the flax jelly. Take 2 tbsp. of the flax jelly and add to the creamed sugar and butter mixture.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Add lemon peel and lemon extract and beat for 1 minute.
• Add poppy seeds. Allow the poppy seeds to swell for 30 minutes.
• Add gluten-free flour and baking powder.
• Allow to sit for 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb liquid.
• Form into logs and wrap in parchment paper. Refrigerate for overnight or up to 1 week.

How to bake

• Preheat oven to 375*F.
• Remove from the refrigerator.
• Slice as thinly as possible into cookie rounds.
• Place one inch apart on greased cookie sheet.
• Prick cookies with a fork several times. This helps the cookies crisp up.
• Bake at 375*F for 15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
• Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 2 or 3 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Transfer cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Cookies will be crisp and chewy.
• With this gluten free cookie, you don’t need to wait for the cookie sheet to cool before putting the next rounds of dough on the baking sheet for baking. A hot cookie sheet will help the cookies spread thinner, making for a crisper finished cookie.

Creamed filling

• Blend butter and sugar together until smooth.
• Add lemon extract, lemon juice, and food colouring.
• Blend until smooth.
• Makes enough icing for 2 – 3 dozen cookies.
• You’ll want to use a spatula to get every bit of the icing out of the bowl.
• Place 1 tsp of icing in the centre of each cookie, with a spatula, moving icing in a circular motion.
• Cap with second cookie.
• Set aside and wait for the cream filling to firm up before packaging.
• Package in an gift bag, tying tightly closed, so that the cookies stay fresh and crisp.