Start by melting the butter in the microwave or over low-medium heat in a small saucepan. Be sure not to let it bubble to retain all of the liquid in the butter. Once melted, pour the butter into a large mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature in the fridge, which should take about 20 minutes.

110 g butter

In the meantime, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Rub them together with your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand, releasing the full flavor of the lemon zest.

200 g granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Once the butter has cooled to room temperature, add the lemon sugar mixture to the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula for about 1 minute. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to mix.

Add the egg and vanilla extract, and continue mixing until well incorporated.

1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until fully combined.

210 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, ½ teaspoon salt

Using a 2 tbsp/1.3 ounce/53 g cookie scoop, portion out 11 cookies and place them on a tray lined with baking paper. Roll each portion into a ball between your hands, then refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes to set.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC / 355ºF and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

After 30 minutes, take out 6 cookies and place them on the lined baking sheet. Return the remaining 5 cookies to the fridge while the first batch bakes. Bake the cookies one tray at a time for 10-11 minutes.

Once baked, let the cookies cool on the tray for 3 minutes, as they will still be soft. After cooling slightly, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip together all the frosting ingredients until stiff peaks form and it holds its shape. If preparing ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

200 g cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 75 g powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon agave or honey, 120 g heavy cream

When ready to serve, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip, such as Wilton 2A. Pipe the cheesecake frosting onto the cooled cookies in a swirl, starting from the center and working outwards.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds and optionally garnish with lemon zest or lemon slices for decoration.

Poppy seeds for sprinkling on top, Lemon slices for decoration