Lemon & Fennel Pollen Sugar Cookies

These Lemon & Fennel Pollen Sugar Cookies are light and soft, yet crispy on the edges with a delicate sugar crunch. They have just the right balance of tangy lemon zest and subtle herbal sweetness. Simple enough for an everyday bake, these whimsical cookies come together in minutes but produce something truly special and unique.

If you’ve explored my website at all, you know that I love baking with wild-foraged flavors. Fennel flowers, with their bright golden umbels, hold a fleeting magic that feels summery and bright. When infused into fennel pollen sugar, they carry notes of honey, citrus, and anise that’s lovely for creating all kinds of treats.

Recipe highlights

• Bright & unique flavor. Lemon zest and fennel pollen sugar combine for a citrusy, honey-anise sweetness.
• Simple to make. With just 7 ingredients and a simple mix-and-roll, you’ll have these sugar cookies in the oven in minutes.
• Foraged magic. A lovely way to use fresh fennel flowers if you’ve gathered some in late summer.
• Perfect texture. Soft fluffy centers with crisp edges and crunchy sugar coating.

About fennel flowers & fennel pollen

Wild fennel often grows along roadsides, fields, and coastlines, bursting into umbels of bright yellow blossoms in late summer. The tiny florets are loaded with natural pollen, carrying concentrated flavors of licorice, citrus, and honey.

To capture that fleeting flavor, you can gather fresh flowers and layer them in sugar for a few days. After this infusion process, the sugar becomes fragrant and golden – perfect for baking, sprinkling over fruit, or stirring into drinks.

Learn how to make your own Fennel Pollen Sugar here ➝

How to make lemon & fennel pollen sugar cookies

For full instructions and ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card towards the bottom of this post. Here is a quick overview on how to make these cookies:

1. Cream the butter & sugar: Start by beating soft butter with fennel pollen sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the egg & lemon juice: It helps if the egg is room temperature!
3. Add dry ingredients: Gently mix in flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Roll & coat: Form the dough into small balls, roll them in fennel pollen sugar, and flatten lightly.
5. Bake until just set: 8–10 minutes, so the edges are firm but the centers stay soft.

Tips for success

• Chill the dough if sticky. If the dough feels too soft to roll, a quick rest in the fridge (about 30 minutes) helps.
• Use fresh lemon zest & juice. It brightens the flavor and complements the fennel perfectly.
• Rolling in sugar is key. It gives the cookies an extra fennel pollen flavor boost, plus a delicate crunch and sparkle.
• Don’t over-bake. Pull the cookies when the centers still look a little soft – maybe a minute before you think they’re ready. They’ll finish setting as they cool.

Variations & substitutions

Feel free to customize these cookies to your liking! Here are a few suggestions:

No fennel pollen sugar? Substitute with regular sugar and a pinch of ground fennel seed (slightly different flavor but still delicious).

Fresh fennel flowers? Instead of using fennel pollen sugar, you could add fennel pollen straight from the flowers! Simply rub the pollen off the flowers with your fingers until you have a teaspoon or two. Add to the mixer with the sugar and lemon zest.

Try a different citrus. Swap orange, grapefruit or Meyer lemon zest for a softer, sweeter citrus note. Fennel pollen tastes great with just about any citrus!

Glaze them. Instead of rolling the cookies in sugar, you could drizzle them with a simple lemon icing for extra tang.

Storing

Store at room temperature. Keep fennel pollen cookies in an airtight tin or jar for up to 4 days. They will dry out a little after the first day.

Freeze the dough for future bakes. Roll cookie dough into balls and roll in fennel pollen sugar, then freeze unbaked. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

Freeze baked cookies. Sealed in a freezer bag, they’ll keep well for about 2 months. Just thaw at room temp when ready to enjoy.

If you’re looking for more ideas to use fresh fennel flowers, try this infused Fennel Pollen Vodka or a Lemon Olive Oil Tart with Fennel Pollen Cream!