Raspberry Lemon Cookies
I saw some gorgeous ombré cookies in Pinterest recently and was so drawn so how lovely they were. Freeze dried berries are one of my favorite secret ingredients for flavoring/coloring baked goods, and I knew they would make the most gorgeous pink frosting. I crushed them into a powder and added it gradually to the frosting, decorating a few, and then adding more powder until the graduated color affect was accomplished. Aren’t they lovely? Plus the tangy raspberry flavor is perfect with the lemony cookies making this flavor combo one of my favorites.
In terms of sugar cookie cut outs, this recipe is my favorite. It’s from Bake at 350, the queen of sugar cookies, and I’ve made it several times. This version has lemon zest mixed into the sugar which releases all the oils and makes the lemon flavor shine. The dough requires no chilling ahead of time, and this whole project was done in just about an hour. Not bad right? (If you’re feeling ambitious today I get my freeze dried berries from Trader Joes, but I’ve ordered them in bulk from Amazon as well.) These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, a baby shower, or anytime you want a pretty and spring-y cookie!
Ingredients needed for Lemon Raspberry Cookies:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh lemon juice and zest
Supplies needed for Raspberry Lemon Cookies:
- Large bowl
- Electric Mixer
- Airtight Container
- Wire Rack
- Parchment Paper
- Offset Spatula for frosting
- Mesh Sieve
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
How to make Raspberry Lemon Cookies:
Combine flour with baking powder and set aside. Mix the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to work the zest into the sugar, releasing the oils. Add the butter, and use an electric or stand mixer to cream until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon juice to the butter mixture and mix until creamy and well mixed. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until combined. Cookie dough will be crumbly. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough comes together.
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out using cookie cutters. Place cut out cookies on a prepared baking sheet 1-2 inches apart and freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
Bake cookies 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.
When the cookies are room temperature frost using a spoon or offset spatula. Cookies last at room temperature for 2-3 days in a sealed container or up to a week in the fridge.
How to make Freeze Dried Raspberry Frosting:
The reason I love using freeze dried berries for this recipe is that you can create a powder which doesn’t make the frosting runny like if you had used fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries.
The frosting has an extra burst of sweetness of raspberries as well as a bright natural pink coloring. For best results use a fine mesh strainer to crush the larger raspberry pieces, remove seeds and chunks and only use the remaining powder. If you want to keep the smaller bits of raspberry in the frosting you are welcome to do that as well.
To use, cream butter until fluffy and then add the powdered sugar and raspberry powder. Add milk or cream until frosting is creamy but can still hold shape. Spread frosting onto cooled cookies.
Other recipes using Freeze Dried Fruit:
Other cookies using Lemon or Raspberry:
Thumbprint Cookies with Icing (jam thumbprints you can make with sweet raspberry jam and a tangy lemon glaze!)
Chewy Lemon Cookies (Chewy sugar cookies filled with lemon freshness!)
Ombré Raspberry Lemon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into small chunks
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
For the Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 12 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons freeze dried raspberry powder*
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl stir the flour and baking powder together, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to work the zest into the sugar, releasing the oils.
- Add the butter, and use an electric mixer to cream until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix until creamy and well mixed.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Dough will be crumbly.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough comes together.
- Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out using cookie cutters. Place cut out cookies on a lined cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart and freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
- Bake each batch 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.
For the Frosting:
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add lemon juice and the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until fluffy and creamy.
- Add a sprinkle of the raspberry powder and decorate the first few cookies. Add a little more raspberry powder and decorate a few more, gradually adding more powder to each batch, creating a gradual darker pink.
- Cookies last up to a week stored in an air tight container in the fridge.
Notes
*To make the raspberry powder, scoop about 2/3 cup freeze dried raspberries into a ziplock bag. Crush them into a powder using a rolling pin. Sift them using a fine mesh sieve to create a fine powder, or add some of the seeds in for a more textured look. (The darkest color cookies have some seeds added!)
Sugar Cookie barely adapted from Bake at 350
These are SO fun and I love that the flavoring and color is au naturel! Also perfect for a certain someone’s first bday party coming up!!
Right on time! I was thinking of something to give to my boyfriend since he was in Greece last February and valentines was so like LDR for us, and luckily I found these sweet nibbling treats for him to celebrate Valentines (though it’s a little late).
Oftentimes, he is the one who’s giving him surprises during Vday but this time, I want something to give him just to express how much I really appreciate him. He’s going back on the 25th this month after away for some project. I’m excited!
Prepping up now to but some ingredients. Thanks again dear!
Keep smiling,
Samantha <3
Hi there do you have any suggestions for blue colour would blueberries freeze dried work ?
Thank you
Blue butterfly pea powder is amazing for the blue natural dye and antioxidants!
Thank you! I’ll check it out
Hey! These cookies are so cute! Can they be frezzed? I am making them for a friends bridal shower and have a lot of baking to do the week of and was trying to do as much as I can beforehand. If I froze the cookies unfrosted do you think they would taste just as good?
thanks!
You can make the actual cookies and then freeze them in an airtight tuperware. I’d wait to frost them until day of! :)
Did you use salted butter for the frosting?
I always use unsalted for frosting so I can add a pinch of salt if needed. If you only have salted though, I don’ think it’s a deal breaker!
Would it be possible to do unsalted butter for the cookie dough?
Of course You can use unsalted butter. If recipe calls for salted butter and you only have unsalted, just add a pinch to whatever you’re making! Hope this helps.
These look amazing! However, I am not able to get freeze-dried raspberries (I have a severe nut allergy, and everything I can find has allergy warnings). Is there a way I could make the frosting using fresh/frozen raspberries, or would I be better off just making a regular buttercream? Thanks!!
Can you substitute freeze dried with frozen berries? I love the idea but don’t have access to freeze dried berries
Unfortunately no. Without them being freeze-dried you’d get a very runny icing. I’d just use food coloring to get the ombré effect otherwise!
Would it be possible to do unsalted butter for the cookie dough?
Yes! Just add 1/2 tsp of salt :)
Hi I am looking for a lemon-raspberry sugar cookie recipe to top with royal icing. I was wondering if I could throw the freeze dried raspberries in the dough instead of the icing on top. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
You could add raspberry powder to the royal icing at the very end!
These were sooooo good. The last batch of icing didn’t get as dark as we wanted so we threw in some blackberries. Will definitely make these again!!!!
The recipe says that they last a week in an air tight container. Is this frosted or unfrosted? I’m afraid the cookies will go soft with the frosting on them.
Omg! Gorgeous and chic. Love these. Can’t wait to make them. I love the idea of using freeze dried berries as a food coloring. So clever! Thank you!
I’m planning on cooking these cookies on a cast iron pan. Should I modify the cooking temperature and time?
Could you please tell me how much butter is in a stick? Maybe how many grams are in one? I am in Australia and I’ve never had a recipe call for a stick of butter so I don’t know how much it is.
Thank you
113grams is 1 stick of butter :)
Great, I’ll give that a go :D Thank you!
Curious to know if the frosting is harden? Can you harden it using meringue powder?
It doesn’t get too hard but you could wrap each cookie with a little space around it
Hi Audra! Any idea for how I could make the frosting vegan? My daughter is severely allergic to dairy, so I always need to change things. I could substitute for vegan cream cheese and butter, but not sure if that would change the flavor tons. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I’d try vegan butter!
Does the frosting remain soft or will it firm up enough to allow me to individually wrap the cookies?
It will remain soft with a bit of hard edges.
Do the raspberries give it a noticeable flavor? Thinking about doing this but just with traditional sugar cookies and no lemon. Thanks!
They really do! You taste the berries and lemon and they are perfect!
Could it be?! A recipe that uses COLD butter!! My little heart just exploded – so excited to make these today!
This recipe calls for 1 lemon. I’ve made this many times! Huge hit. Although I’m trying to get the dough consistency right. At the end of the mixing it says the dough will be crumbly. Mine never is. Do you have an exact measurement for the lemon juice. I think it his will help, my dough always seems too sticky. I’m afraid to add too much flour. Thanks ,
Michele
You know I don’t but that’s a great point and next time I will measure it!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
I am 9 years old and I love to bake and I wanted to make A Valentines day cookie and I chose this recipe it is the Valentines day cookie I have ever made.
I meant to say the best valestines day cookie I have ever made! I am homeschooled so my mom lets me bake a lot!
I made the frosting with frozen raspberries and it turned out great! Just cooked the raspberries with sugar and a dash of lemon till it’s thick and goopy. The idea is to get a concentrated flavor without the extra moisture. This is for those who like me have no access to freeze dried raspberries ☺️
Thanks so much for this note!