These raspberry cookies are bursting with fruity raspberries and fresh lemon flavor. They have a soft, buttery and chewy texture, are easy to make and always disappear fast!
Table of Contents
Lemon Raspberry Cookies
I love to make fruit desserts during spring and summer. These bright and refreshing raspberry cookies are a favorite, as well as mini fruit tarts, glazed lemon cookies, strawberry crumb bars and lemon bars.
Sweet, tart raspberries are combined with the bright zing of lemon and a buttery cookie base that tastes like a mix between an orange scone and shortbread cookie. Topped with a lemon powdered sugar glaze, everyone loves these cookies!
If you love lemon, other favorites include this lemon sugar cookie recipe and lemon loaf cake.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Cold salted butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice
- Frozen raspberries
- Lemon glaze
Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
I recommend using frozen raspberries when making this raspberry cookies recipe instead of using fresh raspberries.
Frozen berries are easier to fold into the dough than fresh berries (without getting all mushy) and are less watery. Frozen raspberries are still a bit fragile, so make sure to gently fold them into the dough.
How to Make Raspberry Cookies
In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix in butter with a pastry cutter, whisk, or your hands until crumbly and combined.
Stir in heavy cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined and a thick dough forms. Gently fold or press in raspberries.
Using a large cookie scoop, spoon dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
Once cookies have cooled completely, combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the soft cookies.
Tips and Variations
- Cold butter. Similar to making homemade biscuits, you want to use cold cubed butter. This gives the raspberry cookies a soft and thick texture, with a bit of crumble.
- Drop cookies. Simply use a spoon (or cookie scoop) to drop thefruity cookies onto the baking sheet. That’s it! No rolling or flattening cookie dough balls required.
- Fold raspberries gently. Try not to get heavy handed when folding in the frozen raspberries. Fold them in gently, so they stay intact for the most part.
- White chocolate raspberry cookies. White chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips would taste delicious. Fold them in when you fold in the frozen raspberries.
- Without lemon: Skip adding the lemon and use vanilla extract instead.
- Glaze. Make sure lemon raspberry cookies have cooled completely before adding the glaze. Try a cream cheese glaze or omit the glaze and dust with powdered sugar.
- Strawberries instead? Try these strawberry cookies!
If you love dessert recipes with lemon try lemon brownies, lemon cake mix cookies, lemon blueberry muffins or lemon poke cake!
More Recipes with Raspberries
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Raspberry Cookies
Video
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter , cubed
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream , plus more as needed
- ½ lemon , zested and juiced
- 1 cup roughly chopped frozen raspberries
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make dough. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix 1/2 cup cold butter in with a pastry cutter, whisk, or use your hands until it's crumbly and combined.
- Add wet ingredients. Stir in 2/3 cup heavy cream, 1/2 lemon zest, and lemon juice just until combined and a thick dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add 1 more Tablespoon cream. Gently fold or press in raspberries.
- Drop cookies .Using a large cookie scoop, spoon dough 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice until smooth.
- Drizzle over cooled cookies. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you love really lemon, you can add a little more zest into the dough. Check out these tips for how to zest a lemon.
- You could make these without the lemon flavor if preferred. Omit the lemon juice and zest and add in a dash of vanilla extract for more flavor.
- White chocolate chips would taste delicious mixed into the dough. Fold them in when you fold in the frozen raspberries.
- Use a cream cheese glaze for a more rich and tangy flavor.
- Omit the glaze all together or add a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
This happens when the juice from the raspberries reacts with the baking powder. You cookies may also look a little gray or even a greenish color. To avoid this,add your frozen berries to the cookie batter last, stir gently and bake immediately. If you need to bake subsequent pans, keep dough chilled until ready to bake remaining batter.
Yes, if you do not add the raspberries to the batter you could make the dough ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
If you have over baked your cookies they will start to harden as they cool. Take your cookies out of the oven right as they start to turn golden brown at the edges. Also, be sure to store your cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are cool.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, store in a zip top bag or airtight container at room temperature for about 4 to 5 days. Freeze lemon raspberry cookies in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Categorized as: American, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Frosted Cookies, Fruit Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
beyond delish!
It came out really good but the next time I make them I’m gonna add more lemon just because I love lemon
Absolutely loved these cookies! I took these to a cookie exchange and they were the favorite. They also did great freezing for later.
Ah, love to hear they won the favorite! Thanks for sharing :)
I noticed there are no eggs. Is that a mistake?
Nope not a mistake, this has more of a shortbread/scone type cookie base. :)
These are so pretty. Will be on my cookie trays for sure this holiday season. Was wondering if half and half could be used in place of the heavy cream. Thanks!
Yes you can use half and half as well :)
Oh my, these raspberry cookies were ahhhmaaazing!! YUM!!
I made this recipe today, and my cookies turned out great and they taste amazing!! The flavors of the raspberries and lemon combined was simply decadent. I actually tripled the recipe above, and I got 10.5 dozen. I feel that it is important to cut in the cold butter, using your hands. Yes, it is a lot of work and takes about 10 minutes, but that is the best way. And what was great, is that I did not need to use my electric mixer at all….Yeah!!
I wanted smaller cookies, so that I would get more out of the batter. I rolled the batter into about 1″ ball and placed it on my parchment covered trays. FYI….the batter is going to be a bit sticky, but that is a good thing. I also baked my cookies 14 minutes; at 7 minutes, I switch and turn my pans to ensure even baking (I always do this with my cookies). when you go to make the icing/glaze, do not make it too runny. I line up the cookies on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with the glaze, then put that whole tray into the freezer for about 10 minutes to flash freeze them. (I do this with any cookie that has icing/glaze). This makes it easier to package them into your containers, before freezing. And, always place a piece of wax paper in between each layer . I can’t say enough about this recipe. It is definitely a keeper. BTW…..I made over 100 dozen Christmas cookies in 3 weeks. I am happy to say that I am finished!!
Thanks for sharing so many great tips and feedback! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Happy holidays! :)
Made these raspberry lemon cookies today. Very easy to make and delicious 😋
So glad you enjoyed them, Gail! Thanks for your comment and review :)
My friend tried this recipe and it was too soft and more like a scone than a cookie
These cookies do taste more like a mix between a scone and shortbread cookie. They have a soft and thick texture with a slight crumble :)
Can I do the same recipe with blueberries frozen blueberries
I’ve never tried but I don’t see why not! Let me know how it goes if you give it a shot!
any frozen fruit works best. if the pieces of fruit are large, chop them up a bit before adding them to the batter. and fold them in gently, with a wooden spoon.
Just made these .They are so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly how it was written.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Tammy!
Hi Ms. Nye! As part of a separate order of freeze-dried fruit, I also got a package of freeze-dried raspberries and was wondering if they would be a fair substitute for the frozen ones in this recipe (which looks really good and I’m definitely going to try it). Thanks!
I haven’t tried, but I imagine that should work. Let us know if you try it!
I am totally raspberry crazy! I loved these cookies, the raspberry flavor really shines!
I Made for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
These lemon cookies were delicious. Can’t wait to make them again!
Can I make the dough ahead of time and freeze it till I’m ready to bake?
I haven’t tried, but I think it should be fine. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Delicious
In the recipe you say 1/2 zest and lemon juice….1/2 what amount?
The zest and juice of half a lemon :)
How much lemon juice in the dough? 1/2 lemon?
Correct! The juice and zest of half of a lemon :)