Description
These delightful Raspberry Lemon Cookies are soft, tangy, and packed with juicy frozen raspberries and fresh lemon zest and juice. Perfectly balanced with a sweet buttery base, these cookies bring a bright citrus flavor and a burst of fruity freshness that makes them irresistible. Made with simple pantry ingredients and baked to golden perfection, they are ideal for sharing or enjoying with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Dry Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
Other
- 1.5 cups frozen raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is important for texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Reduce mixer speed to low, then add vanilla bean paste, egg, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together baking powder, baking soda, and all-purpose flour to combine and aerate them.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Fold in Raspberries: Gently fold the frozen raspberries into the dough using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, taking care not to break them up or overmix the dough.
- Portion Dough: Use a cookie scoop (about 1 heaping tablespoon per cookie) to drop sticky dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. This tool helps manage the sticky dough better than a spoon.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops lose their shine and edges start turning golden brown.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes to set before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Using frozen raspberries helps retain their shape and prevents them from bleeding too much into the dough.
- Do not overmix the dough once the raspberries are added to avoid breaking them apart and turning the dough purple.
- Allow cookies to cool fully on a rack for the best texture; they firm up as they cool.
- A cookie scoop significantly eases the shaping process, especially with sticky dough.
- For added lemon flavor, you can lightly zest more lemon on top before baking.
