These Lemon Raspberry Cookies are bursting with berry and citrus flavor in every bite. Chewy and soft, these cookies are perfect for spring or summer gatherings and use about 10 ingredients.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The dough comes together in no time, and the cookies bake up beautifully with those gorgeous raspberry swirls! Bright, fresh flavor with a perfectly chewy texture — and so quick to make!” — Adrienne, volunteer recipe tester
If there is something lemony on a menu, it’s almost always what I want to order. Bright citrus desserts have my heart, and these lemon raspberry cookies might be one of my favorite combinations yet. Lemon and raspberry together feel like spring and summertime in a bite. They are fresh, vibrant, and just the right balance of sweet and tart!
I originally developed this recipe in the spirit of my Lemon Blueberry Cookies, which have become a favorite on the blog. These raspberry lemon cookies are similar in texture: soft, slightly chewy, and packed with fresh lemon flavor. The addition of frozen raspberries creates gorgeous pink swirls throughout the dough and adds little bursts of tart berry flavor.
They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, bridal or baby showers, spring brunches, or just because a lemon-raspberry craving hits. And if you love cookies as much as I do, you might also enjoy my Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Easy to follow and flexible, I loved them both glazed and plain! I baked mine a little longer for a cakier cookie — they turned out delicious either way!” – Dawn, volunteer recipe tester
Frozen Raspberries Are the Only Way I Make My Favorite Lemon Raspberry Cookies
- Soft and chewy texture. These cookies bake up tender with lightly crisp edges and soft centers thanks to a balanced dough and a touch of cornstarch!
- Bright lemon flavor in every bite. Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar releases the natural citrus oils, creating intensely lemony cookies. A must in my book!
- Frozen Berries work best: Fresh raspberries will release too much liquid too fast and make these cookies a soggy mess, so my tip is to go for frozen (I used organic) and work quickly!
- Perfect for spring entertaining. These cheerful pink-swirled cookies are ideal for Easter dessert tables, Mother’s Day brunch, or baby showers.
- Freezer-friendly dough! Scoop and freeze the dough so you can bake fresh cookies whenever the craving hits.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- Salted Butter: Melted butter helps create a softer, chewier cookie texture.
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: This combo adds moisture and also helps to create those slightly crisp edges. I use all natural cane sugar, but white sugar may be used, it’s what gives these cookies those crispy edges.
- Whole Egg: Provides structure! Make sure it’s room temperature.
- Fresh Lemon Zest: The key flavor component that makes these cookies taste bright and citrusy. Use a microplane to make quick work of it!
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Adds tanginess and extra lemon flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: For an extra depth of flavor!
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the dough. I always like to use organic, unbleached flour!
- Cornstarch: This is my secret ingredient. It helps keep the cookies soft and tender!
- Baking Powder: For some rise in the oven.
- Baking Soda: While the baking powder encourages rise, the baking soda encourages browning and a little bit of spread.
- Kosher Salt: To balance everything out.
- Frozen Raspberries: For a burst of fruity flavor and those gorgeous pink swirls!
- Optional: White Chocolate Chips, for little bites of chocolate goodness.
Glazes
- Lemon Glaze: For a lemon glaze, you can combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest if you have any leftover! Or…
- White Chocolate Glaze: This is the easiest option! Just melt some white chocolate and drizzle it right over the cookies.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Step 1 – Prep Raspberries & Dry Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Melt butter so that it can cool while you prep the rest of the cookies.
Roughly chop frozen raspberries (if large) and return to the freezer until ready to fold in. If your raspberries are already small, skip chopping, or just crumble.
In a medium bowl, whisk together: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 2 – Zest & Juice Lemon
Using a microplane, zest the entire lemon. Roll the lemon on the counter with your palm to release juices, then cut and juice. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and lemon zest. Rub together with fingers until the mixture resembles damp sand — this releases natural oils and intensifies the lemon flavor.
Step 3 – Make the Cookie Dough
To the lemon sugars, whisk in: melted, cooled butter, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously until smooth and color lightens slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice until combined, another minute or so.
Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix.
Gently fold in frozen raspberries (and white chocolate chips, if using). Dough will become slightly pink and swirly — that’s perfect!
Step 4 – Bake & Enjoy
Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (#40), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2-inches apart. The dough balls will be soft and slightly sticky.
Bake for 12–14 minutes for cakier cookies, or 9–11 minutes for softer, chewier ones. ➤ At high altitude, start checking at the 8–9 minute mark, mine were perfect at 10 ½ minutes. Cookies should be a light golden brown, just golden at the edges.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
👉🏼 One of my testers, Susan, found the cookies spread even less if she refrigerated them for 10 minutes before baking.
Optional Glazes
After allowing the lemon raspberry cookies to cool on the cooling rack, feel free to drizzle them with a glaze!
Lemon Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Leftover lemon zest (if available)
Whisk together until smooth and drizzle consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
White Chocolate Glaze:
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring well between each. Once a creamy white chocolate, pour into a baggie, snip a tiny corner, and drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies.
Expert Tips
- Use frozen raspberries only! Thawed raspberries release too much moisture and can make the dough messy.
- Chill extra dough while baking. I recommend keeping the remaining dough cold while the first batch bakes. This prevents the raspberries from thawing too much!
- Slightly underbake for chewy cookies. The centers will continue to set as they cool!
- Preheat your oven fully. Let your oven heat for at least 20 minutes for accurate baking temperature.
- Make perfectly round cookies. Immediately after baking, swirl a round glass or cookie cutter around the edges for the most gorgeous, round cookies.
Variations
- Add ½ cup white chocolate chips (or semi-sweet) with raspberries.
- Or add ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips to the cookies.
- Gluten-free? Use a 1:1 GF baking flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur), replace 1 ¼ cups flour with GF AP flour and ¼ cup of oat flour for improved flavor and texture.
- Using fresh raspberries? Not recommended — they add too much moisture.
- Want to try freeze-dried raspberries? Substitute ½ cup and fold in gently. You can add as-is for a crisper texture, the texture of the cookie will change.
High Altitude Adjustments
- Decrease brown sugar by 1 tablespoon
- Increase flour by 2 teaspoons
- Decrease baking powder to ¼ teaspoon
- Bake time may be slightly shorter — check early!
Storage
- Room temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store up to 1 week in a sealed container.
- Freezer:
- Dough: Scoop onto baking sheet, freeze until solid, transfer to zip-top bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
- Baked cookies: Freeze in layers in an airtight container with parchment between for up to 2 months.
Common Questions People Ask
Why are my lemon raspberry cookies more cakey than chewy?
This lemon raspberry cookie recipe does result in thicker cookies. So they can turn out more cakey if they are baked too long or if too much flour is added to the dough. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when the centers still look slightly soft, since they will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
The easiest way to boost the lemon flavor is by adding extra lemon zest, since the zest contains the most concentrated citrus oils. You can also drizzle the cookies with a simple lemon glaze after baking or add a tiny splash of lemon extract for even more citrus brightness!
If your cookies are spreading too thin, the dough may be too warm or the butter too hot when mixed. Make sure the melted butter has cooled slightly before adding it, and chill the dough for 20–30 minutes if it feels very soft before baking.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted and cooled 10 minutes (see note if using unsalted)
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed (reduce by 1 tablespoon for high altitude)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar I use all-natural cane sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest the entire lemon
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice about 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour increase by 2 teaspoons for high altitude
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder decrease to ¼ for high altitude
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt If using unsalted butter, increase salt to ½ teaspoon
- 1 cup frozen raspberries see notes (keep frozen)
Optional
- ½ cup white chocolate chips stirred into cookie dough with raspberries, optional
Instructions
- Prep oven and pans: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Melt butter and allow it to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, it should cool at least 10 minutes before assembling the cookies.½ cup salted butter
- Chop raspberries: Roughly chop frozen raspberries (if large) and return to the freezer until ready to fold in. If your raspberries are already small, skip chopping, or just crumble.1 cup frozen raspberries
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest & juice lemon: Using a microplane, zest the entire lemon. Roll the lemon on the counter with your palm to release juices, then cut and juice. Set aside.1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- Flavor the sugar: In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and lemon zest. Rub together with fingers or in a mixing bowl, until the mixture resembles damp sand — this releases natural oils and intensifies the lemon flavor.½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add wet ingredients: To the lemon sugars, whisk in: melted, cooled butter, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously until smooth and color lightens slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice until combined, another minute or so.½ cup salted butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in frozen raspberries (and white chocolate chips, if using). Dough will become slightly pink and swirly, as the raspberries thaw, the dough will become more colored.
- Scoop dough: Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (#40), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
- Bake: Bake for 12–14 minutes for cakier cookies, or 9–11 minutes for softer, chewier ones. ➤ At high altitude, start checking at the 8–9 minute mark; mine were perfect at 10 ½ minutes.Baker’s Tip: After scooping your first batch, place remaining dough in the fridge to keep raspberries from thawing too much, or my preference; freeze remaining scoops. Or if you have double ovens, preheat both ovens and bake at the same time.
- Cool cookies: Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Leftover lemon zest (if available)
- Decrease brown sugar by 1 tablespoon
- Increase flour by 2 teaspoons
- Decrease baking powder to ¼ teaspoon
- Bake time may be slightly shorter — check early!
- Room temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store up to 1 week in a sealed container.
- Freezer:
➤ Dough: Scoop onto baking sheet, freeze until solid, transfer to zip-top bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
➤ Baked cookies: Freeze in layers in an airtight container with parchment between for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
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