These lemon raspberry cookies hit that perfect balance between tart and sweet, with bursts of fresh raspberry in every bite. I started making them as a way to use up extra raspberries during summer, but they’ve become one of my go-to cookie recipes year-round.

The lemon zest brightens up the whole cookie, while the raspberries keep them from being too sugary sweet. They’re soft in the middle with slightly crisp edges – just how I like my cookies. These work great for summer picnics or afternoon tea, and they’re always a hit at bake sales. The dough freezes well too, so you can keep some on hand for when you need a quick batch of something special.

What you need for Lemon Raspberry Cookies

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh raspberries
⅓ cup powdered sugar (for dusting)

How to make Lemon Raspberry Cookies

These bright, tender cookies have the perfect balance of tart lemon and sweet raspberries. Here’s how to make them:

1. Start by letting your butter sit out for about an hour to properly soften – you should be able to easily press your finger into it, but it shouldn’t be melty or greasy. Trust me, this makes a huge difference in how your cookies turn out.

2. While the butter’s softening, zest your lemons first, then juice them. I find it’s much easier to zest a whole lemon than trying to zest a half-squeezed one. You’ll want the zest to be fine and just yellow – avoid the white pith underneath which can be bitter.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. This helps distribute the leaveners evenly so you don’t get any weird salty or bitter spots in your cookies.

4. In a large bowl (or your stand mixer if you’ve got one), cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until it’s really light and fluffy – about 3-4 minutes. Don’t rush this step! The mixture should be pale and almost doubled in volume.

5. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined. The mixture might look a bit curdled at first because of the lemon juice – that’s totally normal, just keep mixing.

6. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until just combined. The dough will be fairly thick. Stop mixing as soon as you don’t see any more dry flour – overmixing will make your cookies tough.

7. Very gently fold in the fresh raspberries. They’ll break up a bit as you fold them in, which is fine – those raspberry swirls through the dough are delicious! Just try not to mash them completely.

8. Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes. This helps the flour hydrate and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.

9. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. The dough might be a bit sticky – a cookie scoop works great here if you have one.

11. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown and the centers look set but still soft. The bottoms should be light golden brown when you lift one up to check.

12. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes – they’ll be too soft to move right away. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

13. Once the cookies are completely cool (this is important – if they’re even slightly warm, the powdered sugar will melt), dust them with powdered sugar using a fine-mesh sieve.

These are best eaten within 2-3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The raspberries make them soften up faster than plain cookies, but they’ll still be delicious!

🔍 Recipe Notes & Tips

Use room temp eggs – they blend better
Fresh raspberries work best – frozen ones make dough too wet
Don’t skip chilling the dough – cookies will spread too much
If dough sticks to hands, dust with flour or use wet fingers
Pull from oven when centers look slightly underdone – they’ll set up while cooling
No powdered sugar? These are still great plain or with cream cheese frosting

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Perfect with:
– Afternoon tea or coffee
– Cold lemonade
– Prosecco for fancy occasions
– Glass of cold milk
Stack on tiered plate for tea parties
Serve slightly chilled in summer

🎯 Make it Work for

Baby/Bridal Showers: Make smaller, bite-sized versions (reduce bake time by 2-3 mins)
Holiday Gifts: Add white chocolate drizzle for fancier look
Picnics: Skip powdered sugar – less messy
Bake Sale: Individually wrap to protect from humidity
Kids’ Parties: Use mini chocolate chips instead of raspberries – less messy

📦 Storage & Leftovers

Room temp: 2-3 days in airtight container
Fridge: Up to 5 days but will get softer
Freezer: Dough balls freeze well for 3 months
Don’t stack with powdered sugar coating
Place wax paper between layers
If they soften too much, pop in 300°F oven for 3-4 mins to crisp up

Lemon Raspberry Cookies