Description
These Lemon Raspberry Cookies are a delightful blend of tangy lemon zest and juicy raspberries swirled into a tender, buttery cookie. Enhanced with a hint of vanilla and optional white chocolate chips, these cookies strike the perfect balance between fruity brightness and sweet richness. Perfectly cakey or soft depending on your baking time, they're a refreshing treat ideal for spring and summer gatherings or anytime you crave a citrusy dessert with a berry twist.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes (if unsalted butter used, see notes)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (increase by 2 teaspoons for high altitude)
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (decrease to ¼ teaspoon for high altitude)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (increase to ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
Sugars & Flavorings
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (reduce by 1 tablespoon for high altitude)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (all-natural cane sugar preferred)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from entire lemon)
Add-ins
- 1 cup frozen raspberries, roughly chopped if large, kept frozen until folding in
- ½ cup white chocolate chips (optional, stirred into dough with raspberries)
Instructions
- Prep oven and pans: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Melt and cool butter: Melt the ½ cup of salted butter and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. This prevents cooking the egg when mixing.
- Chop raspberries: If your frozen raspberries are large, roughly chop them and then return them to the freezer until ready to use. If they are already small or frozen crumbly, you can skip chopping.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
- Zest and juice lemon: Using a microplane, zest the entire lemon. Then roll the lemon on the counter with your palm to release its juices. Cut and juice the lemon to measure 1 ½ tablespoons. Set zest and juice aside separately.
- Flavor the sugar: In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers or mix until the texture resembles damp sand, which helps release the oils and intensify lemon flavor.
- Add wet ingredients: Whisk in the cooled melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract into the lemon sugar mixture. Whisk vigorously until smooth and slightly lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Next, add the lemon juice and whisk again until fully incorporated.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Fold in raspberries and chips: Gently fold in the frozen raspberries and optional white chocolate chips. The dough will turn slightly pink and swirly as the raspberries begin to thaw and color the dough.
- Scoop dough: Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop rounded scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheets spaced apart. The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 12–14 minutes if you prefer cakier cookies or 9–11 minutes for softer, chewier cookies. If baking at high altitude, start checking at 8–9 minutes; cookies were perfect at about 10 ½ minutes at altitude.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set and finish baking from residual heat.
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to ½ teaspoon to maintain flavor balance.
- Frozen raspberries should be kept frozen until just before folding into the dough to prevent excess moisture and coloring.
- For high altitude baking, reduce brown sugar by 1 tablespoon, increase flour by 2 teaspoons, and reduce baking powder to ¼ teaspoon, adjusting baking time accordingly.
- After scooping the first batch of dough, refrigerate or freeze remaining dough scoops to prevent the raspberries from thawing too much and bleeding into the dough.
- Optional white chocolate chips add a creamy sweetness that complements raspberry and lemon perfectly.
