These Lemon Raspberry Cookies are soft and fluffy, sweet with a slight tang. This eggless sugar cookie recipe is made with lemon zest, lemon juice and frozen raspberries. The dough balls are rolled into lemon sugar prior to baking, which gives them a little extra pizazz! Finally, these raspberry lemon cookies are drizzled with a sweet raspberry glaze and sprinkled with some extra lemon zest. They taste like a refreshing glass of raspberry lemonade! If that wasn't enough, these cookies are gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan!
This lemon raspberry cookie recipe is so refreshing! The outside of these beauties has a slight crunch thanks to the lemon infused sugar and the inside is soft and chewy! The lemon flavor isn't overpowering; it blends beautifully with the sweet-tart raspberry flavor profile! You don't have to add the raspberry drizzle but I think it makes these cookies seriously stunning! Thanks to all the moisture from the fruit, these raspberry cookies stay soft for days like my Strawberry Sugar Cookies!
For more fruity sugar cookie recipes, try my Lemon Sugar Cookies, my Blueberry Cookies, my Fruity Pebbles Cookies and my Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
Reasons to Love These Cookies
- Allergy Friendly- These cookies are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!
- Soft & Chewy- The insides of these cookies are so fluffy!
- Covered in Lemon Sugar- The lemon sugar coating helps bring out that lemon flavor and gives the outside a nice crunch!
- Fresh Lemon Juice- The juice from the lemons gives the cookies this gorgeous yet mild tang like in my Lemon Buttercream Frosting!
- Raspberry Glaze- This pink glaze gives the cookies a lovely sweetness and a stunning (all natural) color like in my Raspberry Lemonade Cookies!
- That Gorgeous Color- These beauties have a gorgeous marbled pink, red and yellow hue and a stunning pink glaze with flecks of red! Best yet, these colors are all natural!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this gluten free flour because it’s nut safe but it does contain dairy. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce.
- Milk- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non dairy, use a non dairy milk of your choosing.
- Unsalted Butter or Vegan Baking Sticks- Don’t use melted; the cookies will spread into a giant mess.
- Cornstarch and Water- These cookies have no egg so this mixture helps bind everything together.
- Lemons- Please only use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Prepackaged lemon juice can result in the cookies having a chemical taste. We need a total of 3 medium lemons for the juice and zest combined.
- Raspberries- You must use frozen raspberries and they must be chopped into tiny pieces. Eggless cookies want to spread and if you use fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries that are not chopped, there will be too much moisture. The dough will become a slimy wet mess and will spread out into a liquid disaster when baking.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make these Vegan
- Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
- Make sure the brand of sugar you use is vegan.
- Use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
- Only use a non dairy milk of choice.
How to Make this recipe with All Purpose Flour
- Use 2 packed cups of regular flour (336 grams).
- You still need to chill the dough due to the lack of eggs.
This recipe has not been tested with these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Here are the step by step instructions to make these raspberry lemon cookies!
Zest and Juice the Lemons and Chop the Raspberries
Step 1: Zest the Lemons
Wash and dry all 3 lemons. Take a zester and zest all 3 lemons. Put the zest in a little bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't get crunchy. Set aside.
Step 2: Juice the Lemons
Take one lemon, cut it in half and juice it. Make sure to remove any seeds if they get in the juice. Set aside.
There should be about 2 tablespoons of juice. If there isn't enough, juice another lemon.
Step 3: Chop the Raspberries
Measure out ½ cup frozen raspberries. Rough chop the raspberries into small pieces. Be careful not to over chop; you don't want a puddle of raspberry pulp.
Place the chopped raspberries into a freezer safe bowl and pop back into the freezer until you're ready to add them into the dough.
Make the Cookies
Step 1: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Step 3: Cream the Sugar
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter or vegan baking stick and 1 ¼ cups of the sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add in the other Wet Ingredients
Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, milk, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look pale yellow and chunky.
Step 5: Add in the Dry Ingredients, Chopped Raspberries and Freeze the Dough
Slowly beat in the gluten free flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
Gently using a spatula, fold in the frozen chopped raspberries. The dough will become a lovely marbled pink color.
Keep the dough in the bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour. You must not skip this step or the cookies will spread everywhere and it must be frozen, not in the fridge.
Step 6: Make the Lemon Sugar
Once the dough is done chilling, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Mix until completely combined.
Step 7: Scoop the Dough and Coat with the Lemon Sugar
I use an ice cream scoop or a large cookie scoop to make large cookies. It makes 11 scoops.
Roll each dough ball in the lemon sugar mixture to coat completely.
Step 8: Bake the Cookies
Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-16 minutes.
Store extra dough balls in the freezer while the rest are baking if they don't all fit. I only bake 6 at a time.
Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven by using a spatula to push them into a circle shape and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. If you don't do this, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.
If adding the glaze, let the cookies cool completely before adding it, otherwise the glaze will turn into a liquid mess.
Make The Glaze (If Desired)
Step 1: Mix The Glaze Ingredients
In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 or 2 raspberries and the 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water until combined and smooth.
Step 2: Drizzle The Glaze
Drizzle the raspberry glaze on top of the cool cookies. If you drizzle it on warm cookies, the glaze with melt. Let the glaze harden. Sprinkle with more lemon zest if desired.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use Packed Cups of Flour- Normally in baking we do not use packed cups however, when working with gluten free, I've found using packed cups works best to help the baked goods keep their shape. Or read the gram measurement.
- Use Room Temperature Butter- Do not use softened or melted butter/vegan baking sticks. The cookies will spread out when baking into a giant mess.
- Use Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice- This is to prevent the cookies from having a chemical taste.
- Keep the Lemon Zest Airtight- If you leave it uncovered and not in a bowl covered in plastic wrap while you bake, it will dry out and become crunchy.
- Do not use Fresh Raspberries- Using fresh makes the dough way too wet and causes the cookies to spread out everywhere. Also make sure you chop the frozen raspberries otherwise they will spread out too.
- Freeze the Dough- If you don’t freeze the dough for at least 1 hour, the cookies will spread and be flat and thin.
- Wash Your Cookie Scoop- If you noticed the dough is starting to get sticky, wash and dry your cookie scoop halfway through making the dough balls.
- Reshape the Cookies- If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape.
- Making The Glaze- If the glaze appears too watery, add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it appears too thick, add more water ¼ teaspoon at a time. You want the glaze thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to solidify on the cookies. Also, if you want it a darker pink, add another raspberry.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the dough balls ahead of time and then freeze them. If doing this, there is no need to freeze them again, prior to baking.
Most gluten free baked goods are best made the same day, but you can make these cookies a day before!
Unlike most gluten free cookies, they’re actually so soft they stay fresh for several days but they must be stored in the fridge. Just make sure the glaze has completely solidified prior to storing them.
Yes! You can use a small cookie scoop.
Bake the cookies at the same temperature but for 13-14 minutes. Reshape as needed. Should make around 22 cookies.
No. Unfortunately due to the nature of the eggless cookies, that doesn't usually work. For more cookies with fruit, you can check out my recipes for Lemon Blueberry Cookies, Strawberry Sugar Cookies or Blueberry Cookies.
Once the glaze has hardened, store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not leave them at room temperature as they get very wet due to the raspberries.
They're still soft when in the fridge but you can leave let them come to room temperature before eating if desired. I prefer to eat them cold! They're so refreshing that way!
Other Lemon and Raspberry Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 cups gluten free flour (I use a 1:1 gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)
- ½ cup frozen raspberries , chopped
For the Lemon Sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about 1 medium lemon)
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Wash and dry all 3 lemons. Take a zester and zest all 3 lemons. Put the zest in a little bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't get crunchy. Set aside.
- Take one lemon, cut it in half and juice it. Make sure to remove any seeds if they get in the juice. Set aside. There should be about 2 tablespoons of juice. If there isn't enough, juice another lemon.
- Measure out ½ cup frozen raspberries. Rough chop the raspberries into small pieces. Be careful not to over chop; you don't want a puddle of raspberry pulp. Place the chopped raspberries into a freezer safe bowl and pop back into the freezer until you're ready to add them into the dough.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter or vegan baking stick and 1 ¼ cups of the sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, milk, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look pale yellow and chunky.
- Slowly beat in the gluten free flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
- Gently using a spatula, fold in the frozen chopped raspberries. The dough will become a lovely marbled pink color.
- Keep the dough in the bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour. You must not skip this step or the cookies will spread everywhere and it must be frozen, not in the fridge.
- After 1 hour, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Take the dough out of the fridge. Using an ice cream scoop, or a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough out. You should have 11 scoops.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Mix until completely combined.
- Roll each dough ball in the lemon sugar mixture to coat completely.
- Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-16 minutes.
- Store extra dough balls in the freezer while the rest are baking if they don't all fit. I only bake 6 at a time.
- Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them into a circle.Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. If you don't do this, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.If adding the glaze, let the cookies cool completely before adding it, otherwise the glaze will turn into a liquid mess.
Make the Glaze (If Desired)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 or 2 raspberries and the 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water until combined and smooth.
- Drizzle the raspberry glaze on top of the cool cookies. If you drizzle it on warm cookies, the glaze with melt. Let the glaze harden. Sprinkle with more lemon zest if desired.
Rochelle
Lee, the last park of the recipe regarding the drizzle was cut off. Are the cookies to see drizzled warm or completely cooled? thank you 👍
Lee
Hi there! Not sure where you're seeing it cut off because I checked the steps and also the recipe card and it's there. Drizzle on cool cookies. Hope this helps!
Sandra
These are absolutely amazing! I made them with regular all purpose flour and they came out perfect. You also don't need to put the dough in the freezer in this case, just straight on the pan and after 16min. they're ready to be devoured ^^
Amelia
how many grams of butter do you put? I hope you can answer it really fast. I need to try them!
Lee
Hi! If you go to the recipe card and clock the "metric" button, it coverts all the ingredients into grams. For the butter it says 113.5 g. Hope this helps!
Kim Adams
I just finished making these for Easter!
One bite and it was worth all the steps! I cant begin to imagine all the trial and error going into creating this delicious cookie! I followed every. Single. Step. Amazing flavor, texture and so very pretty. Thanks for taking the time and sharing this recipe with us!!
Marietjie Steyn
I’m new to GF baking but - Honestly the best of the best. Beautiful to look at and a more than yummy taste. Love the lemon and raspberry combination which gives a tangier aftertaste. I did the glaze as well and added more lemon zest afterwards👌💕 delicious!!
Will definitely try out more of your recipes soon. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Do you think I can freeze them after baking?
Lee
Thank you so so much! You should be able to freeze them. And yes I would defrost them in the fridge because I am worried they would get too wet at room temperature.
Amy
I just made these cookies for a coworkers bday and omg, they were SO good and everyone was blown away by them and the fact that they were egg and gluten free! I used oat milk as well, but couldn’t resist still using real butter.
Mine were incredibly more pink than in the picture, as I think I “folded” in the raspberries more than needed, but it made for gorgeous colored cookies!
The lemon sugar you roll them in gives them that extra crunch and the icing adds some extra flare that’s perfect too.
And the texture is to die for! Probably my new favorite cookies.
I can’t wait to make the blueberry lemon version of these too!
Lee
Thank you so so much!!! So glad!
Patty Clark
Can I use almond flour as a gf flour do you know?
Lee
Hi Patty! I am sorry but I cannot have nuts in my household due to my son's severe allergies. Sadly almond flour is not a 1 to 1 replacement for gluten free multipurpose flour. It is a high fat flour and can make baked goods greasy due to the added moisture. You'd also have to adjust the liquid amounts in the recipe for the best results. King Arthur says to replace 1/4 of the flour in a recipe with almond flour. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, then use 3/4 cup gf multipurpose flour and 1/4 cup almond flour. Sorry I can't be of more help!
Xaia
hello, I'm making these with vegan baking sticks and it curdled when I added the lemon juice, is this okay? thank you!
Lee
Hi! If you check out step 4 in the blog post (not in the recipe card) I show it picture of what it looks like. It will look chunky at that stage. Hope this helps!
Carla Ward
Loved this recipe!! Very chewy and flavorful! My gluten free friends loved it! It was even amazing without the drizzle 💖
Lee
So glad thank you!!!
Tracy
Seriously one of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Notice I didn’t say “one of the best gluten free cookies”… that’s because gluten free or not, this cookie is to die for. Thank you for such an amazing recipe ❤️
Lee
Oh goodness so kind! Thank you so much!
Nicole Rivera
Can I use reg flour? Lol they just look to delicious not to ask?
Lee
Hi! I can't test it due to celiac disease but I explain what to do in the blog post under "substitutions and variations". I also list it in the notes section of the recipe card that you can print out. Hope that helps!
Cambria
Just made these and they were delicious! This is the first bakery item I’ve made from scratch, so I don’t have a lot of fancy equipment and don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but this recipe was easy to make and the detailed instructions helped a bunch. I’m definitely gonna make again and keep making desserts from this blog:)
Lee
So glad thank you so much!