Raspberry Lemonade Cookies

5 from 5 votes

These Raspberry Lemonade Cookies are buttery, sweet and tangy lemon shortbread-like cookies that are dusted with confectioners' sugar and filled with a sweet raspberry lemon icing! They're like summer in every bite! This recipe makes almost 3 dozen bite-sized cookies so they're perfect for a party! Best part is they’re gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Chill Time15

Total Time42

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Lemon Cookies

2.5 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar , plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking sticks, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
¼ cup milk
2 frozen raspberries

For the Lemon Raspberry Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 raspberries , frozen
1 tablespoon lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Lemon Cookies

Wash and dry 2 lemons. Take a zester and zest the 2 lemons.
There should be 2 tablespoons of zest.
Put the zest in a little bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't get crunchy. Set aside.
Take 2 lemons, cut them in half and juice them. Make sure to remove any seeds if they get in the juice. Set aside.
There should be about 4 tablespoons of juice. Keep 2 tablespoons separate.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the 2.5 cups flour, ½ cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick until it is soft and creamy.
Add in ¼ cup confectioners' sugar and beat together until creamy; about 2 minutes.
Slowly beat the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the creamed butter and sugar.
Mix on low speed until it starts to combine then increase the speed to whip into a creamy consistency.
On low speed, beat in the gluten free flour mixture and ¼ cup milk, alternating and starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Mix until a dough forms.
Break off a 1 inch piece of dough. Work it back and forth in your hands until smooth and then roll into a 1 inch ball.
Then chill the dough balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Make the Lemon Raspberry Icing

While cookies are chilling, make the icing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 frozen raspberries (breaking up the berries) and the 1 tablespoon lemon juice until combined and smooth. Set aside.
There will be raspberry flecks in the icing.
Take the cookies out of the fridge and bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully press the end of a wooden spoon handle into the center of each ball to create a dent.
Continue to bake for an additional 6 minutes. Repeat making the hole with the back of the wooden spoon once removed from the oven. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
Dust cookies with confectioners’ sugar, spoon icing into indents, and let set, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and non-dairy milk.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 2.5 packed cups of regular flour (420 grams). Still chill the dough.

Storing: Store unfilled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store sugar dusted and icing filled cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If in the fridge, let the cookies come to room temperature prior to eating as these cookies have a shortbread-like base and tend to get hard when cold.

Freezing: You can wrap the dough in plastic, pop in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 30 days. Thaw the dough in the fridge the night prior to using and then once again, let come to almost room temperature prior to baking.

Or you can shape the dough balls without and freeze them for up to 30 days.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition