Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting
These lemon sugar cookies with raspberry frosting are bursting with flavor! Lemon zest and juice lend a tangy citrus flavor to the soft and slightly chewy sugar cookies. Freeze-dried raspberries give the velvety frosting a vibrant, fruity flavor and color. The combination of the soft, buttery sugar cookie and lush raspberry frosting yields a delightful treat reminiscent of warm, sunny days.
What better way to usher in Spring than with a vibrant lemon sugar cookie covered in bright pink raspberry cream cheese frosting! These cookies are the epitome of bougie cookies.
Instead of going to Crumbl let’s make some in our kitchens. Don’t worry, they’re easy to make, and your whole family will love them!
What I love about these cookies is their luscious lemon flavor contrasted with the tart raspberry flavor! You know how much I love lemon and raspberry-flavored treats! I have so many recipes on the blog like these No Bake Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake, Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake, Lemon Raspberry Cake, Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake, and Raspberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze.
The trend right now is to make giant cookies, but if you want to, these cookies can be made smaller. I give directions for changing the baking time in the recipe card.
These sugar cookies are versatile. Not only can you make them smaller but you can also turn them into sandwich cookies. If you want to make a sandwich cookie, I suggest adding the frosting to the bottom (flat side) of a cookie and then placing the flat side of another cookie on top of the frosting, pressing gently to sandwich them together.
Are you ready to make some Spring sugar cookies?
Ingredients
- granulated sugar
- a few lemons
- unsalted butter
- an egg
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking soda
- freeze-dried raspberries
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- milk or cream
How to Make Lemon Sugar Cookies
Preheat the oven and line a few large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers for about a minute to help release the fragrant oils.
Add the softened butter to the sugar and lemon zest. Beat until fluffy, about a few minutes.
Scrape down the sides, then beat in the egg, some lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until just combined. The dough will be somewhat soft.
Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to scoop up portions of the dough.
Carefully roll each portion of dough into a ball in your hands then place it on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Continue with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart.
Bake until the edges are just set and the bottoms are lightly golden.
Cool the cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies have cooled, make the frosting. Add the freeze-dried raspberries to a blender or food processor. Blend until fine and powdery. It’s okay if there are still smaller bits of raspberry remaining.
Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy, about a few minutes.
Beat in the powdered freeze-dried raspberries. With the mixer on low, beat in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, stopping once you’ve achieved a smooth and thick frosting.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl then beat in the milk.
Use a round tip to pipe the frosting onto the cookies or spread the frosting onto the cookies with a palette knife.
Garnish frosted cookies with crushed freeze-dried raspberries if desired.
How to Store
Keep leftover sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure to enjoy them within 3 days. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator.
More Spring Recipes
If Springtime has you dreaming of lemon recipes, give these a try. You won’t regret it!
- Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lemon Lime Macarons
- Lemon Easter Cookies
What do you think of this amazing Spring sugar cookie recipe? What would you serve with these giant sugar cookies? Let me know in the comment section below.
If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!
Happy Spring baking, friends!
Lemon Sugar Cookie Recipe
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting
These soft, buttery, lemon sugar cookies with raspberry cream cheese frosting are bursting with flavor! Lemon zest and juice lend a tangy citrus flavor to the soft and slightly chewy sugar cookies. Freeze-dried raspberries give the velvety frosting a vibrant fruity flavor and color.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting:
- 1 ounce freeze dried raspberries, plus extra for garnish
- 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers for 30-60 seconds to help release the fragrant oils. Add the softened butter to the sugar and lemon zest. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides then beat in the egg, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the vanilla extract.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until just combined. The dough will be somewhat soft.
- Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to scoop up portions of the dough. Carefully roll each portion of dough into a ball in your hands then place it on the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until the edges are just set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled, make the frosting. Add the freeze dried raspberries to a blender or food processor. Blend until fine and powdery. It’s okay if there are still smaller bits of raspberry remaining.
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the powdered freeze dried raspberries. With the mixer on low, beat in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, stopping once you’ve achieved a smooth and thick frosting. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl then beat in the milk. Use a round tip to pipe the frosting onto the cookies or spread the frosting onto the cookies with a palette knife. Garnish frosted cookies with crushed freeze dried raspberries if desired.
Notes
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure to enjoy them within 3 days. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator.
- If you’re baking more than one tray of cookies at a time, make sure to rotate the trays halfway through the baking time: switch the bottom tray to the top and rotate both trays so that the cookies that were in the back are now in the front. This will help ensure an even bake for all of the cookies.
- Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each ball of cookie dough. This will give the cookies plenty of space to spread in the oven without running into one another.
- If you don’t have a 1-ounce cookie scoop, use a tablespoon measure to portion out 2 tablespoons of the dough for each cookie before rolling and placing on the cookie sheet.
- Is there a substitute for the freeze dried raspberries? Freeze dried raspberries give the frosting its vibrant hue and sweet-tart raspberry flavor without altering the soft and creamy texture of the frosting. I do not recommend using fresh raspberries as they will add way too much moisture to the frosting and cause it to split.
- Can I bump up the lemon flavor in the cookies? If you want a more pronounced lemon flavor in the cookies, you can rub the zest into the sugar and then allow it to sit overnight in an airtight container before proceeding with the recipe.
- Can I make smaller cookies? Yes, you can make smaller cookies using either 1 tablespoon or 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie. Since the cookies will take less time to bake, you’ll need to reduce the baking time to about 7-10 minutes total.
- Can I make these into sandwich cookies? Of course! If you want to make a sandwich cookie, add the frosting to the bottom (flat side) of a cookie then place the flat side of another cookie on top of the frosting, pressing gently to sandwich them together.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 223Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 4g