Raspberry Lemonade Cookies

My Chewy Lemon Blueberry Cookies were so popular last Summer, and so I've developed (by popular request) these Raspberry Lemonade Cookies that are so bright and fresh with a soft and chewy texture. These fruity cookies are very easy to make with frozen raspberries and it's such a refreshing spin on a cookie. They're full of flavor and I love the unique texture that is a balance of cakey and chewy, especially when you eat them cold from the fridge.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Soft and chewy cookies - these cookies are so soft with a slightly chewy texture. Imagine a denser version of a muffin top - they are delightful!
• Easy to make - you can easily make this recipe without a mixer and just use a wooden spoon or spatula to cream the butter and sugar.
• Lemon cookie dough - lemon zest gives these cookies a big punch of lemon flavor and just a touch of lemon juice adds tartness for that "lemonade" effect while also making a softer dough to help with mixing in the frozen raspberries more easily.
• Raspberry cookies - you will need frozen raspberries for this recipe and all you need to do is crumble them a bit while still frozen and fold them into the cookie dough. They are wonderfully tart and sweet and pair so well with lemon.
• Raspberry lemonade flavor - the combination of lemon juice, lemon zest and raspberries makes the most refreshing combination for some serious Summer vibes. The lemon flavor comes mostly from the lemon zest while the tartness comes from fresh lemon juice and berries.
• Acidic dough - in order to keep the cookies bright instead of grey/blue from the raspberries, I keep the dough slightly acidic. There's a bit of lemon juice and a higher proportion of baking powder to baking soda, with only a fraction of baking soda.

INGREDIENTS FOR RASPBERRY LEMONADE COOKIES

• Unsalted butter - this recipe uses pure butter. Butter adds incredible flavor and provides structure to the cookie dough to hold up the berries. You can use unsalted or salted butter, but if you use salted butter, then reduce the added salt by half.
• Brown sugar and white sugar - a blend of light brown sugar gives a nice chewiness and hint of caramel flavor to the cookie base.
• Lemon zest - you almost can't have too much! Fresh lemon zest adds big bold lemon flavor to the cookie dough. Make sure to use only the yellow skin and none of the white pith which is bitter. Use up to a full tablespoon of lemon zest which you can get from about 2 lemons.
• Lemon juice - just a teaspoon of lemon juice will add some acidity to make these cookies taste like lemonade, but too much will cause the dough to spread excessively so make sure you measure this accurately. 
• Egg - one large egg will add structure to these cookies.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate and complement the lemon flavor. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• All purpose flour - AP flour is the best choice for making chewy cookies and it's easily accessible. Be sure to measure accurately to get the right texture of the cookie dough.
• Baking powder - this will help the cookies puff and spread to give a nice tender texture. It is also neutral so it won't make the dough alkaline.
• Baking soda - just a little bit of baking soda will help the cookies spread and brown on the edges for flavor. Bicarbonate is an alkaline ingredient though, so too much will cause the red compounds (anthocyanins) in raspberries to turn blue and discolor the dough.
• Raspberries - you will need frozen raspberries in this recipe. Fresh raspberries would burst too easily and leak moisture into the cookie dough.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Cream butter and sugar. Combine the soft butter, both sugars and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until it is pale and fluffy. 
• STEP 2). Mix in wet ingredients. Beat in the egg until well combined. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
• STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold it in by hand until mostly incorporated.
• STEP 5). Add raspberries. Crumble up the frozen raspberries and then fold them in gently until evenly distributed. If you mix it in too much, the whole dough will turn red instead of having streaks of red contrasting the lemon-colored dough, so have some restraint. The berries will get more distributed as you scoop the dough. Place the bowl in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
• STEP 6). Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• STEP 7). Bake. Use a medium spring-loaded ice cream scoop or two large spoons to scoop mounds of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown around the edges and golden on the top. Let them cool for a minute on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR RASPBERRY LEMONADE COOKIES

• Sift the dry ingredients. If you flour is lumpy, sift it. This is optional, but it will minimize the amount of mixing needed to combine the ingredients evenly so that you do not over-mix the dough.
• Make sure your butter is soft. You will need butter at a normal room temperature (about 73 degrees F). This will make sure it mixes well with the sugar and is soft enough to fold in the frozen berries at the end.
• Measure the flour accurately using a scale or by spooning it gently into the measuring cup and leveling it off. Do not pack it down. Too much flour can make the cookie dough stiff and harder to mix.

• Do not thaw the berries. Crumble the raspberries in while they are frozen. If the berries thaw, then they will leach moisture into the cookie dough and affect the final texture of the cookies.
• Flash freeze fresh raspberries for best results. Packaged frozen berries can often accumulate ice crystals after long storage due to sublimation. This excess free water can make the cookie dough too wet. To avoid this, place fresh raspberries in an even layer on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes until solid before adding to the cookie dough.
• Fold the berries in gently. Mixing too vigorously will cause juices from the berries to bleed and can cause the batter to turn all red. It will also leach the juices into the dough and add too much moisture which will make the cookies bake up very soft.
• Ensure you bake these all the way through. These cookies are hard to over-bake since they have a lot of moisture from the berries. Let them get golden brown on the bottom and on the sides. This is not a recipe that you want to under-bake.

RECIPE FAQ

STORAGE & FREEZING

If you love raspberries, check out these recipes!

White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies Lemon Raspberry Muffinse Fudgy White Chocolate Raspberry Brownies Easy Raspberry Pie Raspberry Almond Cake Creamy Raspberry Cheesecake (no Water Bath!) Easy Almond Raspberry Lemon Bars (gluten free)