Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd
These lemon cookies with raspberry curd are the bright spring dessert I reach for the moment the days start getting longer. Picture a soft, zesty, crinkly lemon cookie with a crater in the middle, filled with a spoonful of tart raspberry curd. The cookie is tender, the curd is luscious, and the whole thing tastes like sunshine on a plate.
This recipe has a slightly embarrassing origin story. I first tested it as red velvet crinkle cookies with raspberry curd, mostly because I had a jar of curd in the fridge and a stubborn idea in my head.
The batch was fine, but it was not the cookie I actually wanted. So I asked my followers on Instagram which version they would rather bake, and lemon won by a landslide. I am still a little surprised, and very happy, that they were right.
If the cookie part looks familiar, that is because it is. These are a variation of my lemon crinkle cookies, a recipe readers have been baking and sharing for a while now. That dough is soft and intensely lemony, and it turns out it makes the perfect cradle for raspberry curd.
Here is what you are working with:
- Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Prep time: 1 hour
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Chill time: 3 hours
- Yield: about 14 cookies
Two components, two very different moods. The raspberry curd is slow, patient, and made on the stovetop. The cookies are quick and messy, and the dough is sticky enough that you will be glad you chilled it.
Make the curd first. It needs time to cool and thicken, and the cookies need a chilled dough, so the two waiting periods can run side by side.
I like to bake these on a Saturday morning for a spring brunch, or on a rainy afternoon when I want the whole kitchen to smell like lemon. Either way, they vanish fast.
Jump To
The Raspberry Curd
The raspberry curd is the star of this recipe, and it is surprisingly easy to make. I say surprisingly because curd has a reputation for being fussy, and honestly it is not, as long as you keep the heat gentle and keep stirring.
Plan ahead here. Make the curd a day in advance if you can, or at least a few hours before you assemble the cookies. It needs to chill completely before it thickens enough to sit in those cookie craters without running.
This version is adapted from my lemon curd, the same one I use in my Lemon and Coconut Tres Leches Cake, and it was inspired by a Bon Appetit raspberry curd I baked from years ago.
Here are my tips to making this raspberry curd:
- Frozen raspberries work, but they add water. Frozen berries release extra moisture as they thaw in the pan, so give the mixture a little more time on the heat until it has cooked down and thickened properly. The flavor is just as good, you simply cook it a few minutes longer.
- Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. Fresh juice brightens the raspberry flavor and adds the tartness that keeps the curd from tasting flat or overly sweet. It is a small thing that makes a real difference.
- Sweeten in two rounds and taste as you go. Add 1/4 cup of sugar in the first round of cooking, then taste the puree and add up to 5 extra tablespoons, or less, depending on how tart your raspberries are. Raspberries vary a lot from pint to pint.
- Strain the puree if you want it smooth. Pressing the mixture through a sieve removes the seeds and gives you a creamier curd. Skipping this step will not change the taste, it only changes the texture, so do whatever suits you.
- Cool the puree before the eggs go in. Hot puree plus raw egg yolks equals scrambled eggs in your curd, and nobody wants that. Let it sit for a few minutes first.
- Cook low and slow, and keep stirring. Medium low heat, constant stirring, and no bubbling or boiling. Boiling can burn the curd, make it stick to the pan, and overcook the eggs. You want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, which takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Press plastic wrap onto the surface. While the curd cools, lay plastic wrap or cling film directly on top of it. This stops a skin from forming, and a skin would leave you with a lumpy curd.
- Let it cool completely before filling the cookies. Warm curd is runny. Chilled curd is thick and easy to scoop. If it still feels loose, it just needs more time in the fridge.
The Lemon Crinkle Cookies
The cookie half of this recipe is my lemon crinkle cookies, unchanged. They are soft, chewy, and intensely lemony, with that crackled powdered sugar top that makes everyone think you worked harder than you did.
Filling them with raspberry curd was the happy accident. Lemon and raspberry are a classic pairing for a reason. The sharp citrus cuts through the sweet, jammy berry, and neither one gets lost in the other.
One thing to know before you start: this dough is wet and sticky. Not a little tacky sticky, but genuinely sticky. It must be chilled for 3 hours before you scoop it, and that chill is not optional.
Cold dough is easier to roll into balls, and the rest also lets the flour hydrate and the flavors develop, so the baked cookie tastes fuller and more lemony.
If you are short on time, at least 2 hours in the fridge will get you there, but 3 hours is what the recipe calls for and what gives the most reliable results.
Here are my tips to making the cookies:
Three techniques do most of the work in this recipe. Get these right and the rest is easy.
- Massage the zest into the sugar. Rub the lemon zest and granulated sugar together for a few minutes, either with your fingertips, a silicone spatula, or a quick pulse in a food processor. What you are doing is releasing the oils from the peel into the sugar. Those oils carry far more lemon flavor than the zest alone, and you will smell it the second it starts working. Then beat in the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. This dough is very sticky and hard to handle straight from the bowl. Chilling makes it manageable, gives the flour time to fully hydrate for better flavor, and keeps the butter cold so the cookies bake thicker. Skip the chill and you will get thin, spread out cookies instead of soft, tall ones.
- Roll in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar. This is the crinkle trick. The granulated layer absorbs most of the moisture during baking, which keeps the powdered sugar layer intact long enough to crack. As the cookies rise and spread, that coating breaks apart into the crackled pattern. Roll generously in the powdered sugar, then do not touch the balls again before they go into the oven.
A few smaller notes. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, and use a half tablespoon measuring spoon to press a crater halfway down into each ball. Fill each crater with about 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons of chilled raspberry curd.
Bake one tray at a time at 350F for about 15 minutes, and keep the second batch of cookies in the fridge while the first batch bakes.
When they come out of the oven, leave them on the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack, because they are very soft and need that time to set.
For storage, an airtight container at room temperature keeps them good for 3 to 4 days, or a little more than a week in the fridge. Leftover curd keeps in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, which is a very good reason to make a double batch.
Ingredients for these Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd
This recipe uses two short ingredient lists, one for the cookies and one for the curd. Read through both before you start so nothing catches you off guard.
For the cookies:
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (112g)
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour (276g)
- 3/8 teaspoon baking soda (1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Granulated sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in
- Powdered sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in
For the raspberry curd:
- 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (226g or 8oz)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 9 tablespoons sugar (112g)
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28g)
More Desserts
If these lemon cookies with raspberry curd earned a spot in your rotation, there are a few other bakes worth your weekend. The original lemon crinkle cookies are the simplest place to start, and they are just as good without any filling at all.
The lemon curd behind the Lemon and Coconut Tres Leches Cake is another one to keep in the fridge, since it works on toast, in yogurt, and spooned over fresh berries.
And any leftover raspberry curd from this recipe makes a lovely swirl through cheesecake batter or a quick filling for thumbprint cookies.
Spring baking is really about contrast, something bright and something rich in the same bite. These cookies do exactly that, and I hope they become your new spring tradition too.
FAQs
How long do lemon cookies with raspberry curd last and how should they be stored?
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Refrigeration can cause the powdered sugar coating to become sticky or dissolve.
How do I get crinkle cookies to crinkle properly?
Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Roll each dough ball first in granulated sugar, then generously in powdered sugar before baking. As the cookie spreads and rises, the dried powdered sugar layer cracks, creating the signature crinkled appearance.
Can I use frozen raspberries to make the raspberry curd?
Yes, frozen raspberries work well. They are flash-frozen at peak ripeness and often provide more consistent flavor than out-of-season fresh berries. You may need to cook them slightly longer to reduce the extra moisture before making the curd.
What can I use instead of lemon extract in the cookie dough?
You can increase the amount of fresh lemon juice by 1 to 2 teaspoons, or add an extra teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest. However, lemon extract provides a concentrated flavor that is difficult to replicate exactly, so the lemon taste may be less pronounced.
Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd
Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd These lemon cookies with raspberry curd are the bright spring dessert I reach for the moment the days start getting longer. Picture a soft, zesty, crinkly lemon cookie with a crater in the middle, filled with a spoonful of tart raspberry curd.
- Total Time: 270 min
- Yield: 14 1x
Ingredients
Cookies
2 lemons, zest of
1 cup granulated sugar
0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1.5 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
0.375 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in
granulated sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in
Raspberry Curd
2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon water
9 tablespoon sugar
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Raspberry Curd
1-Combine the raspberries, water and ¼ cup: Combine the raspberries, water and ¼ cup (50g) of the sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the raspberries have broken down and softened, about 7-10 minutes. Mash it up with a spatula as it cooks.
2-Place a sieve over a small bowl: Place a sieve over a small bowl and pass the raspberry mixture through the sieve to remove the seeds. Let it cool down for a few minutes before the next step.
3-In the same saucepan, add the raspberry: In the same saucepan, add the raspberry puree back in. Add in the egg yolks, remaining 5 tablespoon (62g) of sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
4-Whisk this together really well and place: Whisk this together really well and place the pan on medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until it starts to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Don’t let it come to a boil or bubble. The mixture should be able to cover the back of a spoon, with a thick layer.
5-Turn off the heat and add in: Turn off the heat and add in the butter. Mix until it’s fully melted and combined.
6-Place the hot curd in a heatproof: Place the hot curd in a heatproof container and cover with plastic wrap or cling film- directly touching the surface of the curd, to prevent a skin from forming. Let this cool to room temperature and then place it in the fridge until it’s completely chilled and thickened.
Cookies
7-Massage the lemon zest and sugar together: Massage the lemon zest and sugar together for a few minutes to extract the oils. Then add the butter and beat with a stand mixer or whisk for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
8-Crack in one egg and beat for: Crack in one egg and beat for a minute. Now add in the lemon juice and lemon extract. Mix well.
9-Combine the flour, baking soda and salt: Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and mix.
10-Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. This is an important step so don’t skip it.
11-Preheat the oven to 350F: Preheat the oven to 350F.
12-Take the cookie dough out of the: Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and scoop about 2 tablespoon with a spoon or a 1.5-2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll into a ball with your hands and repeat with the rest of the dough. Will make about 14-16 cookies.
13-Take each ball and roll in granulated: Take each ball and roll in granulated sugar, making sure to cover it well. Once all of them are covered with granulated sugar, roll them in the powdered sugar – generously coating them.
14-Gently place on a cookie tray lined: Gently place on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, making sure to leave space between them so they don’t spread into each other.
15-Press the cookies down halfway with a: Press the cookies down halfway with a half tablespoon measuring spoon to make an indent or crater to add the raspberry curd.
16-Fill up the cookies with the raspberry: Fill up the cookies with the raspberry curd – about 1-1 ¼ tsp.
17-Bake the cookies (one baking tray at: Bake the cookies (one baking tray at a time) at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until they’ve spread and developed some color on the bottom, and the edges of the cookies are set. Keep the second batch of cookies in the fridge while the first batch is baking.
18-Take them out of the oven and: Take them out of the oven and leave the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They’re very soft and need time to set before you can pick them up and transfer them.
19-Enjoy: Enjoy!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 60 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Method: bake
