Lemon Cookies With Raspberry Curd Recipe for Spring Baking

Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd

Spring baking has a mood all its own, and these lemon cookies with raspberry curd capture it beautifully. Picture a soft, zesty crinkle cookie with a bright lemon crumb and a pocket of tart raspberry curd tucked into the center.

As the cookies spread in the oven, the powdered sugar coating cracks into those pretty crinkled tops that make everyone reach for a second one.

I baked my first batch on a gray afternoon when I wanted something that tasted like sunshine. The whole tray disappeared before dinner, and my family kept asking whether the filling was really homemade. That is the best compliment a curd can get.

The recipe started life as something else entirely. The author originally tested it as red velvet crinkle cookies, then polled Instagram followers and let them choose. The majority voted for lemon, and that vote is the reason this version exists today.

It is also a variation of the author’s earlier lemon crinkle cookies, so the cookie base was already tested and loved long before the raspberry curd joined the party.

There are two components to make, and they come together at different moments. The raspberry curd cooks on the stovetop and can be prepared ahead, while the cookie dough needs a real chill before it is ready to roll. Here is the practical overview.

Because the curd sets the tone for everything else, it is worth making it first, or even the day before you plan to bake. Once it is chilled and thick, the rest of the process feels genuinely easy.

The Raspberry Curd

The raspberry curd is the star of this recipe, and it is far simpler to make than it sounds. Make it ahead of time, or at least a few hours before you plan to bake the cookies.

It is a tweaked version of the author’s lemon curd, which was inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe, so the technique behind it is well tested.

Here is how it comes together:

1. Combine the raspberries, water and 1/4 cup (50 g) of the sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the raspberries have broken down and softened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Mash with a spatula as it cooks.
2. Set a sieve over a small bowl and pass the raspberry mixture through it to remove the seeds. Skip this step if you are happy with a seedy texture, though the curd will not be as smooth. Let it cool for a few minutes before moving on.
3. Return the raspberry puree to the same saucepan. Add the egg yolks, the remaining 5 tablespoons (62 g) of sugar, the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Whisk really well, then set the pan over medium low heat and stir constantly. Cook until it starts to thicken, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let it come to a boil or bubble. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon in a thick layer.
4. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Mix until it is fully melted and combined.
5. Pour the hot curd into a heatproof container and cover it with plastic wrap or cling film pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until it is completely chilled and thickened.

Here are my tips to making this raspberry curd:

A few small habits make the difference between a curd that sings and one that turns grainy or scorched. These are the ones worth remembering.

• Frozen berries need more time. Frozen raspberries release extra moisture as they cook, so give them a longer cook in that first stage until the mixture has broken down and thickened properly.
• Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but fresh juice brings a brighter flavor and a cleaner tartness that plays better against the raspberries.
• Taste before you commit to all the sugar. Start with 1/4 cup in the first round of cooking, then taste and add up to 5 extra tablespoons, or less, depending on how tart your raspberries are and how sweet you want the finished curd.
• Straining is optional. Passing the puree through a sieve removes the seeds and gives you a smoother, creamier curd. Skip it if you like the seedy texture, because the taste stays the same either way.
• Cool the puree before the eggs go in. Hot puree plus raw yolks equals scrambled curd. A few minutes of cooling is all it takes to keep the texture silky.
• Stay low and keep stirring. Cook the curd over low heat, stirring constantly, and never let it bubble or boil. Bubbling is what leads to burning, sticking and an overcooked, eggy taste.
• Press the plastic wrap onto the surface. While the curd cools, place plastic wrap directly against the curd, not just over the bowl, to prevent a skin from forming on top.
• Let it chill completely. The curd thickens as it cools, and while it is warm it stays runny and much harder to scoop. Cold curd is what gives you neat little pockets inside each cookie.

Leftover curd keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks, which is a lovely excuse to make a double batch and spoon the rest over yogurt or toast.

The Lemon Crinkle Cookies

The cookie itself is the author’s previously shared lemon crinkle cookie, now filled with that raspberry curd. The dough is wet and sticky, and that is completely normal. It needs a chill of 2 to 3 hours, which makes it easier to roll into balls and gives the flavors time to develop.

Here is the full method:

1. Massage the lemon zest and sugar together for a few minutes to extract the oils. Add the butter and beat with a stand mixer or a whisk for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Crack in one egg and beat for a minute. Add the lemon juice and lemon extract, then mix well.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. This step matters, so do not skip it.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
5. Take the dough out of the fridge and scoop about 2 tablespoons with a spoon or a 1.5 to 2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll into a ball with your hands and repeat with the rest of the dough. You should get about 14 to 16 cookies.
6. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, covering it well. Once they are all coated, roll them generously in the powdered sugar.
7. Place them gently on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them so they do not spread into each other.
8. Press each cookie down halfway with a half tablespoon measuring spoon to make an indent or crater for the curd. Fill the craters with raspberry curd, about 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons each.
9. Bake one tray at a time at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until the cookies have spread, picked up some color on the bottom and the edges are set. Keep the second batch in the fridge while the first one bakes.
10. Take them out of the oven and leave the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They are very soft and need time to set before you can pick them up.
11. Enjoy.

Here are my tips to making the cookies:

The cookie dough rewards a little patience, and most of the trouble people run into comes from skipping the chill or rushing the sugar coating. Keep these in mind.

• Massage the zest into the sugar. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together for a few minutes so the oils release into the sugar and amplify the lemon flavor. A food processor makes quick work of it, and a silicone spatula works fine if you would rather do it by hand.
• Do not skip the fridge. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. Chilling makes the sticky dough manageable, fully hydrates the flour, develops flavor, and keeps the butter cold so the cookies bake thicker.
• Warm dough spreads. If you skip the chill, the cookies bake thinner and may spread too much, which also makes it harder to keep the curd in its little crater.
• Two sugars, in the right order. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar first, then generously in powdered sugar. The granulated layer absorbs most of the surface moisture so the powdered layer can crack as the cookies rise and spread, which is exactly what creates the crinkle.
• Go easy on the coating underneath. Some readers found the sugar on the undersides of the cookies burned, which usually points to over coating. A generous but even layer works better than a thick pile.
• Stick with granulated sugar in the dough. One reader reported cookies that turned hard, possibly because organic cane sugar was used instead of granulated. Granulated sugar gives the texture this dough was built around.

The recipe also uses less baking soda than the author’s standard lemon crinkle cookie recipe, because the filled cookies spread more. If you would rather make them without a filling, the original lemon crinkle cookie recipe is the better fit.

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or a little more than a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for these Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd

You will need two short lists, one for the curd and one for the cookies. Gather everything before you start so the process stays calm and unhurried.

For the cookies:

• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (112 g)
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour (276 g)
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda (1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in
• Granulated sugar, enough to roll the cookie balls in

For the raspberry curd:

• 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (226 g or 8 oz)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 9 tablespoons sugar (112 g)
• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28 g)

More Desserts

If these lemon cookies with raspberry curd earned a permanent spot in your baking rotation, there is plenty more to explore. Fruity curds, soft cookies and simple spring desserts all pair beautifully with a cup of tea and a free afternoon. Pick another recipe, preheat the oven, and enjoy the process just as much as the result.

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Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd

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Lemon Cookies with Raspberry Curd Spring baking has a mood all its own, and these lemon cookies with raspberry curd capture it beautifully. Picture a soft, zesty crinkle cookie with a bright lemon crumb and a pocket of tart raspberry curd tucked into the center.

• Total Time: 270 min
• Yield: 14–16 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cookies
Zest of 2 lemons lemons, zest
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
⅜ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ + ⅛
½ teaspoon salt
enough to roll the cookie balls in powdered sugar
enough to roll the cookie balls in granulated sugar

Raspberry Curd
2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon water
9 tablespoon sugar
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
2 egg yolks
pinch salt
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

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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. (You can skip this step if you’re okay with the seedy texture of the raspberries- it just won’t be as smooth). 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. 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.
4-Turn off the heat and add in: Turn off the heat and add in the butter. Mix until its fully melted and combined.
5-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 its completely chilled and thickened.

Cookies
6-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.
7-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.
8-Combine the flour, baking soda and salt: Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and mix. 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.
9-Preheat the oven to 350F: Preheat the oven to 350F.
10-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.
11-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.
12-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.
13-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. Fill up the cookies with the raspberry curd-about 1-1 ¼ tsp.
14-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.
15-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.
16-Enjoy: Enjoy!

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• Prep Time: 60 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Method: stovetop