You won’t believe how deliciously dreamy these lemon sugar cookies are! Soft and slightly chewy paleo sugar cookies with the perfect amount of lemon flavor are topped with an easy pink raspberry frosting for an extra special treat that everyone will love. No one would ever guess these cookies are gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free!
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These cookies took my house by storm earlier this week!
Sure, I expected them to be good, but given that my family is typical “meh” with lemon desserts, I wasn’t thinking they’d be instantly devoured.
But they were, and even though somehow my 3 kids ate 12 between them in a day, I wasn’t mad. They’re just THAT GOOD.
And with Mother’s Day coming up, aren’t they just the perfect little pink brunch treat?! Lemony, sweet, light, soft and chewy. Trust me, scroll down and make these cookies!
What You Need to Make These Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting:
The ingredients are similar to those in many of my other cookie recipes. You will need fresh lemon for these though – no extract! The juice makes them big, soft and fluffy.
I separated the ingredients into what you’ll need for the cookie dough and the raspberry frosting. Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare them:
Cookie Dough:
- blanched almond flour
- tapioca flour, or arrowroot
- baking soda
- fine sea salt
- ghee or vegan butter, soft at room temperature
- maple sugar
- egg, at room temperature
- grated lemon zest
- lemon juice
- pure vanilla extract
- almond extract (optional but so good!)
Frosting:
- palm oil shortening or vegan butter (unsalted)
- organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit (monk fruit for strict paleo)
- almond milk
- freeze dried raspberry powder (blend 1/4 cup of freeze dried raspberries to a powder and then measure.)
- Pinch of sea salt, to taste
How to Make the Sugar Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca or arrowroot, baking soda and sea salt; set aside.
In a separate large bowl using an electric hand mixer or whisk, cream together the ghee (or vegan butter) and maple sugar until smooth. Add in the egg, lemon zest and juice and vanilla and almond extracts and whisk or blend until smooth.
Stir the dry mixture into the wet until a dough forms, then place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking sheet 2” apart (they will spread a bit) and very gently press down in the center to flatten the dough slightly. Repeat until the dough is used up to make 16 cookies.
Bake one batch at a time in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until set and beginning to turn light brown around the edges.
Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the shortening or vegan butter with the powdered sweetener.
Mix in 3 teaspoons of the almond milk, adjusting and adding a bit more if needed. Add the freeze dried raspberry powder and mix until the frosting turns pink.
Add a bit more for a deeper color and more flavor, if desired. Taste the frosting and add a pinch of salt if you like.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon or offset spatula to frost the tops of the cookies. The frosting will firm up after about an hour.
If You Can’t Find Freeze Dried Raspberries
I buy freeze dried raspberries and strawberries from Whole Foods but I find it’s easier sometimes to find the strawberries in grocery stores.
If you can only find strawberries, you can use them the same way. Blend them to a powder in any small blender and add to the frosting as directed in the recipe.
You might need to use more strawberry powder since it has a lighter color than the raspberries. The flavor is great both ways!
I also found these freeze dried raspberries on Amazon. They’re not just great for this recipe but are awesome to throw in homemade granola or just to snack on!
How to Store these Lemon Sugar Cookies
If you won’t be serving the cookies all right away, you can store the cookies for up to two days at room temperature, loosely covered.
To keep them for longer, store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
I know you’re going to love these cookies! Grab your ingredients because it’s time to bake them – let’s go!
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting {Paleo}
Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting {Paleo}
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup ghee or vegan butter soft at room temperature
- 1/2 cup pure maple sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
Frosting:
- 1/3 cup palm oil shortening or vegan butter unsalted
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit
- 3-4 teaspoons almond milk
- 2 teaspoons freeze dried raspberry powder blend 1/4 cup of freeze dried raspberries to a powder and then measure.*
- Pinch of sea salt to taste
Instructions
Cookie Dough:
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca or arrowroot, baking soda and sea salt; set aside.
-
In a separate large bowl using an electric hand mixer or whisk, cream together the ghee (or vegan butter) and maple sugar until smooth. Add in the egg, lemon zest and juice and vanilla and almond extracts and whisk or blend until smooth.
-
Stir the dry mixture into the wet until a dough forms, then place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
-
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the baking sheet 2” apart (they will spread a bit) and very gently press down in the center to flatten the dough slightly. Repeat until the dough is used up to make 16 cookies.
-
Bake one batch at a time in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until set and beginning to turn light brown around the edges.
-
Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
-
While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the shortening or vegan butter with the powdered sweetener. Mix in 3 teaspoons of the almond milk, adjusting and adding a bit more if needed. Add the raspberry powder and mix until the frosting turns pink. Add a bit more for a deeper color and more flavor, if desired. Taste the frosting and add a pinch of salt if you like.
-
Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon or offset spatula to frost the tops of the cookies. The frosting will firm up after about an hour. Store the cookies for up to two days at room temperature, loosely covered, or in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*If you can’t find freeze dried raspberries, freeze dried strawberries are fine to sub in. I use a nutribullet to blend the dried berries, but you can use any blender as they’re easy to crush to a powder. Raspberries have a darker pink color so you’ll need more if you use strawberries, simply add until the color and flavor is right.
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Friendly Cookie Recipes? Try One of These!
Best Paleo + Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Authentic NYC Black and White Cookies
Authentic Homemade Oreo Cookies
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Can I use coconut sugar instead of maple? Thanks!
Hello,
I was excited to see these cookies, but as I can’t do almond flour, (can do coconut and cassava flour) I have no idea how to substitute. 🙁
Thank you,
Judy
These were delicious 😋 The almond extract takes them up a notch!
Holy moly, she has done it again. Just when I try one of her desserts and think “It can’t get better than this,” it does just that. These cookies are everything you want them to be; soft, chewy, sweet, tart, you name it.
I made mine with a larger scoop, so the recipe only yielded about 9 cookies, but that was my mistake since these were only one of several desserts at our Mother’s Day gathering, so people were cutting them up to be able to taste everything. But if this is an only-dessert type of thing, I’d say the large cookies would be perfect. My oven took about 15 minutes to get them to the perfect doneness at that size.
I will be making these oh-so-often.
I made these cookies but I dont understand what I did wrong. Mine were very flat and expanded a lot. I fridged both bathes 20 minutes.
The only thing I can think of is I used ghee.
Also my icing didn’t turn out. I used my thermomix and it became a jam / liquid that didn’t bind which I didn’t mind some had a little runny icing some had a jam.
Overall they were tasty
What type of vegan butter would be best? I’m not sure what is the best to bake with. Thanks!
Another winner! Great lemon and raspberry flavor.
Can I use grass fed butter instead of ghee?
Could i change this recipe and turn it into a cake for my sons birthday? Say a 6in round smash cake?
The cookies are delicious!
Great texture and flavor. I had tried another lemon cookie recipe, and it lacked greatly in comparison. I love paleo running momma recipes. She’s done the work and tested the ingredients. I have yet make anything my husband and I don’t love. This one is going in my family recipe book.
Noticed you do a lot of almond flour in all your recipes. With a Paleo diet, oftentimes people can’t be having almonds or almond flour. You should reconsider using alternative flours. Or give us alternatives if you try one. See Allergy alaska free website for example.
Incredible recipe! I will try to cook it at the weekend. Hope my family will enjoy it
The Lemon Sugar Cookies with Raspberry Frosting are a delightful treat! The zesty lemon flavor pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy raspberry frosting, creating a refreshing combination. The cookies are soft and chewy, and the frosting adds a burst of flavor. Perfect for summer gatherings or afternoon tea!
Thank you for such an incredible recipe. It has an amazing taste and I made it easily.
Lemon sugar cookies with raspberry frosting are a delightful treat I can’t resist! The bright citrus assisted living facilities flavor pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the raspberry, creating a refreshing dessert. Plus, knowing they’re paleo-friendly makes indulging guilt-free. I love serving them at gatherings; they’re always a hit with everyone!