LEMON RASPBERRY SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Lemon Raspberry Sugar Cookie Bars are super easy to make and OH so delicious! Making this lemon sugar cookie recipe is a great way to use fresh lemons from your yard, don’t let them go to waste this season.

This sugar cookie bars recipe is so simple to whip together, most of the ingredients can likely be found in your kitchen. Be sure to top these raspberry lemon bars with additional fresh berries for a nice finishing touch!

Lemon Raspberry Cookie Recipe

I saw these Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars on my friend Aimee’s blog, and I knew I wanted to make them. The addition of raspberries was necessary because lemon and raspberry are such a delicious combination. I had high hopes for this recipe, and I’m happy to say they were all met!

This cookie bar recipe is a perfect example of a summer dessert, from the soft cookie to the lemon frosting and all of the fresh raspberries used in between. Made to be refreshing, tangy, and sweet, these sugar cookie bars are always such a huge hit!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• They are easy to make! These lemon sugar cookie bars are pretty simple to make. They are much less work than traditional cookies because there’s no dough chilling, no scooping or shaping, and the dough comes together quickly too.
• Basic ingredients. We use very basic kitchen staple ingredients to make these cookies, like flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and sugar. There is a very good chance that you already have most of the ingredients needed for this recipe in your home already.
• So simple to serve. Lemon and raspberry bars just need to be sliced into squares and passed around to everyone who wants a slice. This makes it easy to share and helps to ensure everyone gets the same-sized portions.

Lemon Raspberry Cookie Bar Ingredients

For the cookie base, you will need:

Flour: You will need 2 ½ cups of all purpose flour for the base of the cookie dough recipe.

Baking powder: Adding in 1 teaspoon of baking powder will get the cookie to puff up nicely as it bakes.

Salt: Use ½ teaspoon of salt to enhance the flavors in the cookie well.

Butter: Adding in ½ cup of softened unsalted butter will make the dough rich in taste.

Sugar: Use 1 cup of granulated sugar to make the cookie sweet and chewy.

Egg: You need 1 large egg to help bind the dough together well.

Sour cream: Adding in ¼ cup of sour cream will keep the cookie soft and moist.

Vanilla extract: Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to help enhance all the wonderful flavors.

Lemon juice: Add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest for a fresh and tangy lemon flavor.

Raspberries: You’ll need ⅓ cup of fresh raspberries so that there are plenty of berries scattered around the cookie.

For the Lemon Frosting, you will need:

Butter: You will need 4 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter to make the frosting rich and tasty.

Lemon: Using 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest will give us a fresh and tangy lemon experience.

Milk: Add in 2 tablespoons of milk to get the frosting to the proper spreading consistency.

Vanilla extract: For even more amazing flavor, add in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.

Powdered sugar: The base of the frosting, use 3-4 cups of powdered sugar.

Food coloring: For added color, you can mix in 2 drops of yellow food coloring.

Raspberries: You’ll want a few additional raspberries for the topping as a nice garnish.

How to Make Lemon Raspberry Sugar Cookie Bars

Prep

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F. Then, great a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

Also, wash the fresh raspberries and ensure all stems/leaves are removed. If you are using a fresh lemon, zest it for the required measurements for the batter and frosting and then squeeze for the lemon juice as well.

Cookie dough

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Next, add in the egg, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

Now, slowly add in the flour mixture, while stirring, until everything is incorporated.

After that, fold in the fresh raspberries and mix once more.

Bake

Proceed to press the batter into the prepared greased baking dish (or a bakers quarter sheet like I used) and spread it out evenly with your hands or a rubber spatula.

Bake the sugar cookie bars for 15-17 minutes or until the edges have just started to turn golden. Be sure to allow the cookie bars to cool completely before adding the frosting.

Frosting

In a large bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice zest, milk, vanilla extract, powder sugar, food coloring (if desired) and use an electric mixer to combine ingredients well.

Beat the ingredients for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

You can add more powdered sugar or milk if needed, until you reach the desired consistency.

Assemble

Proceed to spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bar, then cut into squares and serve with additional raspberries on top.

Enjoy!

How long are lemon raspberry bars good for?

These frosted cookie bars can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend eating them within 2 to 3 days for the best tasting results as the cookies will soften and possibly become soggy after a few days thanks to the moisture in the berries and frosting.

How do I know if the cookie is done baking?

The cookie will look just barely golden around the edges and the top may even look a little undone, but as the cookie sits and cools in the pan, the baking process will finish. The most important thing is that the top of the cookie bar doesn’t look glossy, wet, or like raw cookie dough.

HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?

I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full 1/2 cup cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.

Check out these other fabulous cookie recipes!

• BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• HIDDEN CHERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES
• ST. PATRICKS DAY SUGAR COOKIES
• PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE COOKIES
• SALTED PEANUT CHEWS
• CHOCOLATE ANDES MINT COOKIES
• FROSTED MEYER LEMON COOKIES
• CHOCOLATE ANDES MINT MERINGUE COOKIES
• PIZZELLE COOKIES- IT’S TRADITION!
• PUMPKIN GINGER COOKIES WITH BROWNED BUTTER FROSTING
• 3-D GHOST COOKIES
• BUTTERSCOTCH PUMPKIN PUDDING COOKIES

Lemon Raspberry Sugar Cookie Bars are simple to make and OH so tasty too! Making this lemon sugar cookie recipe is a fantastic way to use those fresh lemons in your yard, don’t let them go to waste this season.