These raspberry sugar cookies are like regular cut-out sugar cookies, but with two major upgrades in the dough: tangy cream cheese and freeze-dried raspberries. Naturally colored, these pretty pink cookies are beautiful right out of the oven, but feel free to garnish with melted chocolate or any of our other recommended toppings. You’ll love these for Valentine’s Day or any occasion where you crave a fun, berry flavored cookie.
Have you ever baked my regular sugar cookies before? They’re a traditional sugar cookie with soft centers and slightly crisp edges—definitely a favorite around here especially when I make Valentine’s Day cookies, Easter cookies, and Christmas sugar cookies (same dough recipe). A recipe with year-round versatility!
It’s one of my most-used recipes, right along with chocolate chip cookies and pie crust. I also have a published recipe for cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze, which takes sugar cookies to the next level. The cream cheese provides a creamy-like texture and slight tang in each bite. I usually prefer them over our regular sugar cookies!
I took the same cream cheese sugar cookie dough and experimented with freeze-dried raspberries. The result was an extra tender berry-flavored cookie with the most gorgeous (and natural!) pink/magenta color. I figured you’d enjoy trying these at home.
Tell Me About These Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Texture: Cream cheese makes the dough extra soft and creamy, which I love in so many cookie recipes, like apricot cream cheese thumbprints and maple walnut tassies.
- Flavor: If you’re ever craving FLAVOR in your sugar cookies, start here. We have a slight tang from the cream cheese, but most of the flavor comes from raspberries. I appreciate that we’re using real berries that have been freeze-dried, not artificial raspberry flavoring. Almond extract is completely optional, but it adds another level of flavor. The plain cookies have so much flavor—and are naturally pink—that you don’t really need icing or decoration. (Though who can resist a dip or drizzle of chocolate?)
- Ease: Cookie cutter sugar cookies, of any variety and flavor, aren’t quite as easy as drop cookies. However, if you’re comfortable using a rolling pin and cookie cutters, the process won’t seem arduous. This recipe requires an extra step but it’s pretty simple: grind the freeze-dried berries into powder before using.
- Time: The cookie dough comes together quickly. Roll it out, then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Without chilling, the cookies will completely lose their shape. After that, cut the dough into shapes, then bake. Set aside a few hours to complete this recipe.
Freeze-Dried Raspberries are the Secret
We love using freeze-dried berries in frostings. Have you tried this strawberry buttercream before? When you grind freeze-dried strawberries into a powder, you can easily use it in frosting. Freeze-dried berry powder or “dust” is perfect because it’s not wet and, therefore, doesn’t mess with the consistency of frosting. Real berry flavor without compromising texture. As it turns out, you can do the same thing with sugar cookie dough as long as you don’t go overboard with quantity. 2 cups (about 56g) of freeze-dried raspberries grinds down into 1/2 cup of powder, which is the perfect amount for this sugar cookie dough.
- Where to buy freeze-dried raspberries: I always find them in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. Keep your eyes peeled– they’re more common than you think. We like Trader Joe’s brand and Target carries a nice selection, too. You can also purchase them online and here is a brand we’ve tested before. (They are much cheaper in stores if you can find them!) You need 2 cups, which is a little more than 1 standard 1.2 ounce (weight) bag.
- Can I do this with another type of freeze-dried fruit? Yes, absolutely. I’ve tested this sugar cookie dough with freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and mango. The mango flavor wasn’t as intense as the berries, though. Use the same amount—1/2 cup of the ground powder.
- Can I do this with regular dried fruit or frozen fruit? No, do not use chewy/gummy dried fruit and do not use frozen fruit. You need freeze-dried raspberries, which are raspberries with all of the moisture removed—that way they can grind into a powder.
Overview: How to Make Raspberry Sugar Cookies
The full printable recipe is below.
- Grind freeze-dried raspberries into powder.
- Make sugar cookie dough. The recipe instructions below include creaming the butter and cream cheese together before adding sugar. You also need 1 egg and vanilla extract. Almond extract is optional, but a tasty addition if you have some on hand. The dry ingredients include flour, your raspberry powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Divide in two pieces.
- Roll out cookie dough. Roll each section out to 1/4 inch thick. Have extra flour on hand because the dough is sticky.
- Chill rolled out dough for at least 2 hours.
- Cut into shapes. Re-roll all your scraps—you’ll be surprised how many cookies you get from this amount of dough. I love these heart shaped cookie cutters, but you can use whatever shape you’d like.
- Bake & cool. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets before decorating.
The Trick is the Order of Steps
Notice how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it in the refrigerator? Let me explain why. To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, the cookie dough must chill in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough right after you prepare it, then chill the rolled-out dough. (At this point the dough is too soft to cut into shapes.) Don’t chill the cookie dough and then try to roll it out because it will be too cold and difficult to work with. Divide the dough in half before rolling it out because smaller sections of dough are simply more manageable.
After chilling, cut into shapes:
Arrange 2-3 inches apart on lined baking sheets, then bake and cool:
Decoration & Topping Ideas
I love using royal icing on regular sugar cookies. That icing would definitely work here, but I didn’t want the raspberry and cream cheese flavors to be overpowered by super sweet icing. So instead I dipped some into melted dark chocolate and drizzled others with melted white chocolate. So simple, so delicious. Here are some options:
- Melted chocolate (dark, milk, white)
- Royal icing or easy cookie icing (it’s what I use when I make these Christmas sugar cookies)
- Nutella glaze from these cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze
- Vanilla buttercream (like we do with these St. Patrick’s Day cookies) or chocolate buttercream
- Strawberry buttercream—you can replace the freeze-dried strawberries with freeze-dried raspberries to make a raspberry buttercream
Garnish the chocolate or icing with sprinkles or leftover freeze-dried raspberry powder:
Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 36 3-inch cookies
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Ground freeze-dried raspberries add color and flavor to this cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You can leave the cookies plain, but we love them garnished with melted chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (56g) freeze-dried raspberries
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1 teaspoon almond extract
Optional Chocolate Topping
- 4-ounce bar (113g) semi-sweet or white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried raspberries into a powder. You’ll have around 1/2 cup.
- Whisk the raspberry powder, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy and combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Dough will be very soft and creamy.
- Generously flour your hands and rolling pin. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it’s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. (I like these heart cookie cutters.) Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. Note: It doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes until very lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- For optional chocolate decorating: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each until completely melted. Dip cooled cookies in the melted chocolate or drizzle each with melted chocolate, then place back onto the baking sheets. Allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Plain or decorated sugar cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the chocolate/icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before rolling it out. Prepare the dough through step 4, divide in half, flatten both halves into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap each in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 5, then chill rolled out dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes – 1 hour before cutting into shapes and baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Heart Cookie Cutter | Freeze-Dried Raspberries | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional)
- Cream Cheese: Want to leave out the cream cheese? Use our regular sugar cookies recipe and add 1/2 cup of the raspberry powder to that cookie dough. Whisk it in with the dry ingredients, just as you do here.
- Freeze-dried raspberries: I always find them in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. Keep your eyes peeled—they’re more common than you think. We like Trader Joe’s brand and Target carries a nice selection, too. You can also purchase them online and here is a brand we’ve tested before. (They are much cheaper in stores if you can find them!) You need 2 cups, which is a little more than 1 standard 1.2 ounce (weight) bag.
- Can I do this with another type of freeze-dried fruit? Yes, absolutely. I’ve tested this sugar cookie dough with freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and mango. The freeze-dried raspberries gave the most potent flavor. Use the same amount—1/2 cup of the ground powder.
- Can I do this with regular dried fruit or frozen fruit? No, do not use chewy/gummy dried fruit and do not use frozen fruit. You need freeze-dried raspberries, which are raspberries with all of the moisture removed—that way they can grind into a powder.
- Other Toppings: See Decoration & Topping Ideas in blog post above.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Thanks Sally for another awesome recipe! I was so pleasantly surprised at how much raspberry flavor these cookies had. I drizzled melted white chocolate on them and they were perfect. I will definitely be making them again.
This dough was not sticky, very easy to work with and had a great color. The raspberry flavor was strong. I did notice the seeds even though I ground the berries well. I felt the chocolate brings out the berry flavor. I drissled half the cookie with chocolate and sprinkled with mini hearts.
A bit expensive for the berries but I would make them again for a special occasion.
I just made these with my granddaughter and they turned out so beautiful and so good! I made the dough the night before and rolled it out and then the next day she cut them out. Instead of dipping the cookies in chocolate she decided to just a spoon to drizzle all over them and they were really pretty. Thank you for a great recipe.
I live in Ottawa, Canada. I’ve called 5 stores looking for freeze dried raspberries (sadly, no Trader Joes or Targets here in Canada). Apparently they’re not as common here as they are in the US.
Hey! I’m in Vaughan, Ontario and have found freeze dried strawberries at Dollarama!
I made these yesterday. I added 1 t salt, and I sprinkled the top of the cookies with coarse sanding sugar before baking to add extra crunch. Drizzled with chocolate, YUM!
I made these yesterday. I added 1 t salt, and I sprinkled the top of the cookies with coarse sanding sugar before baking to add extra crunch. Drizzled with chocolate, YUM!
i used frozen rasperries; if you do, then be sure to completely melt the butter.
These were fun to make and tasted great! Love the tang of the cream cheese. Great combination of flavors. The raspberry flavor was strong, which I loved! Mine did turn out more purple than pink though. And I didn’t really like the raspberry seed. I was picking them out of my teeth for a while after eating the cookies (ewww!) I might sift the raspberry powder next time to see if I can get the bigger seeds out. Thanks for another great recipe!
Is it 2c. of the raspberry powder? I have the powder not the full berries — wondering if the amount is less since the berries are already powdered?
Hi Illya, 2 cups is the freeze dried berries before made into a powder. You’ll want about 1/2 cup of the berry powder. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I really liked these. The tartness from the raspberries help balance out the sweetness of the cookies. They definitely need chocolate. I want to experiment with a bunch of different freeze dried fruit.
Hi Sally,so I made the raspberry cutouts and I used the raspberry jello powder… the freeze dried raspberries where very expensive.My cookies turned out beautiful and delicious!!! Stacey
This cookie has been a hit with my family and friends, the flavor from the freeze dried fruit takes these sugar cookies to the next level. I used strawberries (couldn’t find raspberry) and dipped them in chocolate, the perfect Valentines Day treat. Thank you!
I love these cookies, but mine did not come out as red as yours. Any recommendations?
Hi Heather, for a deeper color, you can add a drop of red or pink food coloring. The dough is usually a striking purple/pink shade for us.
Made the dough last night and cut them out and baked them today. The batch made just over 30 cookies for me. I used a 2 inch heart cookie cutter. Dipped half in chocolate and the other half in white melting discs. So delicious, especially warm. Couldn’t resist! I used freeze dried strawberries. My husband said they taste like strawberry pop tarts lol. He likes those. Thanks for another great recipe!
Can you substitute with 1:1 gluten free flour? Many thanks!
Hi Anna, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
I made these last night. I had to use freeze dried strawberries as I couldn’t find raspberries locally. They tasted great, but were not particularly pretty. I decided to decorate them this afternoon. Made a bit of frosting, got out the valentine decorating stuff, and discovered there were only 6 left. Obviously the guys didn’t care if the color wasn’t the prettiest!
Hi!
Can I use dehydrated fresh raspberries or strawberries dried in the dehydrator?
Thank you!!
Hi Patricia! Freeze dried berries are different than dehydrated – they’re crispier and will turn into powder when processed. We suggest sticking with freeze dried for this recipe.
Just made these for our family and some neighbors for Valentine’s. One tip that worked well for me: When I rolled out the dough, I went ahead and cut out the cookies at that time, then refrigerated the shaped cookies on cookie trays. That way I didn’t have to get my counters all messy twice. Because I did it that way, I didn’t have to roll it out on parchment paper (I tried that first and the paper was slid around my counter like crazy when I was rolling!). I will definitely recommend that you roll them out as thin as you can–mine were perhaps a little thicker than 1/4 inch and they are a bit more cakey than I usually like my sugar cookies to be. On the plus side, this was the first time I used freeze dried fruit–it was easier to find than I anticipated and you can definitely taste the raspberry. Pro tip: check the bag first–mine had a bag of silica gel that I didn’t notice, so the FIRST bag had to go in the trash since I blended up the gel in the raspberries without realizing it!
We loved the flavor of these cookies but had an issue with them.
I pulverized the freeze dried raspberries to a fine powder and still found the cookies to be a bit gritty. Did anyone else have this issue? I am wondering if a different brand of raspberries would be better to use.
I just made these cookies today. I pulverized the dried raspberries really well too. However, I do feel the seeds in my baked cookies. Not a huge deal but to me they were noticeable. I used Target brand dried raspberries so not sure if Trader Joe’s would be any different. Raspberries are raspberries and hard to get away from the seeds in this dried product. They cookies taste good though.
If I make them again I am going to use a very fine strainer to filter the powder. The little pieces of seeds were unappetizing but the flavor was good.
Hi
Is the measurements right for the raspberry powder? 2 cup it is not 56g? Is it 56g or 2 cups?
Look amazing but not easy to find the raspberry in my area so I would like to know the quantity.
Hi Delia, 1 cup of freeze-dried raspberries is incredibly light and weighs much less than, say, 1 cup of sugar. The grams are accurate.
Hey Sally a couple questions for you, for one can you use fresh raseberrys, or does it need to be dried?
Also, can I sub. anything for the cream cheese?
Thanks God Bless!
Hi Bree! You need freeze dried raspberries for this recipe. See recipe notes for details on how to make these without cream cheese.
Isn’t your gram amount incorrect on the 3 cups if flour? Another cookie recipe of yours says 360 grams for 3 cups APF. This recipe says 410 grams. Seems too much.
Hi Laurie, we measured this amount of flour with our scale using King Arthur Flour and it was 400 grams. (That’s how this recipe was tested– 3 cups weighing 400g total.) We are adjusting grams in similar recipes where needed.
Hi Sally,
Appreciate your response on the flour measurement. I generally use Gold Medal Flour. I was really unsure so I chose to go with the lower weight. My batter seemed ok and rolled out ok. Didnt seem sticky at all. I will know for sure when I bake. Hopefully still turn out.
Sally, my cookies turned out fine using the 360 grams of flour. They rolled out and rerolled just fine. I did google flour grams and found that King Arthur supposedly weighs 130 grams per cup vs. Gold Medal weighing 120 grams per cup. So, my using lesser amount (since I used Gold Medal flour) must have been ok. Had I went with the 410 grams then I would have most likely used more than 3 cups of my flour. Make sense? It’s funny because this is the first time I questioned your recipe. I think it’s because I also had just made another of your cookie recipes and as I mentioned in previous comment that it was a different grams for the flour. Anyway, turned out great!
I usually love Sally’s recipes but this was disappointing. Not much flavor, even with the freeze dried raspberries. Smelled wonderful when baking, but ultimately rather bland. (Maybe I was expecting flavor like your strawberry frosting, which is amazing.) All in all, wasn’t worth the effort for me. : (
How about raspberry jam? It’s moister so add more flour? Or …
Hi Rick, you won’t get the same level of flavor and the cookies could taste dry adding more flour to make up for it. You could try using our regular cream cheese sugar cookies and adding raspberry extract (I know you can find it in some grocery stores).
This looks so pretty Sally. I have two of your books and I always have on hand the freeze dried strawberries because I only use your strawberry frosting recipe when I need something strawberry, cake, cupcakes …..Was wondering what to make for work for everyone. This is it!! Thank you! I will let you know how they turn out 🙂
Hi Sally,
I absolutely love your cream cheese sparkle sugar cookies and I’m terrible with rolling out dough. Can I incorporate the raspberries into that recipe?
Absolutely. While I haven’t tested it, I’m sure you can add 1/2 cup of raspberry powder to it. The doughs are pretty similar.
Hi Sally,
Can the recipe be halve? I only have 1 bag of freeze dried raspberry in the pantry.
Hi Sasha, you can certainly try it. For the egg, crack it, beat the yolk and white together, measure it, then use half. (Usually a couple Tbsp.)
Hi Sally,can I use sugar free raspberry jello powder if I can’t find freeze dried raspberries??? Thanks,Stacey
Hi Stacey! We haven’t tested it. If you try it, don’t use sugar-free. I would use the regular powder. Let us know if you try it.
Love this recipe! It is really 2 cups of freeze dried raspberry?!? It is going to be a very expensive recipe!
Hi Imma, yes it is 2 cups. If desired, you can use our regular cut-out cream cheese cookies recipe and add an inexpensive extract to the dough if desired.
Hi Imma,
I noticed your comment about 2 cups being costly. It’s actually only 1/2 cup of the ground fruit so one bag should do the trick! I wasn’t sure if you knew it’s only 1/2 cup once processed! Happy Baking ❤️
Hi Nikky! I made the mistake to think 1 cup= 8 oz. I realized later that was just few ounces ( it was all about the volume and not the weight) , the equivalent of the bags I usually buy!!! Thank you!
What other freeze dried fruit could be used here?
Details in the notes section (at the end of the recipe) for other fruits!
I don’t know about these cookies, but I have used freeze dried strawberries, blueberries and pineapple when making buttercream. The pineapple does have a different texture.