These raspberry sugar cookies are like common cut-out sugar cookies, however with two main upgrades within the dough: tangy cream cheese and freeze-dried raspberries. Naturally coloured, these fairly pink cookies are stunning proper out of the oven, however be happy to garnish with melted chocolate or another really useful toppings. You’ll love these for Valentine’s Day or any event the place you crave a enjoyable, berry flavored cookie.
Have you ever ever baked my common sugar cookies earlier than? They’re a conventional sugar cookie with mushy facilities and barely crisp edges—positively a favourite round right here particularly after I make Valentine’s Day cookies, Easter cookies, and Christmas sugar cookies (similar dough recipe). A recipe with year-round versatility!
It’s one in every of my most-used recipes, proper together with chocolate chip cookies and pie crust. I even have a printed recipe for cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze, which takes sugar cookies to the subsequent stage. The cream cheese offers a creamy-like texture and slight tang in every chew. I often choose them over our common sugar cookies!
I took the identical cream cheese sugar cookie dough and experimented with freeze-dried raspberries. The consequence was an additional tender berry-flavored cookie with probably the most beautiful (and pure!) pink/magenta colour. I figured you’d take pleasure in attempting these at dwelling.
Inform Me About These Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Texture: Cream cheese makes the dough further mushy and creamy, which I really like in so many cookie recipes, like apricot cream cheese thumbprints and maple walnut tassies.
- Taste: In the event you’re ever craving FLAVOR in your sugar cookies, begin right here. Now we have a slight tang from the cream cheese, however a lot of the taste comes from raspberries. I recognize that we’re utilizing actual berries which have been freeze-dried, not synthetic raspberry flavoring. Almond extract is totally optionally available, but it surely provides one other stage of taste.
- Ease: Cookie cutter sugar cookies, of any selection and taste, aren’t fairly as simple as drop cookies. Nonetheless, when you’re snug utilizing a rolling pin and cookie cutters, the method received’t appear arduous. This recipe requires an additional step but it surely’s fairly easy: grind the freeze-dried berries into powder earlier than utilizing.
- Time: The cookie dough comes collectively shortly. Roll it out, then chill it within the fridge for not less than 2 hours. With out chilling, the cookies will utterly lose their form. After that, lower the dough into shapes, then bake. Put aside a number of hours to finish this recipe.
Freeze-Dried Raspberries are the Secret
I really like utilizing freeze-dried berries in frostings. Have you ever tried this strawberry buttercream earlier than? Once you grind freeze-dried strawberries right into a powder, you’ll be able to simply use it in frosting. Freeze-dried berry powder or “mud” is ideal as a result of it’s not moist and, subsequently, doesn’t mess with the consistency of frosting. Actual berry taste with out compromising texture. We additionally apply it to the coating of chocolate raspberry crinkle cookies. And, because it seems, you are able to do the identical factor with sugar cookie dough so long as you don’t go overboard with amount. 2 cups (about 56g) of freeze-dried raspberries grinds down into 1/2 cup of powder, which is the right quantity for this sugar cookie dough.
- The place to purchase freeze-dried raspberries: I all the time discover them in my common grocery retailer within the dried fruit aisle. Preserve your eyes peeled– they’re extra widespread than you suppose. We like Dealer Joe’s model and Goal carries a pleasant choice, too. You may as well buy them on-line and here’s a model we’ve examined earlier than. (They’re much cheaper in shops if you will discover them!) You want 2 cups, which is a bit more than 1 commonplace 1.2 ounce (weight) bag.
- Can I do that with one other kind of freeze-dried fruit? Sure, completely. I’ve examined this sugar cookie dough with freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and mango. The mango taste wasn’t as intense because the berries, although. Use the identical quantity—1/2 cup of the bottom powder.
- Can I do that with common dried fruit or frozen fruit? No, don’t use chewy/gummy dried fruit and don’t use frozen fruit. You want freeze-dried raspberries, that are raspberries with the entire moisture eliminated—that method they’ll grind right into a powder.
Overview: Making Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Grind freeze-dried raspberries into powder.
- Make sugar cookie dough. The recipe directions under embody creaming the butter and cream cheese collectively earlier than including sugar. You additionally want 1 egg and vanilla extract. Almond extract is optionally available, however a tasty addition when you have some available. The dry elements embody flour, your raspberry powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Divide in two items.
- Roll out cookie dough. Roll every part out to 1/4 inch thick. Have further flour available as a result of the dough is sticky.
- Chill rolled out dough for not less than 2 hours.
- Minimize into shapes. Re-roll all of your scraps—you’ll be stunned what number of cookies you get from this quantity of dough. I really like these coronary heart formed cookie cutters, however you should utilize no matter form you’d like.
- Bake & cool. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets earlier than adorning.
The Trick is the Order of Steps
Discover how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it within the fridge? Let me clarify why. To stop the cookies from over-spreading, the cookie dough should chill within the fridge. Roll out the dough proper after you put together it, then chill the rolled-out dough. (At this level the dough is just too mushy to chop into shapes.) Don’t chill the cookie dough after which attempt to roll it out as a result of it is going to be too chilly and troublesome to work with. Divide the dough in half earlier than rolling it out as a result of smaller sections of dough are merely extra manageable.
I observe this similar order of steps when making brown sugar cut-out cookies.
After chilling, lower into shapes, organize on lined baking sheets, bake, after which cool.
Ornament & Topping Concepts
I really like utilizing royal icing on common sugar cookies. That icing would positively work right here (and right here’s my beautify sugar cookies tutorial if you wish to accomplish that!), however I didn’t need the raspberry and cream cheese flavors to be overpowered by tremendous candy icing. So as an alternative I dipped them in melted darkish chocolate and drizzled with melted white chocolate. So easy, so scrumptious. Listed here are some choices:
Garnish the chocolate or icing with sprinkles or leftover freeze-dried raspberry powder:
Raspberry Sugar Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hours, half-hour
Prepare dinner Time: 13 minutes
Whole Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: 36 3-inch cookies
Class: Desserts
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Floor freeze-dried raspberries add colour and taste to this cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You’ll be able to go away the cookies plain, however we love them garnished with melted chocolate.
Non-compulsory Chocolate Topping
Directions
- Utilizing a blender or meals processor, course of the freeze-dried raspberries right into a powder. You’ll have round 1/2 cup. Be at liberty to grind further and use as garnish in step 9.
- Whisk the raspberry powder, flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a big bowl. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese collectively on medium-high velocity till utterly clean and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat till combination is fluffy and mixed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if utilizing) and beat on excessive velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the dry elements to the moist elements and blend on low velocity till mixed. Dough might be very mushy and creamy.
- Generously flour your arms and rolling pin. Divide the dough into 2 equal elements. Roll every portion out on a flippantly floured piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough will be any form, so long as it’s evenly 1/4-inch thick.
- Frivolously mud one of many rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a bit of parchment on high. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on high. Cowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for not less than 2 hours and as much as 2 days.
- As soon as chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 giant baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Fastidiously take away the highest dough piece from the fridge. If it’s sticking to the underside, run your hand beneath it to assist take away it. Utilizing a cookie cutter, lower the dough into shapes. (I like these coronary heart cookie cutters.) Re-roll the remaining dough and proceed slicing till all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. Notice: It doesn’t appear to be numerous dough, however you get numerous cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.
- Organize cookies on baking sheets 3 inches aside. Bake for 12-13 minutes till very flippantly browned across the edges. In case your oven has scorching spots, rotate the baking sheet midway by means of bake time. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes then switch to a wire rack to chill utterly earlier than adorning.
- For optionally available chocolate adorning: Soften the chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after every till utterly melted. Dip cooled cookies within the melted chocolate and/or drizzle with melted chocolate, then place again onto the baking sheets. I dipped the pictured cookies in melted semi-sweet chocolate after which drizzled with the melted white chocolate. If desired, sprinkle with further freeze-dried raspberry powder. Permit chocolate to set within the fridge or at room temperature.
- Cookies keep recent lined at room temperature for as much as 3 days or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Directions: Plain or adorned sugar cookies freeze nicely as much as 3 months. Anticipate the chocolate/icing to set utterly earlier than layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. You may as well freeze the cookie dough for as much as 3 months earlier than rolling it out. Put together the dough by means of step 4, divide in half, flatten each halves right into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap every in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks within the fridge, then convey to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 5, then chill rolled out dough within the fridge for 45 minutes – 1 hour earlier than slicing into shapes and baking.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Coronary heart Cookie Cutter | Freeze-Dried Raspberries | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optionally available)
- Cream Cheese: Wish to pass over the cream cheese? Use our common sugar cookies recipe and add 1/2 cup of the raspberry powder to that cookie dough. Whisk it in with the dry elements, simply as you do right here.
- Freeze-dried raspberries: I all the time discover them in my common grocery retailer within the dried fruit aisle. Preserve your eyes peeled—they’re extra widespread than you suppose. We like Dealer Joe’s model and Goal carries a pleasant choice, too. You may as well buy them on-line and here’s a model we’ve examined earlier than. (They’re much cheaper in shops if you will discover them!) You want 2 cups, which is a bit more than 1 commonplace 1.2 ounce (weight) bag.
- Can I do that with one other kind of freeze-dried fruit? Sure, completely. I’ve examined this sugar cookie dough with freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and mango. The freeze-dried raspberries gave probably the most potent taste. Use the identical quantity—1/2 cup of the bottom powder.
- Can I do that with common dried fruit or frozen fruit? No, don’t use chewy/gummy dried fruit and don’t use frozen fruit. You want freeze-dried raspberries, that are raspberries with the entire moisture eliminated—that method they’ll grind right into a powder.
- Different Toppings: See Ornament & Topping Concepts in weblog submit above.
- Make sure to take a look at my high 5 cookie baking success suggestions AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
