Lemon Buttermilk Cookies with a Raspberry Glaze

All this past week, SXSW has been going on in Austin and that means we haven’t had time to make or shoot new recipes lately. So we’re throwing it back to this recipe I made for a Christmas gathering back in December and never posted. Nothing like having those backups, huh?

I got this lemon buttermilk cookie recipe from the Orangette blog. I’ve been making it for YEARS. Since 2009 at least. I remember the first time I made it was in my Seattle kitchen. It speaks to the deliciousness that I have come back to it again and again. In fact, I need to get the ingredients and make it again this next week.

But when I decided to make it this time for the family Christmas, I wanted to mix things up a bit. So I made a raspberry glaze, increased the amount of flour, and used Meyer lemon. It turned out wonderfully!

Recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Cookies with a Raspberry Glaze, adapted from Orangette.

For the cookies:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
lemon zest from 1 Meyer lemon
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the glaze:

1 1/2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup raspberries
1 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp buttermilk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, baking soda, and salt and whisk together.

In a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy and light. Add the egg and beat until it is mixed and combined. Add the vanilla and combine. On low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, alternating and starting and ending with the flour.

Onto the cookie sheets, drop level tablespoons about 1 1/2 inches apart. If lumpy, shape into balls with your fingers before baking. Bake about 11-15 minutes per batch. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

For the glaze, first make the raspberry syrup. Heat the lemon juice and raspberries over low heat. Smash raspberries with a spoon as they soften. After about 5 minutes, remove from heat and strain through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds and so you are left with a raspberry liquid.

Take the sifted powdered sugar and add the buttermilk and 3 Tbsp of the raspberry liquid. Whisk to combine until smooth and a glaze forms. Spoon the glaze onto the cookies and allow the cookies to sit until the glaze is set.