Get the Recipe: Raspberry Lemon Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients
For the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups 12 ounces cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup 7 ounces granulated sugar
- fresh zest from 1 large lemon
- 1/2 cup 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup 4 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- "heaping" 1/3 cup (2.25 ounces) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup 2.65 ounces water
- 2 cups 8 ounces confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
- 1/2 cup 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- a pinch of kosher salt
- confetti quin sprinkles, for garnish
Equipment
- Essential Equipment: a 2-tablespoon cookie dough scoop (see baker's notes)
Instructions
For the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 (F). Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and fresh zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until clumpy and aromatic—this will help release oils from the zest that will absorb into the sugar. Affix the bowl into the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the butter. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer to its lowest setting and add the egg, sour cream, and almond extract, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared sheet pans, leaving at least 3 inches between each dough ball. Lightly spray the bottom of a glass with cooking spray and dip into the bag of cake flour. Gently press the bottom of the cup on top of each mound of dough and flatten until you get a 1 1/2-inch circle, flouring the bottom of the cup as needed and smoothening out the sides with a wet finger (see baker's notes).
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are pale yellow and barely starting to brown on the bottoms. Cool the cookies on the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, before transferring to the rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to mash the berries, and the mixture is reduced to about a third of its original volume. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and pour the mixture into the sieve, pressing down on the fruit to extract the liquid. You should have at least 2 tablespoons of pink raspberry syrup. Discard the solids.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the raspberry syrup. Beat on medium-high, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary, until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Assembly
- Scoop two teaspoons of the raspberry buttercream onto the center of each cookie. Use a small offset spatula to spread the buttercream towards the edges of the cookie, rotating the cookie as you spread to ensure an even layer of buttercream on top of each. Immediately sprinkle the top of each frosted cookie with confetti quin sprinkles. Enjoy!
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