Quick and easy lemon raspberry cookies with cake mix box and other simple ingredients. These soft and rich thumbprint cookies are indented in the middle and filled with delicious raspberry jam or preserves.
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Both nostalgic and a little bit elegant, these cookies are the kind of treat that looks as beautiful on a platter as they taste fresh from the oven. They're simple enough for a cozy afternoon bake, yet special enough to share. And if you enjoy these then you will also want to try my Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Soft & Buttery), Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (Ganache), and Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies (Thumbprints) as well. They all make a perfect addition to Homemade Christmas Cookie Boxes.
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Key ingredients for raspberry thumbprints
- Lemon zest- Gives added flavor and color to the cookies.
- Lemon cake mix- This should be a 15.25 oz box.
- Butter- Be sure it is melted before adding.
- Eggs- These needs to be large and at room temperature.
Variations
- Drizzle them once they cool- With Powdered Sugar Glaze, Easy Chocolate Glaze, or Lemon Glaze.
- Omit the jam altogether and make lemon thumbprints- Fill with my favorite Lemon Curd.
- Use other cake mix flavors- Such as yellow, vanilla, chocolate or even Funfetti for other varieties.
- Try other fillings- Such as Sauteed Cinnamon Apples, Blueberry Pie Filling, or Strawberry Frosting. Actually, my Cream Cheese Frosting would be delicious. For these ones, you need to bake the cookies with the indentation first, let them cool and then add the fillings of your choice.
- Mix in- Chopped white chocolate or even white chocolate chips, shredded coconut, sprinkles, mini candies, chopped nuts, crushed Oreos, or chocolate shavings.
- Replace raspberry jam with other jam flavors- Such as strawberry, apricot, peach grape or even orange marmalade like I used in this Easy Orange Cake.
- Don't make thumbprints- Just make regular round cookies and pipe raspberry buttercream frosting on top, once they cool. Another option is to make cookie sandwiches like Whoopie Pies but with jam in the middle.
- Coat dough balls- In finely chopped nuts like pistachios, powdered sugar or granulated sugar, sanding sugar or even Cinnamon Sugar and then place them on cookie tray and make indentations in middle and add filling. This will add an awesome texture when done baking.
- Try other zests- Such as orange or lime for a different flavor.
- Add in extracts- Like maple, lemon, raspberry, or vanilla.
How to make easy lemon raspberry cookies recipe with cake mix box?
1. Add ingredients in large bowl- This includes cake mix, eggs, butter
2. Mix- Until the ingredients come together into a thick dough that's not crumbly. Add a little water if necessary.
3. Place balls of dough on the pan- And make indents with thumb or end of wooden spoon.
4. Add filling and bake- Until done and enjoy.
Tips and techniques
- Don't over bake- Because the cookies will become dry and crumbly.
- Makes a lovely homemade gift- Just package nicely and get some helpful tips from my Food and Cookie Packaging Ideas. For more inspiration, check out these Easy Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas.
- When you remove the cookies from the oven- You will notice the indentations are not that deep anymore. Just press the back of a wooden spoon or the round bottom of a measuring spoon into the center again. You must do this quickly before the cookies have a chance to cool down.
- Must use 15.25 oz. box- Some boxes these days are more or less and this recipe requires this specific amount to work well.
- If dough it too crumbly- Mix in a little water. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more as necessary until you have a smooth dough that's not sticky.
- Chill dough- To prevent cookies from over spreading and becoming flat as Pancakes during baking.
- I have made these with oil- But I feel like they spread a little more with oil than compared to butter. You can try it out for yourself and see which one you prefer better.
- Please use high quality thick jams and preserves- Because they don't spread out of the center and look messy.
- Line pans with parchment paper- To avoid sticking to the pan and make it easier to clean up.
- Don't over-mix the dough- Because leads to gummy, tough cookies.
- Use room temperature ingredients- For best ingredient incorporation.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any of the above as long as they are thick and high quality.
It is likely you let them cook for too long and all the moisture was baked out. This also happens when ingredients are not measured properly and the ratio of wet and dry ingredients is off.
This can happen if you don't chill the dough first. Also, if you choose to use oil instead of butter this is more likely to happen as well.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Place in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- This is not recommended as they don't thaw well.
- Room temperature- Don't leave out for more than 3-5 hours.
- Make ahead- Make 1-2 days in advance, then place in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy at a later time.
More raspberry desserts
- Chocolate Covered Raspberries
- Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake (4 Layers)
- Easy Raspberry Mousse (Light & Fluffy)
- Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes (Soft & Fluffy)
- Banana Raspberry Smoothie
Recipe
Easy Lemon Raspberry Cookies (Thumbprint)
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Ingredients
- 1 box Lemon cake mix 15.25 oz. box
- 2 Eggs Large, Room temperature
- ⅓ cup Melted butter Or oil
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- ½ cup Raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add lemon cake mix, eggs, melted butter, lemon zest and mix until combined. Do not over mix!
- If dough is too crumbly and not coming together, mix in some water. Add 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Cover bowl and chill dough in fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop out small portions of the dough and form balls. If dough is too sticky, you can chill for a bit longer or oiling your hands also helps.
- Place balls on a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper.
- Press your thumb to make indentations in the center OR you can use the back of a wooden spoon and even the round bottom of a measuring spoon for a much professional appearance.
- Now you have 2 options: You can spoon ¼ teaspoon of raspberry preserves or jam in the center right now and bake OR you can bake the cookies first without any jam and then fill the centers with jam, once they cool. If you go with the second option, please note that when you remove the cookies from the oven, the indentations are not going to be that deep anymore. Just press the back of a wooden spoon or the round bottom of a measuring spoon into the center again. You must do this quickly before the cookies have a chance to cool completely.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are firm along the edges and a little spread out.
- Allow the cookies to cool fully and enjoy.
Notes
- Coat dough balls in finely chopped nuts, powdered sugar, sanding sugar, granulated sugar or even sprinkles for additional flavor and texture.
- Don't over-mix the dough because that makes the cookies very tough and gummy.
- Don't over bake cookies because that will cause them to become dry and crumbly.
- Please line your pans with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Chill dough for 20-30 minutes. This prevents cookies from over spreading during baking.
- Oil can be used instead of melted butter but I feel like it causes the cookies to spread a little more than I prefer. They don't go flat and lose their shape though.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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