It is no secret that I love a coffee cake cookie (I made my pumpkin coffee cake cookies 4 times in one week last fall). While most coffee cake cookies are simple and delicious, I was inspired by my own latest coffee cake creation. We already know that almond and raspberry are a perfect combo, so I made them in coffee cake form, which led me down this path, putting that coffee cake into cookie form. So we created the Almond Raspberry Coffee Cake Cookies. Was this necessary? Debatable. Was it worth it? Yes.
So if you a fan of bakery-style cookies, these raspberry almond coffee cake cookies are about to become your new obsession. We are talking big, buttery almond sugar cookies topped with raspberry jam before baking, sprinkled with a cinnamon streusel, sliced almonds, and finished with an icing drizzle. They are everything you want in a cookie. Plus impressive enough to bring somewhere AND easy enough to make on a weeknight (DID I MENTION THERE IS NO CHILL TIME?!).
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These cookies check every box. The base is a classic almond sugar cookie — soft and buttery with a serious hit of almond flavor from both almond extract and the streusel. The raspberry jam adds a bright, fruity center that cuts through the richness, and the streusel on top gives you that irresistible crunchy texture in every bite. The almond icing ties it all together.
They are also big cookies. I use a #20 yellow thumb press disher (1.625 oz) to scoop these, which gives you that satisfying, thick bakery-style cookie that actually feels worth making. You can find the exact scoop I use here.
What You Need to Make Almond Raspberry Coffee Cake Cookies
For the cookies, you will need room temperature unsalted butter, white sugar, one egg plus one egg yolk, almond extract, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Freeze-dried raspberries are optional, but they add a nice pop of flavor and color throughout the dough.
For the streusel, you need softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. It comes together in minutes with just your hands or a fork.
Can I bake cookies with fresh raspberries?
I do not love baking cookies with fresh fruit. It is an opinion I hold very strongly. Fresh fruit is made up of a significant amount of water- raspberries alone are about 85% water! That same water is released during the bake straight into your cookie dough, and you end up with an altered texture and soggy pockets in the cookie. Even if you don’t mind those changes or can handle a bit of sogginess, cookies made with fresh fruit really only last a day after baking. Eventually, the inevitable sogginess creeps in. That is why I always choose freeze-dried fruit or jam when baking. Freeze-dried fruit gives you all of the flavor and color with almost none of the moisture, and jam is already a concentrated, stable form of fruit that plays nicely with cookie dough without throwing off the moisture balance. If it is too difficult to find freeze-dried raspberries, feel free to leave them out; the raspberry jam adds a perfect amount of raspberry flavor on its own!
As you can see in the photos, I just added a few fresh raspberries to the finished cookie instead of baking WITH them.
Tips for the Best Almond Raspberry Coffee Cake Cookies
Make sure your butter is actually at room temperature. Cold butter will not cream properly, and you will miss out on that light, fluffy base that makes these cookies so good.
Do not skip the extra egg yolk. It adds richness and helps give these cookies their chewy, tender texture.
Make the streusel first. It only takes a few minutes, and you want it ready to go before your cookies are in the oven.
Use a cookie scoop. Consistently sized cookies bake evenly and look so much better. The #20 disher I linked above is the one I reach for every time. It gives you a big, generous cookie with lots of room for the toppings!
Do not overbake. Pull these at 10 to 11 minutes when the edges are just set. They will look slightly underdone in the center and that is exactly what you want. They firm up as they cool.
How do I Store these Cookies?
Store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The streusel will soften slightly over time but the flavor just gets better. If you top them with a fresh raspberry like in the photo, cookies will need to be refrigerated.
Can I Make These Ahead?
Yes! You can freeze the fully assembled dough balls (make sure to flatten and divot them first) in an airtight plastic bag. You can top them with the strusel and jam right before baking or you can even freeze them with the jam and coffee cake crumbs on top.
Ingredients
Coffee Cake Crumbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 grams, softened
- 1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams grams
- 1/4 cup white sugar 50 grams grams
- 1 cup all purpose flour 125 grams
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons sliced almonds 60 grams * plus more for topping cookies at the end
Raspberry Almond Cookies
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 226 grams, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup white sugar 350 grams
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour 360 grams
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries optional
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam for topping only
Drizzle
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar 90 grams * plus more if needed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk 21 grams * plus more if needed
Instructions
Coffee Cake Crumbs
- Make the streusel first. In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and salt. Use your fingers or a fork to mix until the mixture comes together in small clumps. Set aside.
Raspberry Almond Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the freeze dried raspberries if using.
- Scoop the dough into large balls, about 3 tablespons each (I use a #20 cookie scoop which is 1.6 ounces) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, flatten each cookie slightly and press a divot into the center. Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam into each divot, then top with crumble and more sliced almonds, if you wish.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet.
- Once cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cookies and finish with extra sliced almonds or a piece of fresh raspberry.
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