Strawberry Cookies
There’s no shortage of fresh strawberry flavor in these easy cookies! The strawberry cookies are topped with a simple strawberry glaze for added flavor and a pop of color. Best of all, there’s no food coloring or artificial extracts used in this recipe!
Want to know a secret? You don’t have to wait for strawberries to be in season to make these soft and chewy cookies!
That’s because these strawberry cookies are flavored with freeze-dried strawberries rather than fresh. Fresh strawberries contain excess water, which can create soggy cookies. To remedy this, the berries would have to be cooked down on the stovetop and then allowed to cool, which can take a while.
Using freeze-dried strawberries lets us skip the reduction process and infuses these cookies with a more concentrated strawberry flavor (I used this trick in my strawberry pound cake recipe). For even more flavor, I also topped the cookies with a simple strawberry icing.
Another great thing about this recipe is that the cookie dough doesn’t require any chilling, so the entire batch can be baked and iced in about one hour!
What You Need
Besides the freeze-dried strawberries, you likely have all of the ingredients needed for this recipe. Let’s review the key ingredients you’ll need:
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: You’ll need 1.5 ounces for this recipe. You can usually find them close to the dried fruit in most grocery stores.
- All-Purpose Flour: You’ll want to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off using the back of a knife. This will ensure that you don’t compact the flour and accidentally measure out too much. If you’re new to baking, I have a post on how to measure flour correctly.
- Unsalted Butter: Let it sit on your counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour before starting this recipe, or until it’s softened to room temperature.
- Sugar: You’ll need granulated sugar for the cookie dough and powdered sugar for the icing.
- Vanilla Extract: Makes for a more nuanced strawberry flavored cookie.
How To Make Strawberry Cookies
- Blend the strawberries: Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor or blender. Blend until they resemble a fine powder like the picture above on the left.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the strawberry powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Beat the butter and sugar: I like to use my stand mixer for this step. Beat just until smooth, then add the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Mix just until the cookie dough comes together and the ingredients are combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough: Use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough into balls. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies: You will know they are done when the tops are just set. Let them cool completely before icing.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you cannot use fresh strawberries in this cookie recipe. Fresh berries will release moisture as the cookies bake, which will make them soggy.
Of course, you’re welcome to omit the strawberry icing and enjoy the cookies as is. They’ll still have a strong strawberry flavor!
If you’re looking for a different option, my strawberry frosting or the lemon icing from my lemon pound cake would be delicious on these cookies too.
Yes, you can scoop and roll the cookie dough into balls and either refrigerate it for three days or freeze it for up to three months. Let the frozen cookie dough thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
I imagine so, but I’ve only tested this recipe using freeze-dried strawberries. The consistency of the cookie dough wouldn’t change, but the flavor obviously would.
Baking Tips
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a blender or a zip-top bag and a rolling pin to crush the freeze-dried strawberries.
- When preparing the strawberry icing, make sure to use hot water. This will help dissolve the strawberry powder and make the icing completely smooth!
- After icing the cookies, let them sit on your counter for about 30 minutes to give the icing time to firm up. After 24 hours, the icing will be fully set.
Strawberry Cookies
Ingredients
Strawberry Cookies
- 1 (1-ounce) package freeze-dried strawberries (28 grams)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (190 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170 grams; 1.5 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Icing
- ½ ounce freeze-dried strawberries (14 grams) 1 scant cut freeze-dried berries or 3 tablespoons of powder
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (180 grams)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- To make the strawberry cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend into a fine powder.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberry powder, flour, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and mix together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough, roll into a ball, and place each ball of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the strawberry icing: Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend into a fine powder. You should end up with about 3 tablespoons of strawberry powder.
- Add the strawberry powder, powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons of hot water to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined and no lumps remain. Add ½ teaspoon of hot water at a time until the icing has reached your desired consistency. You want the icing to be thick enough to hold up on the cookies, but just thin enough to spread.
- Spoon the icing on top of each cookie and smooth it out into one even layer.
- Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to give the icing time to firm up (it will fully set up overnight), then serve and enjoy!
These are outstanding! I wanted to try make an “iced cookie” for the first time. Wow! They came out well and the taste is incredible. I found the freeze-dried strawberries at my local grocery store – no special stop needed. I took a picture of my cookies and posted it on Facebook, which is extremely rare for me. That is how proud I am of my efforts and how excellent this recipe is. Thank you! Definitely a fun summer afternoon, which is when I like to try out new recipes.
Thank you so much, Margaret! So glad you loved the cookies!