These sweet and zesty strawberry cookies are pillowy-soft and are so easy to make! Freeze-dried strawberries give these cookies a subtle pink color and fantastic strawberry flavor.
Whether you're baking for Valentine's Day or just want a strawberry-flavored sweet, I think that you'll love these strawberry cookies! They're made just like a classic cookie, but with the addition of freeze-dried strawberries.
Freeze-dried strawberries add a subtle pink flavor to the cookies and a zesty kick that perfectly balances out the sweetness of the sugar cookie dough.
If you're looking for a way to use fresh strawberries, let me recommend this vegan strawberry cake, strawberry almond energy balls, or vegan strawberry muffins.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Sweet and zesty: This is a great option for anyone who likes cookies but doesn't like it when they're overly sweet. The acidity/zest from the freeze-dried strawberries mellows out the sweetness of the sugar cookie base.
- No chilling required: This is a pretty straightforward cookie recipe, and the cookie dough doesn't need to be chilled before baking. That means the cookies are mixed up and out of the oven in under 30 minutes!
- Texture: Soft, chewy, tender, and a bit reminiscent of a sugar cookie.
- No food coloring or fresh strawberries are required! The freeze-dried strawberries provide a concentrated strawberry flavor and a hint of pink.
Ingredients
- Freeze-dried strawberries: This is the most important ingredient. The only ingredient on the package should be strawberries. Note that freeze-dried strawberries are NOT the same as dried strawberries.
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar create the base of cookie dough.
- Unsalted butter: Use softened butter. I don't recommend salted butter for cookies, but if that's all you have, make sure to decrease the added table salt.
- Large egg: Preferably room temperature, but if not, that's okay.
- All-purpose flour: I recommend measuring flour with a kitchen scale. If you don't have a scale, the second best option is to spoon flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to slice off excess flour.
Step-by-step instructions
- Make strawberry powder: Start by pulverizing 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor or blender. Scrape down the sides as needed. The goal is to turn the strawberries into powder. It's okay if some larger flecks of strawberry remain, this adds texture and color to the cookies.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute.
- Add remaining wet ingredients: Stir in the egg and vanilla, beating for another 30 seconds, or until well combined. Stir in the strawberry powder. The cookie dough will be a lovely vivid pink!
- Add dry ingredients: I recommend whisking together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in a bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients. Stir this in just ½ cup or so at a time, until the dough is thick and holding together.
- Roll in sugar: Scoop the cookie dough out, aiming for about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into a ball. Add sugar and any remaining strawberry powder to a small bowl. Drop the ball into the sugar, rolling to coat. Transfer cookie dough to a cookie sheet, leaving at least two inches between each ball.
- Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes on the middle oven rack, or until the edges of the cookies are golden. Let rest for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Cookie baking tips
- Let the butter come to room temperature before creaming it with the sugar. To speed up this process, I recommend slicing the butter and putting it in the mixing bowl instead of just placing a stick out on the counter.
- Freeze-dried strawberries don't have any moisture in them, which means they suck up moisture quickly. Make sure your blender or food processor is completely dry, or the strawberry powder will clump up.
- This recipe uses 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries which yields just under ¼ cup of strawberry powder. Scrape the sides of the blender and the blender lid to get as much strawberry powder as possible. It's okay if there isn't enough to measure out a full ¼ cup.
- The strawberry powder doesn't need to be completely fine. In fact, having some bigger flecks of strawberry adds texture and flavor to the cookies, so I recommend leaving some small pieces intact.
- The cookie dough doesn't have to be rolled in sugar but I like the look the sugar gives the cookies. If you have extra strawberry powder I highly recommend combining it with the sugar.
- This isn't a tip but when I make this recipe I like to add a cup of milk to the blender after pulverizing the strawberries the make strawberry milk!
FAQ
Can I use fresh strawberries instead of freeze-dried strawberries?
No, these strawberry cookies only work with freeze-dried strawberries.
Can I add food coloring?
Yes, you can add red food coloring to make a pink strawberry cookie. Start with just a couple of drops and add more as desired.
Can I add chocolate chips or nuts?
Definitely! Almonds and lemon zest are a natural addition to strawberry cookies. Use one teaspoon (about one small lemon) of lemon zest and add up to ½ cup toasted sliced almonds to the cookies. To enhance the almond flavor, add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
These cookies are also great with 1 cup of chocolate chips or with a chocolate drizzle on top.
Storage and make-ahead tips
- The strawberry cookies are best within a few days, as over time they tend to dry out. I love storing cookies in the freezer and popping them in the microwave to reheat quickly.
- Make in advance: The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate until you're ready to bake the cookies.
- To freeze the cookie dough: Freeze it all together or freeze balls of cookie dough. If freezing all together, let thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. If freezing individual pieces of cookie dough, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe storage container. Bake from frozen, adding extra time as needed.
- To freeze the cookies: Let the cookies cool completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe container. Place wax or parchment paper between layers of cookies to ensure they don't stick to each other.
More delicious cookie recipes
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Strawberry Cookies
Gently pink cookies with a zesty hint of strawberry. Soft, chewy, and easy to make with no chilling needed!
Ingredients
- 1 ounce freeze dried strawberries see note #1
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature, see note #2
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons); more as needed for coating the cookie dough
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 large egg preferably room temp but it's okay if not
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Optionally, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (makes cleanup easier).
- Add 1 ounce of freeze dried strawberries to a blender or food processor. Blend until mostly powdery. Try to leave some small pieces of strawberry. This adds flavor and texture to the cookies. Measure out a scant ¼ cup of strawberry powder, scraping down the sides of the blender/food processor and the lid as needed. Set aside any remaining strawberry powder.
- In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about a minute.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla, beating for another 30 seconds, or until well combined. Stir in the scant ¼ cup of strawberry powder, mixing until the dough is pink throughout.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix this into the wet mixture just about ½ cup at a time, until the dough is thick and holding together.
- Scoop the cookie dough out, aiming for about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie to make 3-inch cookies. Roll into a ball.
- Add sugar and any remaining strawberry powder to a small bowl (optional). Drop the ball into the sugar, rolling to coat.
- Transfer cookie dough to a baking sheet, leaving at least two inches between each piece of dough. This recipe makes 12 3-inch cookies or 18 2-inch cookies.
- Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes on the middle oven rack, or until the edges of the cookies are golden. Let rest for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Freeze-dried strawberries: This is not the same as dried strawberries. This recipe does not work with regular or dried strawberries, just freeze-dried. 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries typically yields about a scant ¼ cup strawberry powder, but it's okay if you end up with slightly less.
- Butter: To bring butter to room temp more quickly, I recommend slicing it and placing it in the mixing bowl instead of putting a wrapped stick of butter on the counter.
- Freeze-dried strawberries don't have any moisture in them, which means they suck up moisture quickly. Make sure your blender or food processor is completely dry, or the strawberry powder will clump up.
- The cookie dough doesn't have to be rolled in sugar but I like the look the sugar gives the cookies. If you have extra strawberry powder I highly recommend combining it with the sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 103mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 269IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this?I love hearing how it went! Leave a review or tag me on Instagram @cozypeachkitchen so I can see your creations!
Jody Holt Bracken says
Great cookie! Needs a little more
Strawberry flavor, but love the texture. Thanks for sharing.
Aleena says
Great recipe! Mine only have a subtle taste of strawberry, so I think I’m going to try this recipe again, but add a bit more powdered strawberries to enhance the flavour. Also want to add some white chocolate to it as well!
Cassidy Reeser says
I bet white chocolate chips would be a great addition!
Romina says
Mine didn't became flat in the oven, instead they kinda stayed like balls and just burnt on 🥲 what did I do wrong? Too much baking soda?
Cassidy Reeser says
Was the dough pretty solid? I think it's most likely it was too much flour. Last time I made them they didn't flatten as much as in the photos (but they didn't stay in a ball shape) and I didn't use gram measurements, unlike the first few times I made them. So that's what makes me think just a bit too much flour.
Lauren says
These are perfect!! They were all gone by the end of the day!
I made a few substitutions to make them vegan:
- Earth balance vegan butter
- Flax egg
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350. Let cool for an hour (if you can!)
I'll definitely be making these again.
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks for the review! Happy to hear they work with vegan swaps 🙂