Strawberry Cookies

4.67 from 3 votes

Gently pink cookies with a zesty hint of strawberry. Soft, chewy, and easy to make with no chilling needed!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: medium cookies

Calories: 190kcal

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

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.

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.