Strawberry Sugar Cookies
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These strawberry sugar cookies are soft and chewy with a delicious strawberry flavor and crunchy sugar coating. These cookies are the perfect pink treat!
If you’re looking for a simple, pink dessert – whether for Valentine’s Day, a baby shower or a birthday party – these strawberry sugar cookies are the perfect recipe. They’re also the perfect cookie for anyone who has a soft spot for the nostalgic strawberry-flavored desserts from childhood.
These strawberry sugar cookies are a rolled sugar cookie recipe, as opposed to cut-out sugar cookies, adapted from my favorite recipe for chewy sugar cookies. They’re soft and chewy with a crunchy sugar coating on the edges, a delicious strawberry flavor and beautiful pink color. The recipe is very simple, and the flavor comes from real berries instead of something artificial.
Getting the Perfect Strawberry Flavor
As mentioned, the strawberry flavor in these cookies comes from real berries as opposed to strawberry jello, artificial flavoring or cake mix. However, instead of using fresh or frozen berries, we’re using freeze dried strawberries.
Freeze dried strawberries are real berries, that have been dehydrated to remove the water. They’re somewhat crunchy and light as air because the water as been removed.
I attempted to make strawberry flavored cookies with strawberry puree fresh berries. However, the puree added too much liquid to the cookies and the cookie texture became more like muffin tops – instead of chewy cookies.
Using freeze dried berries makes these cookies taste like real berries (because that’s what we’re using after all), while keeping the cookies soft and chewy in texture.
Making Strawberry Sugar Cookies
This recipe is actually very simple to make – and there’s no need to chill the dough! Below, I’ve included step by step details so you know what each step will look like.
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F (180C) and lining your cookie sheets. I always line my cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats to prevent over browning of the cookie bottoms.
- Then pulverise your freeze dried strawberries until they’re a fine powder. You’ll need to measure the berries after they’re pulverized into a fine powder. You’ll measure out 1/3 cup of powder for the cookie dough, then use the rest (about 1-2 tablespoons) for rolling the cookies in later. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch (AKA cornflour in the UK), baking powder and salt.
- Adding a little cornstarch helps to keep these cookies extra soft and chewy.
- In a large bowl, you’ll beat together the butter, sugar and 1/3 cup pulverized freeze dried strawberries until creamed.
- Beating the pulverized strawberries into the butter mixture helps to really bring out the flavor.
- Then mix in the egg, additional egg yolk, vanilla extract and optional red food coloring into the pink butter mixture.
- The additional egg yolk helps to keep these cookies chewy.
- If you use a few drops of red food coloring, the cookies will have a vibrant pink color. If you opt to skip the red food coloring, the cookies will have a paler pink color. I used a few drops of gel red food coloring for the cookies pictured.
- With the mixer on a low speed, carefully mix the dry ingredient into the butter mixture. I always do this on a low speed to prevent the flour from flying everywhere.
- Then mix in the milk.
- Pro Tip: When you’re done, give the dough a squeeze between your fingers. If it sticks to your fingers, mix in 1-2 more tablespoons of flour.
- On a small plate, you’ll mix together the remaining pulverised freeze dried berries (if you didn’t have nay left that’s OK) along with the sugar for rolling the cookies. Scoop the dough into balls with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each (I used a cookie scoop for this). Then roll the dough balls in the strawberry sugar mixture (or just plain sugar).
- You’ll place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle oven for about 9-11 minutes – or until the tops look set.
Recipe Tip
After the cookie dough balls have been rolled in sugar, you can place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, bake from frozen, as directed in the recipe. I recommend trying to freeze the dough balls in a single layer to avoid them sticking together.
Soft and chewy with the perfect real strawberry flavor, a crunchy sugar coating and beautiful pink color – these strawberry sugar cookies are the perfect pink cookie recipe!
And if you need more pink, strawberry desserts – then be sure to try:
- Strawberry Layer Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
- Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
- or for a super easy strawberry cookie recipe, try these Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
- 2 ounces freeze dried strawberries (58 grams)
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (281 grams), measured carefully – whisk first then spoon into dry measuring cups
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch , AKA cornflour in the UK
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened, but not starting to melt
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk, discard the white, in addition to the other egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, I used clear to give the cookies a brighter pink color
- 2-4 drops red food coloring, optional
- 2 teaspoons milk, 1%, 2% or dairy free works
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams), for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Add the freeze dried berries to a food processor and pulse until they're a fine powder. Measure out 1/3 cup for the cookie dough. Any remaining powder can be used for rolling the cookies in with sugar.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries until cremed.
- Add in the egg, additional egg yolk, vanilla and food coloring to the butter mixture. Beat until combined. Note: for bright pink cookies like the ones pictured, I added 3-4 drops of concentrated red gel food coloring. Without food coloring, the cookies will be pale pink.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix together, starting with the mixer on a low speed, until incorporated.
- Mix in the milk. Give the dough a squeeze between your fingers. If the dough is sticking to your fingers, mix in 1 more tablespoon of flour.
- On a small plate, mix together the 1/3 cup granulated sugar and any remaining pulverized freeze dried berries. Scoop the dough into balls with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each – they should be a little smaller than a golf ball (I used a cookie scoop for this). Roll the dough balls in the strawberry sugar mixture. Note: If you've used all the freeze dried berries, simply roll the dough balls in 1/3 cup sugar.
- Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle of the preheated oven. The cookies will bake for about 9-11 minutes, or until the tops look just set.
Notes
- Freeze Dried Strawberries: Do not use fresh or frozen berries instead of freeze dried berries. They will introduce too much moisture to the cookies.
- Flour: Measure the flour properly to ensure that the cookies aren’t dry. Whisk first, then spoon into dry measuring cups and level off the top. Using a scale and measuring in grams will give the most accurate results.
- Food Coloring: Food coloring is optional. The cookies will be pale pink without it.
- Freezing: Cookie dough balls (rolled in sugar) can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen as directed in the recipe.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie, assuming the recipe yields 32 uniform cookies.
I plan on making these cookies but I want to know can the sugar be lefted off the cookie
Hi Belinda,
Do you mean the sugar that the cookies are rolled in? If so – yes, that would be fine. The cookies just won’t have the slight crunch around the edges.