There’s one thing a couple of double dose of strawberry that feels additional particular, and these frosted strawberry cookies completely ship. Immediately’s soft-baked, chewy cookies are topped with a naturally pink, flavor-packed strawberry cream cheese frosting, each made with actual freeze-dried strawberries. No synthetic flavors, no meals coloring… simply pure, concentrated berry taste in each chew!
If you happen to’ve ever baked with freeze-dried berries earlier than, you already know their magic: they add daring taste with out additional moisture, which implies you possibly can incorporate them into desserts with out throwing off the ratio of wet-to-dry elements. Whole baking lifesavers!
On this recipe, we use freeze-dried strawberries to taste each the cookie dough and the frosting. They add a vivid, concentrated strawberry taste to every element with out affecting texture. And as a bonus, they create that naturally lovely pink shade.
These cookies have all the flavour of this reader-favorite strawberry cake, however with the deliciously comfortable, chewy texture of a drop sugar cookie. In truth, it’s topped with the exact same strawberry cream cheese frosting! 🙂
Right here’s what 1 style tester mentioned, verbatim: “I don’t use this phrase quite a bit, however you need to know that that is the most effective cookie I’ve EVER eaten. The flavour is out of this world. It’s as near consuming a strawberry with out really consuming a strawberry.”
And better of all, you don’t have to attend for strawberries to be in season to make a batch. (Although a recent berry on high actually provides some oomph!)
Right here’s Why This Strawberry Cookie Recipe Works
- No synthetic flavoring or coloring: Freeze-dried strawberries ship actual strawberry taste in each chew, with out including unneeded moisture to the dough or frosting.
- The key ingredient: cream cheese! Utilizing cream cheese within the dough balances the sweetness and makes the cookies melt-in-your-mouth tender—comfortable, chewy, somewhat creamy, and never crumbly or cakey within the slightest.
- Double the freeze-dried strawberries, double the deliciousness: The cookie dough contains each floor and complete freeze-dried berries. The bottom powder provides concentrated taste, and the entire items add chewy texture in addition to beautiful pops of shade in each chew.
Recipe Testing Strawberry Cookies
My group and I made extra batches of strawberry cookies than we are able to depend in our quest to create the BEST strawberry cookie.
We tried utilizing cooked recent strawberries (like a strawberry sauce); strawberry jam; and recent strawberries; however freeze-dried strawberries had been the clear selection for delivering the purest strawberry taste with out including extra moisture to the dough. We tried utilizing all floor, and all complete, however in the long run we liked the cookie dough that makes use of BOTH floor and complete freeze-dried berries.
We additionally examined varied variations of a strawberry drop sugar cookie utilizing baking powder and extra butter, however every time, the dough with the baking soda and cream cheese received in style and texture.
When it got here to topping these frosted strawberry cookies, that was a no brainer: we merely scaled down the strawberry cream cheese frosting from my favourite strawberry cake. Perfection!
Components You Want & Why
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: You want loads of these, for each the cookies and the frosting. You’ll grind some right into a powder, and maintain some complete for texture.
- Softened Butter: Make sure you use correct room-temperature butter, which can be cooler than you assume (about 65°F (18°C) is good). It makes up the bottom of the frosting as nicely.
- Cream Cheese: Decide up one block/brick of full-fat cream cheese. You want half for the cookie dough and the opposite half for the frosting.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens, and helps the cookies unfold. We additionally roll the cookie dough balls in some sugar earlier than baking.
- Egg: One egg binds all the pieces collectively.
- Vanilla & Salt: Key flavorings in just about all our cookie recipes!
- Flour: All-purpose flour supplies the construction.
- Baking Soda: Gives carry for thick cookies.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens, thickens, and stabilizes the frosting.
Tips on how to Make Our Successful Batch of Strawberry Cookies
Let me stroll you thru this recipe with some step pictures earlier than you get began. Begin by pulsing half the freeze-dried strawberries in your meals processor till finely floor:
The remainder of the elements all come collectively in one mixing bowl with an electrical mixer. Cream collectively butter, cream cheese, and sugar; beat within the egg and vanilla; then add all of your dry elements. Lastly, beat within the remaining half of the freeze-dried strawberries (those you stored complete). The mixer will break them down into smaller items because it beats them into the dough—that’s precisely what we would like.
As a result of there isn’t any meals coloring within the dough, the baked cookies are a pink-tinted beige shade. The longer the dough sits within the fridge, the extra purple-toned it turns into. If you happen to’d prefer to tint the cookie dough, I like to recommend pink or pink gel meals coloring. The pictured dough and cookies had been not tinted with meals coloring.
This very thick and sticky dough wants to relax for two hours earlier than you scoop and roll it. It’s a lot simpler to deal with after chilling! Roll the cookie dough balls into some granulated sugar earlier than baking:
Success Ideas for the Greatest Strawberry Cookies
- Use each floor and complete freeze-dried strawberries within the dough for the most effective taste and texture (plus all these fairly pink speckles and freckles!)
- Don’t skip chilling the dough: This prevents spreading and improves texture. Take into account that if the dough chills for longer than a pair hours, it could tackle a purple/grayish hue. The cookies will nonetheless style nice, however the shade might look a bit completely different than the cookies pictured right here.
- Measure flour appropriately: Weigh or spoon and stage your flour to keep away from dense cookies.
- Bake on light-colored (silver) baking sheets: Darkish steel pans conduct warmth sooner and may trigger the cookies to over-brown on the underside. I all the time use and suggest these half sheet pans lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper for cookies.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Whereas these soft-baked strawberry cookies convey the berry bliss all on their very own, a double dose of strawberry sweetness is all the time a good suggestion… so we’re including frosting. I do know, I actually needed to twist your arm there. 😉
We’re utilizing a scaled-down model of the frosting on this strawberry cake. It’s easy, extremely creamy, and simply candy sufficient to enhance the cookies with out overpowering them.
Similar to with the cookie dough, floor freeze-dried strawberries are the important thing to creating a strawberry frosting with none synthetic flavoring. They ship essentially the most intense (and pure) strawberry taste whereas, on the identical time, do not alter the feel of the particular frosting. And so they flip it a naturally fairly pink shade, too!
If you happen to’d choose a cream-cheese-less buttercream as a substitute, be happy to make use of this strawberry buttercream frosting.
I normally discover them at main grocery shops within the dried fruit part or at Goal, Dealer Joe’s, Aldi, Walmart, or on-line right here or right here. They are typically dearer on-line.
Not as we speak. Whereas we begin with recent strawberries for strawberry cupcakes, this strawberry cookie dough requires freeze-dried strawberries. If you happen to’re seeking to make cookies with recent strawberries, strive these strawberry biscuit cookies as a substitute.
I don’t suggest it. My group and I attempted many, many variations utilizing simply butter and nothing ever in comparison with the model beneath! If you happen to’d prefer to try it out, be happy so as to add strawberry powder to those drop sugar cookies. If doing so, pass over the sprinkles, and you might need to barely enhance the flour to keep away from over-spreading.
Sure, when you’d like a deeper pink hue, you possibly can tint the cookie dough with pink or pink gel meals coloring.
If you happen to love these fruity frosted cookies, strive these lemon blueberry cookies subsequent!
Description
Smooth, chewy strawberry cookies made with actual freeze-dried strawberries and topped with a creamy strawberry cream cheese frosting. Naturally flavored and superbly pink, these cookies are full of daring strawberry taste in each chew. See Recipe Notes for recommendations on freeze-dried strawberries and freezing the dough.
Cookies
Rolling
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the cookies: Utilizing a meals processor or blender, course of half (1 cup/24g) of the freeze-dried strawberries right into a powdery crumb. Put aside. Reserve the remaining 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries to beat into the dough in step 3.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar collectively on medium-high velocity till creamed, about 3 minutes. (Right here’s a useful tutorial when you want steering on methods to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the strawberry powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low velocity till mixed, then enhance to medium-high velocity and beat till mixed. Lastly, beat within the remaining 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries simply till included. Dough might be thick and sticky.
- Cowl and chill the dough within the fridge for no less than 2 hours (and as much as 3 days). This dough is kind of sticky earlier than chilling, so chilling is vital. Take into account that the longer the dough chills, the extra it could possibly tackle a barely purple/grayish hue from the freeze-dried berries. That is fully regular and doesn’t have an effect on the style—the baked cookies will nonetheless be splendidly flavored!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of dough per cookie, and roll into balls. Roll every into granulated sugar and prepare 3 inches aside on the ready baking sheets.
- Bake for 13–14 minutes or till the sides are set. The facilities will look very comfortable, however they’ll proceed to set as they cool.
- Take away from the oven and permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for 10 minutes earlier than transferring to a cooling rack to chill fully.
- Make the frosting: Utilizing a meals processor or blender, course of the freeze-dried strawberries right into a powdery crumb. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high velocity till creamy and mixed, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, and vanilla extract. Beat on low velocity for 30 seconds, then regularly enhance to excessive velocity and beat for two minutes. Style. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is simply too candy.
- Unfold or pipe frosting on cooled cookies. I used a small offset spatula on the pictured cookies. Garnish with a recent strawberry slice simply earlier than serving, if desired.
- Retailer frosted cookies tightly coated at room temperature for 1 day or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: For the cookies: You can also make the cookie dough forward and chill within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Cookie dough balls freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an additional minute, no must thaw. Learn my ideas and methods on methods to freeze cookie dough. Baked (unfrosted) cookies freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. For the frosting: Use instantly or cowl tightly and retailer for as much as 1 week within the fridge or as much as 3 months within the freezer. After freezing, thaw within the fridge then beat the frosting on medium velocity for a number of seconds so it’s creamy once more. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will assist skinny the frosting out once more, if wanted. (It stiffens within the fridge.)
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor or Blender | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula
- The place to Purchase Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I normally discover them at main grocery shops within the dried fruit part or at Goal, Dealer Joe’s, Aldi, Walmart, or on-line right here or right here. They are typically dearer on-line. Don’t use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You want FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind right into a powder.
- Do Not Use Recent or Frozen Strawberries: This recipe requires freeze-dried strawberries. Recent or frozen strawberries add an excessive amount of moisture and can throw off the dough. If you happen to’re seeking to bake with recent strawberries, strive my strawberry biscuit cookies as a substitute.
- Cream Cheese in Dough: I don’t suggest leaving out the cream cheese within the cookie dough. It provides richness and creates a comfortable, tender texture that butter alone couldn’t replicate in testing. If you wish to experiment, you possibly can add strawberry powder to my drop sugar cookies as a substitute; simply pass over the sprinkles and think about barely rising the flour to forestall over-spreading.
- Can I Skip the Cream Cheese within the Frosting? Do that recipe for strawberry buttercream as a substitute (halve the quantities).
- Meals Coloring (Non-compulsory): The cookies have a naturally mild pink hue, however you possibly can tint the dough with pink or pink gel meals coloring earlier than chilling it for a brighter shade. For reference, the pictured cookies don’t include meals coloring.
- Make sure you take a look at my high 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
