The Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake Cookies (Soft & Buttery)
Estimated reading time: 8-10 minutes | Prep time: 45 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Key Takeaways
- Unforgettable Flavor & Texture: Experience a soft, buttery, shortcake-like cookie bursting with intense strawberry flavor from freeze-dried fruit, perfectly complemented by sweet white chocolate chips.
- Beginner-Friendly Recipe: This simple recipe uses a unique creaming method with cold butter, making it surprisingly easy to achieve a professional, bakery-quality texture from scratch.
- Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly: The cookie dough can be prepared in advance and frozen, allowing you to bake fresh homemade cookies whenever the craving strikes.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: These cookies are a showstopper for parties, bake sales, or a delightful family-friendly dessert. Serve them on their own or crumbled over ice cream for an extra-special treat.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Welcome to what is sure to become your new favorite cookie recipe. These incredible Strawberry Shortcake Cookies capture all the nostalgic flavor of the classic dessert in a single, perfect bite. Imagine a soft, tender cookie with a texture that walks the line between a buttery shortbread and a delicate scone. Each bite is packed with the sweet, vibrant taste of real strawberries and creamy white chocolate chips, all topped with a luscious vanilla bean glaze. This homemade recipe is designed to give you that gourmet, bakery-style experience right from your own kitchen.
What makes this recipe truly special is its unique method and ingredients. We use cold butter, similar to making biscuits or scones, which creates an unbelievably tender and crumbly texture. The secret to the intense, authentic strawberry flavor is using freeze-dried strawberries. Unlike fresh berries, they don’t add excess moisture, ensuring your cookies have the perfect texture without being cakey or soggy. The result is a beautifully balanced, easy dessert that’s perfect for spring picnics, summer parties, or simply as a delightful afternoon treat with a cup of coffee. If you’ve been searching for a standout cookie that’s both simple to make and impressive to serve, you’ve found it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gathering the right ingredients is the first step to creating the perfect Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the signature flavor and texture. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Strawberry Cookies:
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 1/2 cups (300g). Provides the main structure for the cookies. Be sure to measure it correctly by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: 1/2 cup (65g), crushed into a fine powder. This is the star ingredient! It provides concentrated strawberry flavor without adding extra liquid.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. These leavening agents give the cookies their lift and tender crumb.
- Salt: 1/2 teaspoon. Essential for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: 1 cup (226g), cold and cubed. Using cold butter is critical for creating the shortcake-like texture. Do not soften it!
- Granulated Sugar: 1 cup (200g). Provides sweetness and contributes to the cookies’ spread and browning.
- Large Egg: 1 large egg, at room temperature. The egg binds the dough together. Room temperature helps it incorporate smoothly.
- Sour Cream or Full-Fat Plain Yogurt: 1/4 cup (60g). Adds moisture and a slight tang, resulting in a richer, softer cookie.
- Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons. Complements the strawberry and white chocolate flavors beautifully.
- White Chocolate Chips: 1 cup (170g). Adds creamy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the tartness of the strawberries.
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar: 1 cup (120g), sifted. Sifting prevents lumps and ensures a smooth glaze.
- Milk or Heavy Cream: 2 tablespoons, plus more as needed. Use this to thin the glaze to your desired consistency.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract: 1/2 teaspoon. Vanilla bean paste will give you lovely black specks in the glaze.
- Pinch of Salt: Just a small pinch to cut through the sweetness of the sugar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to bake a perfect batch of these delightful cookies from scratch. The process is straightforward and rewarding!
- Step 1: Prepare Your Station. First, position your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, crushed freeze-dried strawberries, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Crushing the strawberries into a fine powder is key, as it ensures the flavor is distributed evenly throughout every cookie. This step helps create a uniform and flavorful dough.
- Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), combine the cold, cubed butter and granulated sugar. Mix on low speed for about 1-2 minutes. The mixture should look like coarse, damp sand. This “reverse creaming” method is the secret to the tender, shortcake-like texture.
- Step 4: Add Wet Ingredients. Add the room temperature egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is incorporated, but be careful not to overmix.
- Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry. With the mixer running on its lowest speed, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the white chocolate chips with a rubber spatula until they are evenly distributed.
- Step 6: Chill the Dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours). This crucial step prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and allows the flavors to meld and deepen.
- Step 7: Scoop and Bake. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons), portion the chilled dough into uniform balls. Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden brown.
- Step 8: Cool the Cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This allows them to set up properly, preventing them from breaking. Cookies must be fully cooled before you add the glaze.
- Step 9: Make the Vanilla Glaze. While the cookies are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and free of lumps. Adjust the consistency as needed (see tips below).
- Step 10: Glaze and Set. Once the cookies are completely cool, you can either drizzle the glaze over them with a spoon or dip the tops directly into the bowl for a thicker coating. Place the glazed cookies back on the wire rack and let the glaze set for about 20-30 minutes before serving.
Baking Tips, Variations & Substitutions
Pro Tips for the Perfect Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
- Cold Butter is Crucial: Using cold, cubed butter is the most important tip for this recipe. It creates small pockets of steam as it bakes, resulting in a tender, slightly crumbly texture that defines these Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. Do not use softened or melted butter.
- Don’t Skip the Freeze-Dried Strawberries: Fresh or frozen strawberries release too much water, which will make the cookies soggy and cakey. Freeze-dried strawberries provide intense, concentrated flavor without compromising the perfect texture. You can find them in the snack or dried fruit aisle of most grocery stores.
- Avoid Overmixing the Dough: Once you add the flour, mix only until it is just incorporated. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of the desired soft and tender crumb.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For evenly sized and uniformly baked cookies, a medium cookie scoop is your best friend. This ensures that all your cookies bake at the same rate.
- Glaze Consistency is Key: If your glaze seems too thick, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a perfect drizzling consistency. Conversely, if it’s too thin, simply add a bit more sifted powdered sugar until it thickens up.
Easy Variations You Can Try
- Add a Hint of Citrus: Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the cookie dough along with the wet ingredients for a bright, fresh flavor that complements the strawberry.
- Try Different Chips: While white chocolate is classic, you could experiment with ruby chocolate chips for an extra pink hue and fruity flavor, or even dark chocolate for a rich contrast.
- Make a Cream Cheese Frosting: Instead of a glaze, top the cooled cookies with a swirl of strawberry or vanilla cream cheese frosting for an even more decadent, cake-like experience.
- Gluten-Free Option: For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a high-quality 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum. The final texture may be slightly more delicate, but they will still be delicious.
How to Serve & Store Your Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
These Strawberry Shortcake Cookies are absolutely divine on their own, served with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea. For an even more impressive dessert presentation, serve them slightly crumbled over a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream or alongside fresh sliced strawberries and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. They make for a perfect, easy dessert for any gathering.
To store, place the fully cooled and set cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. They will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you need to stack them, place a sheet of parchment paper between the layers to prevent the glaze from sticking. Refrigeration is not recommended as it can dry them out and alter the texture. For longer storage, you can freeze the unglazed cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before glazing and serving. If you love this recipe, you should also try our soft and chewy oatmeal cookies!
Watch: How to Make It
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Absolutely! This dough freezes beautifully. Scoop the cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Then, transfer the frozen dough balls to a zip-top freezer bag. You can bake them directly from frozen; just add 2-3 minutes to the total baking time.
Why did my Strawberry Shortcake Cookies spread too much?
The most common reasons for cookies spreading are softened butter and not chilling the dough. This recipe specifically calls for cold butter to prevent this. Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes is also a mandatory step to help the cookies hold their shape while baking.
Can I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe?
While you can reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup (50g), it’s not highly recommended for optimal results. Sugar provides more than just sweetness; it also contributes to the texture, spread, and browning of the cookies. A significant reduction will result in a cakier, less flavorful cookie that doesn’t brown as well.
Can I use fresh or frozen strawberries instead of freeze-dried?
It is strongly advised not to use fresh or frozen strawberries. They contain a high amount of water, which will make the dough wet and sticky. This leads to a very cake-like, almost muffin-top texture rather than the intended shortcake cookie crumb. Freeze-dried strawberries are essential for achieving the correct flavor concentration and texture.
