I’ve been having so much fun creating flavored sugar cookies, and I think you’ll love the latest variation. These strawberry sugar cookies are soft and flavorful, with the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness. Take one bite and I guarantee you’ll be hooked! If you like strawberries, that is.
(Find my classic sugar cookie recipe here, my lemon sugar cookie recipe here, and my pistachio sugar cookie recipe here.)
The key to achieving the perfect strawberry flavor is using freeze-dried strawberries in both the cookie dough and the frosting. I also used seedless strawberry jam in the frosting to enhance the flavor even more.
Make the cookies gluten free using a 1 to 1 baking flour. This is my favorite brand, but you can also try this one. The reason I like using a 1 to 1 flour instead of making my own flour blend is because it’s both cheaper and easier. Also, my friends and family can never tell that my desserts are gluten free!
The first thing you’ll want to do is grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. I recommend using a coffee grinder, but a food processor will also work.
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Chill the prepared dough for at least one hour. If you chill it overnight, take the dough out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you’re ready to roll it.
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when working with sugar cookie dough:
- Always roll the dough on a floured surface.
- Put any unused dough back in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Roll the dough between 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick.
- Use a floured spatula to transfer the cookie cutouts from the floured surface onto the baking sheet (which should be lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat).
Don’t put more than 12 cookies onto a pan, and chill the entire sheet for at least 30 minutes before baking. I don’t even preheat the oven until the cookies have been in the fridge for half an hour. Bake one pan at a time for no more than 6-7 minutes. The cookies should still be a little soft (but not wet and doughy). Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
(This recipe yields between 2-3 dozen cookies depending on the size of the cookie cutters used.)
Prepare the frosting while the cookies are cooling. I also recommend freezing the cookies before decorating them. Soft sugar cookies can be delicate to handle when they reach room temperature.
Frosting and decorate as desired. I used Wilton tip #1M, which is one of my favorites. For optimum freshness, store the cookies in an airtight container in the freezer.
Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you try this recipe and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking! 🙂
Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-full cookies
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries ground into a powder
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 6 tbsp butter-flavored Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup Crisco
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 28 g freeze-dried strawberries crushed into a fine powder
- 2 tbsp seedless strawberry jam
- 4-5 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Grind 2/3 cup of freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder using a coffee grinder or food processor.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and strawberry powder in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, Crisco and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is well-incorporated. On low speed, mix in the vanilla.
- On low speed, gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. (You can also chill the dough overnight.)
- Roll out half of the chilled dough onto a floured surface until an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready for it. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Don't put more than 12 cookies on a pan.
- Re-roll the scraps until you've used up the dough and then roll out the remaining chilled dough.
- Chill each sheet of cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). I don't even preheat the oven until the cookies have been in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake the cookies (one pan at a time) for no more than 6-7 minutes. Don't worry if they still look a little soft when you take them out of the oven. (But you don't want them to look wet and doughy.) Thicker, larger cookies will need 7 minutes, and smaller cookies will only need 6.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Decorating the Cookies
- Make the frosting while the cookies are cooling. (I actually recommend freezing the cookies before decorating them.) Cream the butter and Crisco until smooth. Add in the strawberry powder and 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until incorporated and then beat on high speed until creamy. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar, the strawberry jam, the vanilla extract and 4 tbsp of heavy cream. Mix on low speed until incorporated, and then beat on high speed until creamy and fluffy. Add up to 1 more tbsp of cream if needed, 1 tsp at a time.
- Decorate as desired and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy!
[…] classic sugar cookie recipe for the vanilla layer. The strawberry layer is a modified version of my strawberry sugar cookies. The biggest modification is that the Neapolitan cookies call for more freeze-dried strawberries, […]