Thereโs something about a double dose of strawberry that feels extra special, and these frosted strawberry cookies absolutely deliver. Todayโs soft-baked, chewy cookies are topped with a naturally pink, flavor-packed strawberry cream cheese frosting, both made with real freeze-dried strawberries. No artificial flavors, no food coloringโฆ just pure, concentrated berry flavor in every bite!
If youโve ever baked with freeze-dried berries before, you already know their magic: they add bold flavor without extra moisture, which means you can incorporate them into desserts without throwing off the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients. Total baking lifesavers!
In this recipe, we use freeze-dried strawberries to flavor both the cookie dough and the frosting. They add a bright, concentrated strawberry flavor to each component without affecting texture. And as a bonus, they create that naturally beautiful pink color.
These cookies have all the flavor of this reader-favorite strawberry cake, but with the deliciously soft, chewy texture of a drop sugar cookie. In fact, itโs topped with the very same strawberry cream cheese frosting! ๐
Hereโs what 1 taste tester said, verbatim: โI donโt use this phrase a lot, but you must know that this is the best cookie I have EVER eaten. The flavor is out of this world. Itโs as close to eating a strawberry without actually eating a strawberry.โ
And best of all, you donโt have to wait for strawberries to be in season to make a batch. (Though a fresh berry on top certainly adds some oomph!)
Hereโs Why This Strawberry Cookie Recipe Works
- No artificial flavoring or coloring: Freeze-dried strawberries deliver real strawberry flavor in every bite, without adding unneeded moisture to the dough or frosting.
- The secret ingredient: cream cheese! Using cream cheese in the dough balances the sweetness and makes the cookies melt-in-your-mouth tenderโsoft, chewy, a little creamy, and not crumbly or cakey in the slightest.
- Double the freeze-dried strawberries, double the deliciousness: The cookie dough includes both ground and whole freeze-dried berries. The ground powder adds concentrated flavor, and the whole pieces add chewy texture as well as gorgeous pops of color in every bite.
Recipe Testing Strawberry Cookies
My team and I made more batches of strawberry cookies than we can count in our quest to create the BEST strawberry cookie.
We tried using cooked fresh strawberries (like a strawberry sauce); strawberry jam; and fresh strawberries; but freeze-dried strawberries were the clear choice for delivering the purest strawberry flavor without adding excess moisture to the dough. We tried using all ground, and all whole, but in the end we loved the cookie dough that uses BOTH ground and whole freeze-dried berries.
We also tested various versions of a strawberry drop sugar cookie using baking powder and more butter, but each and every time, the dough with the baking soda and cream cheese won in taste and texture.
When it came to topping these frosted strawberry cookies, that was a no-brainer: we simply scaled down the strawberry cream cheese frosting from my favorite strawberry cake. Perfection!
Ingredients You Need & Why
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: You need a lot of these, for both the cookies and the frosting. Youโll grind some into a powder, and keep some whole for texture.
- Softened Butter: Be sure to use proper room-temperature butter, which may be cooler than you think (about 65ยฐF (18ยฐC) is ideal). It makes up the base of the frosting as well.
- Cream Cheese: Pick up one block/brick of full-fat cream cheese. You need half for the cookie dough and the other half for the frosting.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens, and helps the cookies spread. We also roll the cookie dough balls in some sugar before baking.
- Egg: One egg binds everything together.
- Vanilla & Salt: Key flavorings in pretty much all our cookie recipes!
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the structure.
- Baking Soda: Provides lift for thick cookies.
- Confectionersโ Sugar: Sweetens, thickens, and stabilizes the frosting.
How to Make Our Winning Batch of Strawberry Cookies
Let me walk you through this recipe with some step photos before you get started. Start by pulsing half the freeze-dried strawberries in your food processor until finely ground:
The rest of the ingredients all come together in one mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar; beat in the egg and vanilla; then add all your dry ingredients. Finally, beat in the remaining half of the freeze-dried strawberries (the ones you kept whole). The mixer will break them down into smaller pieces as it beats them into the doughโthatโs exactly what we want.
Because there is no food coloring in the dough, the baked cookies are a pink-tinted beige color. The longer the dough sits in the refrigerator, the more purple-toned it becomes. If youโd like to tint the cookie dough, I recommend red or pink gel food coloring. The pictured dough and cookies were not tinted with food coloring.
This very thick and sticky dough needs to chill for 2 hours before you scoop and roll it. Itโs much easier to handle after chilling! Roll the cookie dough balls into some granulated sugar before baking:
Success Tips for the Best Strawberry Cookies
- Use both ground and whole freeze-dried strawberries in the dough for the best flavor and texture (plus all those pretty pink speckles and freckles!)
- Donโt skip chilling the dough: This prevents spreading and improves texture. Keep in mind that if the dough chills for longer than a couple hours, it may take on a purple/grayish hue. The cookies will still taste great, but the color may look a bit different than the cookies pictured here.
- Measure flour correctly: Weigh or spoon and level your flour to avoid dense cookies.
- Bake on light-colored (silver) baking sheets: Dark metal pans conduct heat faster and can cause the cookies to over-brown on the bottom. I always use and recommend these half sheet pans lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper for cookies.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
While these soft-baked strawberry cookies bring the berry bliss all on their own, a double dose of strawberry sweetness is always a good ideaโฆ so weโre adding frosting. I know, I really had to twist your arm there. ๐
Weโre using a scaled-down version of the frosting on this strawberry cake. Itโs smooth, ultra creamy, and just sweet enough to complement the cookies without overpowering them.
Just like with the cookie dough, ground freeze-dried strawberries are the key to making a strawberry frosting without any artificial flavoring. They deliver the most intense (and natural) strawberry flavor while, at the same time,ย doย not alter the texture of the actual frosting. And they turn it a naturally pretty pink color, too!
If youโd prefer a cream-cheese-less buttercream instead, feel free to use this strawberry buttercream frosting.
I usually find them at major grocery stores in the dried fruit section or at Target, Trader Joeโs, Aldi, Walmart, or online here or here. They tend to be more expensive online.
Not today. While we start with fresh strawberries for strawberry cupcakes, this strawberry cookie dough requires freeze-dried strawberries. If youโre looking to make cookies with fresh strawberries, try these strawberry biscuit cookies instead.
I donโt recommend it. My team and I tried many, many variations using just butter and nothing ever compared to the version below! If youโd like to test it out, feel free to add strawberry powder to these drop sugar cookies. If doing so, leave out the sprinkles, and you may want to slightly increase the flour to avoid over-spreading.
Yes, if youโd like a deeper pink hue, you can tint the cookie dough with pink or red gel food coloring.
If you love these fruity frosted cookies, try these lemon blueberry cookies next!
Frosted Strawberry Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Yield: 28 cookies
- Category: Cookies, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, chewy strawberry cookies made with real freeze-dried strawberries and topped with a creamy strawberry cream cheese frosting. Naturally flavored and beautifully pink, these cookies are packed with bold strawberry flavor in every bite. See Recipe Notes for tips on freeze-dried strawberries and freezing the dough.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (about 48g) freeze-dried strawberries, divided
Rollingย
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (about 12g) freeze-dried strawberries
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brickย cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectionersโ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
- for topping: sliced fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Make the cookies: Using a food processor or blender, process half (1 cup/24g) of the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. Set aside. Reserve the remaining 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries to beat into the dough in step 3.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.ย
- Add the strawberry powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until combined. Finally, beat in the remaining 1 cup (24g) freeze-dried strawberries just until incorporated. Dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days). This dough is quite sticky before chilling, so chilling is key. Keep in mind that the longer the dough chills, the more it can take on a slightly purple/grayish hue from the freeze-dried berries. This is completely normal and doesnโt affect the tasteโthe baked cookies will still be wonderfully flavored!
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). 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 each into granulated sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 13โ14 minutes or until the edges are set. The centers will look very soft, but they will continue to set as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Using a food processor or blender, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add confectionersโ sugar, strawberry powder, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cookies. I used a small offset spatula on the pictured cookies. Garnish with a fresh strawberry slice just before serving, if desired.
- Store frosted cookies tightly covered at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: For the cookies: You can make the cookie dough ahead and chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked (unfrosted) cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. For the frosting: Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so itโs creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed. (It stiffens in the refrigerator.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor or Blender |ย Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula
- Where to Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I usually find them at major grocery stores in the dried fruit section or at Target, Trader Joeโs, Aldi, Walmart, or online here or here. They tend to be more expensive online. Do not use the chewy/gummy dried strawberries. You need FREEZE-dried strawberries, which grind into a powder.
- Do Not Use Fresh or Frozen Strawberries: This recipe requires freeze-dried strawberries. Fresh or frozen strawberries add too much moisture and will throw off the dough. If youโre looking to bake with fresh strawberries, try my strawberry biscuit cookies instead.
- Cream Cheese in Dough: I donโt recommend leaving out the cream cheese in the cookie dough. It adds richness and creates a soft, tender texture that butter alone couldnโt replicate in testing. If you want to experiment, you can add strawberry powder to my drop sugar cookies instead; just leave out the sprinkles and consider slightly increasing the flour to prevent over-spreading.
- Can I Skip the Cream Cheese in the Frosting? Try this recipe for strawberry buttercream instead (halve the amounts).
- Food Coloring (Optional): The cookies have a naturally light pink hue, but you can tint the dough with pink or red gel food coloring before chilling it for a brighter color. For reference, the pictured cookies do not contain food coloring.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tipsย AND these are my 10 must-haveย cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
hey, this is the best!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!
do you have recipes for diabetics
Hi Muriel, Our website focuses on traditional baking recipes and we do not have any experience with diabetic-friendly baking. We do have a section of healthier sweet recipes that might fit your needs. Hope this helps!
These are so good! I took them to work and they gobbled them up! Such delicious strawberry flavor and the frosting puts them over the top. Sally, you are my go-to and these did not disappoint!
I absolutely love these cookies. So light and delicious. The strawberry flavor explodes in your mouth with every bite. My brand new โmost favoriteโ cookie. ๐
I didnโt realize how expensive it was going to be to make these cookies. I spent $28 on freeze dried strawberries from Walmart! They are good but because of the expense, I will not make them again.
Made these for my coworkers as I am leaving my job. They went down amazingly! Iโm sure to get a good reference, and I will be trying out more of your recipes โบ๏ธโบ๏ธ
I made these recently and they were delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly (or so I thought!) but my end cookies were much taller, they didnโt spread out as much as the ones in the picture. They still tasted great but were just a bit harder to frost. Were they too cold? I only had the dough in the fridge for 2 hours. Or any other suggestions to get the cookies as pictured?
Hi Sarah! Usually when cookies donโt spread, thereโs too much flour int he dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups โ or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
SO DELICIOUS!!! Definitely weigh your ingredients. I made these, let them cool, and immediately froze them on a sheet pan (frosted) because I was nervous about them going stale. Iโve since pulled out a large batch and then a couple at a time on various occasions, let them thaw on my counter for 30-60 minutes, and they taste soft, chewy, fresh and delicious just like they did the moment I frosted them! Excellent recipe!
I personally love strawberries, but I wasnโt a fan of these. In general, I donโt like cookies rolled in sugar, and I donโt like cookies with soft middles. That is just my personal preference. I think that if you want to try these, go for it! (By the way, the icing is amazing!)
Why did you make these, then? So puzzling. Mine came out fantastic.
Hello! Do you think it would work to turn these into cookie bars by cooking the dough in a pan? If so, what size pan would you recommend?
Or would it be better to use a cookie bars recipe and sub in a little strawberry powder for flour?
Hi Kelly, we havenโt tried it, so are unsure, but it sounds delicious! If you decide to do some experimenting, try baking them in a parchment paper-lined 9ร13 baking pan. You can look at this recipe for gingerbread cookie bars for baking instructions to go off of. Please let us know how they turn out!
Oh my strawberries! โจ These cookies are the absolute epitome of summer, but the real magic is that you can bake them year-round thanks to a brilliant secret ingredient: freeze-dried strawberries! They are incredibly easy to whip up, and I already had every single ingredient sitting in my pantry. These delicious, chewy treats are officially going in the permanent baking rotation!
These cookies are delicious! Lovely strawberry flavor, nice and moist from the cream cheese as well as a little crunch on the outside from the roll in the sugar!
These Frosted Strawberry Cookies are incredible! The strawberry flavor comes through in every bite, and the frosting makes them even better. They have that perfect fresh, summery taste and are packed with flavor. This recipe is definitely a keeperโIโll be making these again!
These are delicious, but I found the dehydrated strawberry dust to be kind of gross when opening the food processor lid. I have to get over that before I can make them again!
Sally!!!! Oh my goodness youโve done it again! When I tell you these are fluffy clouds of pink joy not exaggerating! Thanks for another great recipe!
Very delicious! Tastes like actual strawberries. Very soft in the middle.
Wow! These cookies are worth the effort! The flavor is perfect! And they look so pretty! Definitely making these for gatherings!
I havenโt baked in awhile and decided to surprise my wife for Motherโs Day (she knew I was baking but didnโt know what it was). This recipe is very straightforward, doesnโt take too long, and the cookies were soft and flavorful. Also good for the remainder of the week right out of the fridge.
These cookies were so delicious! I ran out of sugar for the rolling step, but they still turned out great. The recipe left us with plenty of extra frosting, which my husband was not disappointed aboutโhe said it was the best heโs ever had!
These cookies came out great, so soft and chewy with a nice light strawberry flavor! Perfect for spring! The recipe yielded 30 cookies for me and I had plenty of icing for them all. I only had time to let the dough chill for 45 minutes. It was a little sticky to pop out of my cookie scoop but not too bad and they didnโt overspread.
WOW! These came out so great! Perfectly chewy and incredible flavor. The frosting is the perfect addition. So glad I tried them!!