Soft Strawberry Sugar Cookies (Printable version)

Tender sugar cookies infused with real strawberries, topped with luscious pink strawberry glaze for a sweet treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Strawberry Sugar Cookies

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 0.5 teaspoon cream of tartar
04 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
05 - 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 0.5 cup neutral oil
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - 0.33 cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely crushed
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11 - 2 tablespoons whole milk

→ Pink Strawberry Icing

12 - 1.5 cups powdered sugar
13 - 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
15 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
16 - 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
17 - Pink food coloring, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter, neutral oil, and granulated sugar together until light and creamy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add crushed freeze-dried strawberries, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.
05 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with milk, and mix until a soft dough forms.
06 - Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball to flatten slightly.
07 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until edges are just set but centers remain soft. Avoid overbaking.
08 - Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, strawberry powder, melted butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl until smooth. Adjust milk for consistency or add food coloring for deeper color if desired.
10 - Once cookies are completely cool, spoon or drizzle icing over each cookie. Allow to set before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly soft for days, which means you can actually bake them ahead without them turning into hockey pucks.
  • The combination of butter and oil creates a texture that's almost cloud-like, nothing like those dense, cakey sugar cookies some recipes give you.
  • Real strawberry flavor shines through without any artificial aftertaste, and the pink icing makes them look like you spent hours on them when you really didn't.
02 -
  • Don't overbake these under any circumstances, even if it feels wrong to pull them out when the centers still look soft; they set up perfectly as they cool and will be dry if you bake them a minute too long.
  • If your strawberry powder is too coarse, it will make your icing grainy and speckled, so crush it extra fine or press it through a fine-mesh sieve before mixing into the glaze.
03 -
  • Keep your butter and eggs at room temperature before you start mixing, as cold ingredients won't blend smoothly and you'll end up with lumpy dough that bakes unevenly.
  • If you're making these ahead, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to three weeks and add the icing just before serving so it looks fresh and pretty.
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