There’s something about a double dose of strawberry that feels extra special, and these frosted strawberry cookies absolutely deliver. Today’s 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 coloring… just pure, concentrated berry flavor in every bite!
If you’ve 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, it’s topped with the very same strawberry cream cheese frosting! 🙂
Here’s what 1 taste tester said, verbatim: “I don’t 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. It’s as close to eating a strawberry without actually eating a strawberry.”
And best of all, you don’t have to wait for strawberries to be in season to make a batch. (Though a fresh berry on top certainly adds some oomph!)
Here’s 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 tender—soft, 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. You’ll 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 65°F (18°C) 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.
- Confectioners’ 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 dough—that’s 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 you’d 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. It’s 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!)
- Don’t 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 idea… so we’re adding frosting. I know, I really had to twist your arm there. 😉
We’re using a scaled-down version of the frosting on this strawberry cake. It’s 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, do not alter the texture of the actual frosting. And they turn it a naturally pretty pink color, too!
If you’d 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 Joe’s, 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 you’re looking to make cookies with fresh strawberries, try these strawberry biscuit cookies instead.
I don’t recommend it. My team and I tried many, many variations using just butter and nothing ever compared to the version below! If you’d 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 you’d 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
Rolling
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (about 12g) freeze-dried strawberries
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ 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. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on 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.
- 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 doesn’t affect the taste—the baked cookies will still be wonderfully 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 each into granulated sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 13–14 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 confectioners’ 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 it’s 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 | 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 Joe’s, 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 you’re looking to bake with fresh strawberries, try my strawberry biscuit cookies instead.
- Cream Cheese in Dough: I don’t recommend leaving out the cream cheese in the cookie dough. It adds richness and creates a soft, tender texture that butter alone couldn’t 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 tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Wonderful for strawberry lovers!
These cookies are delicious. Soft and chewy with a perfect strawberry flavor. They are also so cute and I love that the pink is natural from the freeze dried strawberries.
My husband loves anything strawberry so I thought I’d try these. The texture and density is more like a brownie than a cookie. Even though it seemed I was adding a lot of strawberry, it is not overpowering which I like. The most difficult part was finding freeze dried strawberry at the store. I had three employees helping me. We finally found them tucked away in the produce department near the dried fruits.
Love these cookies! Made me think of cookies my mom made when I was little!
These were delicious! They might be my favorite cookies! I will definitely make them again. I flattened the second batch with the bottom of a measuring cup because the first batch didn’t spread. They were so good!
These cookies are dangerously good! A perfect springtime treat bursting with strawberry flavor. Highly recommend
Perfect cookie recipe for the spring/summer! Delicious.
The cookies are absolutely five stars! The frosting is also excellent, but the cookies don’t need it.
These did very well with my technique for all drop cookies that require chilling: scoop all the dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then chill for half the time. It avoids having to scoop hard dough, and rolling in sugar is a breeze!
These were delicious! A perfect treat for Memorial Day weekend. The frosting set up nicely in the fridge to be able to stack the cookies which was great.
These cookies are both delicious and beautiful to look at! I love the use of freeze dried strawberries to add color and intense strawberry flavor.
These are dangerous
Dangerously delicious
These were absolutely delicious!!! Soft and chewy and just perfect!
I retract my initial reservations – these are delicious! I’m not a big frosted cookie fan, but these are awesome! They are very soft, have a lovely strawberry flavor, and the cream cheese frosting is awesome. A perfect summer or spring treat!
Enjoyed every recipe I’ve tried. This is my go to for recipes. Love her videos and helpful information.
Delicious! Amazing strawberry flavor and so easy to make.
The recipe was easy to follow. The texture was tremendous. So delicious.
Easy to follow recipe. The texture was fantastic. They are delicious.
One of my favorite dessert flavors is strawberry. I’ve always wanted to try a cookie recipe with strawberries as the centerpiece. This one does that and more. The use of freeze-dried strawberries was genius! It keeps the added moisture to a minimum and provides a more intense strawberry flavor to the cookie. The frosting took it to the next level. I enjoyed making these, and I look forward to making more soon!
This is a 10/10 home run recipe!! I easily found the freeze dried strawberries at my local Aldi. I chilled overnight, and after reading some reviews formed the dough into flatter pucks vs balls to help them bake flatter. These are so good with or without frosting, I think I’ll try them with white chocolate chips no frosting next! Whole family approved.
These cookies have a delightful strawberry flavor! The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow. The cookies ended up with a light chewy texture, and paired with the creamy frosting they were just heavenly. Will definitely make again!
My girls loved these! A mint garnish I think would go nice here and make the flavors pop!
The recipe is well-written and they came out well (except for not spreading as much as expected). Very soft. Strawberry just isn’t my favourite flavour, so the egregious price of the freeze-dried strawberries means that I won’t be making them again.
Made these for memorial weekend dessert and WOW! Perfect fresh cookie for the summer
These cookies have so much strawberry flavor! I like that they are soft and the frosting isn’t too sweet. I will be experimenting with other flavors.
So light and delicious! Love the strawberries incorporated throughout and that they are artificial dye free. Don’t forget to add some fresh strawberry on top – it just adds to the perfection!
What an easy recipe for a strawberry cookie. I made them they were a hit. I used swerve sugar on these cookies and they absolutely came out great. I’m a diabetic that loves baking so I always look for an alternative way.
Great recipe! Tons of strawberry flavor. The cookie itself was soft yet chewy.
I made the alternate Chocolate Banana Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. I’m not even a cinnamon fan and I loved them. My husband ate 3….in one sitting. Definitely keeping this one in my rotation!
These cookies were delicious. The step by step instructions were so helpful. We will def eat these again this summer.
These were such a big hit with the family! Delicious!