Super Chewy Strawberry Cookies
These Strawberry Cookies are made from scratch and are super chewy, buttery, and have big flavor from using freeze dried strawberries and white chocolate chips! This recipe makes 18 cookies and can be made in less than an hour!
At first bite, these strawberry cookies taste JUST like those strawberry shortcake ice cream bars you had dripping down your arm every summer as a kid. You know the ones that have the outer coating of strawberry and vanilla crunchies, then a layer of vanilla ice cream, then at the middle that sweet strawberry ice cream? AH summer childhood memories!
Well good news is you dont have to wait for summer to get that taste back, just make these cookies!
This recipe uses freeze dried strawberries to maximize the strawberry flavor. We don’t use fresh strawberries because they would add too much moisture to the batter and also wouldnt keep very well.
The cookies are super chewy and buttery and full of delicious white chocolate chips. As a trained pastry chef, strawberry is one of my favorite flavors to bake with. If you love them like I do make sure you check out these strawberry filled cupcakes, strawberry cream cheese frosting, and classic fresh strawberry cupcakes.
Ingredients needed:
- Butter -You’ll need softened butter to cream well with the sugar. Learn how to soften butter quickly if your’s is too cold.
- Sugar– white sugar is what you need to add sweetness.
- Eggs– Build up the texture of the cookie.
- Flour– For the bulk of the cookie
- Baking Powder– a leavening agent
- Baking Soda– another leavening agent
- Kosher Salt– use kosher salt not table salt
- Vanilla Extract– for extra flavor
- Freeze dried strawberries! These are my secret weapon when I am baking anything strawberry flavored.
- White Chocolate- You can use white chocolate chips here but I also love using chopped white chocolate for that rustic look.
Strawberries
Freeze dried strawberries are easy to find, I buy them at Target or Trader Joes. Don’t mistake them for dried strawberries, they are not the same! You want the freeze dried ones.
Like I mentioned, you can’t substitute these for fresh strawberries as there would be way too much moisture from the fruit baking. Freeze dried gives all the flavor without making them into a soggy mess.
How to make Chewy Strawberry Cookies
Measure the freeze dried strawberries. Start by measuring out 3/4 cup of freeze dried strawberries. Pulverize them in a small blender or food processor until powder like. It’s ok if there are larger chunks. Measure out the sugar for the recipe and add the strawberries into it.
Cream strawberries, butter and sugar. Combine softened butter with the sugar and strawberry mixture using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula.
Add wet ingredients. When the mixture is combined to a paste, add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix again.
Combine the dry ingredients. Either in a bowl or on a large piece of parchment paper combine the dry ingredients and add it to the batter. Mix again until a firm dough forms.
Add the chocolate. Pour the white chocolate chips into the batter, saving a handful for topping the cookies.
Scoop and Bake. Scoop out the dough using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop or kitchen spoon and place the dough 2″ apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Top each ball with an extra couple chips. Chill for 2 hours in the fridge or if you are short on time 20 minutes in the freezer (they might spread a bit more), then bake on 350° for 17 mins.
Storing and Freezing
Storing- Keep these in an airtight container and they will stay chewy, moist, and delicious for up to 5 days! These cookies also freeze really well. Make sure to put them in a freezer safe bag.
Freezing- Freezing cookie dough is my favorite. Follow this recipe up until the scooping part, then freeze the dough balls for one hour. Move them to a zip top freezer safe bag and bake as needed. You do not have to defrost them, you can bake them straight from the freezer!
Expert cookie tips
- I used a large cookie scoop for this recipe but you can use a smaller one. Check the cookies after 15 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop if you don’t have a cookie scoop although I encourage you to get one!
- If you are in a rush you technically don’t *have* to chill this recipe. I tested some chilled and some not, and although I liked the way the chilled ones baked up a little more (they spread less) the un chilled ones tasted just as good!
- If you don’t want to dirty another bowl when baking, a great trick is to rip a big piece of parchment paper and measuring everything out on there. Then just fold the paper and pour everything into your mixing bowl. This especially helps when you are using a stand mixer.
- Dont over bake the cookies if you like them chewy.
Variations
- Try making these with semi sweet chocolate chips
- Add nuts to make them a little crunchy
- Try freeze dried raspberries instead of strawberry
Super Chewy Strawberry Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 300 g
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 227g
- 1 egg, large
- 1 yolk, whites discarded
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 270g
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white chocolate , or chocolate chips, plus more for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Pulverize the freeze dried strawberries in a small blender or food processor. Measure out the 1 1/2 cups sugar into a small bowl and mix them in.- In a large bowl or using the bowl of a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the 1 cup softened butter with the strawberry and sugar mixture. Mix with a spatula or on low speed until a paste forms, about 1 minute. Add the egg, the egg yolk, and the 1 tsp vanilla and mix again.
- Combine the 2 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt in another bowl (medium size) or on a large piece of parchment paper. Add it to the batter and mix on medium speed or by hand until the dough comes together.
- Add the white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate saving a handful for topping, and add it to the batter. Scoop out the cookie dough and place them 2" apart from each other on the cookie sheets. Press a couple more pieces of chocolate onto each ball. Chill for 2 hours in the fridge or for 20 minutes in the freezer if you are short on time.
- Bake the cookies for 17 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool on a rimmed cookie sheet.
Notes
- Good- You dont have to chill the cookies.
- Better- Chill for 20 minutes in the freezer.
- Best- Chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
These might be my new favorite cookie. I made these (along with the brownies) for some Valentine’s Day treats since the strawberries add a fun pink/red color and they were devoured! I already sent the recipe to 2 friends who loved them after trying as well. Thanks for such an awesome recipe, and the white chocolate chunks v. chips really make a difference for that melt factor!
Omg yay! Thank you for making these and the brownies! So happy you loved them, thank you for sharing it with your friends, so honored!!! <3
Hi Sam,
Can I chill the dough up to 3 days? Also, I’m thinking if drizzling white chocolate over the cookies? Should I do that when the cookies completely cool off?
I can’t wait to make these cookies!
Thanks,
Brittani
Hey Brittani! You sure can! Im so excited for you to make these! Def also wait for them to cool off before drizzling the white chocolate- that sounds like a delicious topping!!
Thamk you for your response! Super excited about this one! Oh, and can I split the sugar ratio and add brown sugar?
Hi! You can, but might add some more moisture to the cookies which would make them spread more. I would add another 1/4 cup of flour in there if you want to mix it up. Please let me know how they turn out!!
Thank you!
Hi! Excited to try these this year for Valentines Day. I’m looking to add a bit of food coloring to make the color more vibrant – at what step would you recommend adding food coloring? Thanks!
Such a great q! I would add it in with the eggs and the vanilla. Let me know how it works out, that sounds fun!
If I have pre-ground freeze-dried strawberry powder, how much would I use to equal 3/4 cup whole freeze-dried strawberries? Thanks!
I would add 1/4 cup of the powder! Please let me know how it comes out!
Hi Sam! Can I freeze them overnight? Would that make a huge difference? Say up to 12 hours, just as an example.
You totally can. You can freeze either the dough or the ready baked cookies!
Hi!
Can I use fresh strawberries instead?
Hi! I don’t recommend using fresh strawberries because they would add too much moisture to the cookies.
OMG these look amazing – I love a good chewy cookie!
Thank you for mentioning my Strawberry Macarons – they are one of my favorites and so glad to hear that they are one of yours!
Yes!! Yay for strawberry desserts!!
Yummy cookies! I had strawberry yogurt chips so I used those. If I use them again, I might cut back a bit on the sugar. I liked how the dough was easy to work with. Used a small scoop to shape and they came out great. Thank you.
Youre so welcome Donna!! Thank you so much for the 5 star review!
Woefully thin even after chilling in the fridge overnight. Strawberry flavour and texture definitely doesn’t pair well with thin crispy cookies. Much better to find a recipe for thicker, chewy cookies.
Sorry you didnt like these!