Soft Strawberry Sugar Cookies (Print Version)

Tender sugar cookies infused with strawberries and topped with a luscious pink glaze.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Strawberry Sugar Cookies

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
03 - ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - ½ cup neutral oil such as canola or vegetable
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely crushed
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11 - 2 tablespoons milk

→ For the Pink Strawberry Icing

12 - 1½ cups powdered sugar
13 - 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
15 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
16 - ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
17 - Pink food coloring, optional

# How to Make:

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 butter, oil, and sugar together until light and creamy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add crushed freeze-dried strawberries, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
05 - Gradually add flour mixture alternating with milk, mixing 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 on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, strawberry powder, melted butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl until smooth. Adjust milk for desired consistency or add pink food coloring for enhanced color.
10 - Once cookies are completely cooled, spoon or drizzle icing over each cookie. Allow to set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly soft for days, not that they ever last that long once people know you've made them.
  • The freeze-dried strawberries give you real fruit flavor without adding moisture that would make the cookies cake-like.
  • That pink glaze is silky and forgiving, so even if your drizzle looks imperfect, it somehow looks intentional and charming.
02 -
  • Do not overbake these cookies, because the magic happens when the edges are set but the center still feels slightly soft to the touch, and it takes only seconds for them to go from perfect to too firm.
  • Crushing the freeze-dried strawberries by hand rather than in a food processor gives you better texture control and prevents some pieces from becoming powder while others stay chunky.
03 -
  • Let your butter come to true room temperature so it creams properly with the oil and sugar, which happens faster if you cut it into small cubes first.
  • A squeeze of lemon zest in the icing brightens the strawberry flavor in a way that feels subtle but makes people ask what that special something is.
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