Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prepare the Strawberries
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and granulated sugar. Stir everything together and let the mixture soak for 10 minutes. This step helps to macerate the strawberries and release their delicious juices.
- Strain off any excess liquid but do not press the strawberries dry. Some natural juice helps with both flavor and moisture in the cookies. I recommend straining twice for the best results, preventing soggy cookies.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I've found that parchment paper promotes better browning on the bottoms of the cookies compared to silicone mats.
Make the Dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If you are using freeze-dried strawberry powder, whisk it in here too for maximum strawberry flavor.
- In a separate large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture; mix until everything is just combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as this can lead to hard cookies.
- Gently fold in the strained strawberries. Do this minimally to avoid releasing extra moisture into the dough, which could make the dough too wet.
Scoop and Bake
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into uniform balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches apart to ensure even baking.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes. However, oven temperatures can vary, so I always recommend beginning to check at 15 minutes. The bottoms should be golden while the tops remain soft, with the centers slightly puffed.
- Let the baked cookies cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set up and prevents them from breaking.
Nutrition
Notes
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. To prevent flat cookies, ensure butter is softened but not melted, and consider chilling the dough if your kitchen is warm. Overbaking leads to hard cookies; check for golden bottoms and slightly soft tops.
Note: Cream cheese and powdered sugar are listed in ingredients but no instructions for their use are provided in the recipe.
Nutrition information is estimated based on common ingredients and serving sizes and may vary.