Strawberry Cookies are soft-baked cookies loaded with wholesome oats and dried strawberries. Topped with a sweet strawberry icing, these are not only beautiful, but delicious too!
Why Strawberry Cookies Work
If old-fashioned iced oatmeal cookies were given an extreme makeover, they’d end up looking something like this.
Yes, the classic cookies were always charming on the inside, especially when warm, but I wanted to add a little kick and flare to the tried and true, like we did with these caramel toffee oatmeal cookies.
Here’s why my strawberry cookies work so well.
- A perfect marriage of textures. These cookies have crispy edges and a densely soft center with chewy strawberries. It ticks all the right boxes.
- Quicker than quick. Since you don’t need to chill the cookie dough, these cookies come together in a jiffy. They’re ready to go into the oven in under 20 minutes.
- A strawberry treat for all seasons. Made using freeze-dried strawberries, these cookies can be enjoyed all year. You don’t have to wait for berry season to make them.
Most strawberry cookie recipes out there are made from cake mixes. While I love a delicious cake mix cookie recipe myself, I wanted something homemade, from scratch.
These totally fit the bill, and I think you’re going to love them!
Ingredient Notes
- Oats – I’ve found that old-fashioned oats generate the best texture. Definitely avoid steel cut oats.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries – They’ll be crispy and dry when you start with the recipe. But they rehydrate in the dough and add a nice chewy texture to the cookies.
- Unsalted Butter – Use softened room-temperature butter to make the creaming process faster. Here’s my quick guide on how to soften butter quicky.
- Sugars- We use both granulated and brown sugar to create a sweet and chewy texture.
- Eggs – Use room-temperature eggs as they help the cookies keep their shape.
- Vanilla Extract- Be sure to choose a pure vanilla extract, or use a bottle of our homemade vanilla extract for great results!
- Kosher Salt– If using salted butter, omit the kosher salt. Learn why we use kosher salt in baking!
- Baking Powder – It helps the cookies puff up and get slight crinkles on their surface.
- All-Purpose Flour – Given its ability to provide more structure to baked goods, it pairs well with the oats used in this recipe.
Easy Instructions
- Grab the Food Processor. Pulse the oats and freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor.
- Make the Cookie Dough. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla extract, followed by all the dry ingredients and oats mixture. Mix until a dough forms.
- Shape the cookies. Scoop the cookie dough and place it on a baking tray.
- Smash the Cookies. Dip the measuring scoop (or bottom of a glass in sugar and press the dough until ½ inch thick. Bake cookies and cool completely before icing.
Ice the cookies. Make the icing by whisking all the ingredients. Gently dip the top of the cookies into the icing and let it set for 30 minutes. The less icing the better, so that you can see the cracks and crevices in the oatmeal cookies.
Tips and Tricks
- Use old-fashioned oats. They give a dense texture to the cookies. It’s true, you could substitute quick oats if you want to make the cookies extra chewy and soft. But don’t use steel-cut oats for this recipe – they will make the cookies taste raw and powdery.
- Use a glass to round the baked cookies. When the cookies come out of the oven, place a large glass or bowl atop each one. Then swivel it to make them perfectly round. Make sure you do it while they are still hot.
- Use freeze-dried strawberries. Freeze-dried strawberries are a great way to add lots of concentrated flavor to the cookies without adding excess moisture. Don’t use fresh strawberries, as they tend to add lots of moisture which affects the flavor and texture of the cookies.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. Overbaking the cookies will make them dry on the outside and extra chewy on the inside. So it is important to bake them for the right amount of time.
- Stock up on freeze dried strawberries. These are the key ingredient to making these cookies taste so wonderful. You’ll see I’ve used them in my strawberry cake, strawberry frosting, strawberry cheesecake, and strawberry brownies too!
Recipe FAQs
Keep the strawberry iced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Yes. This recipe can be made with any freeze-dried berries like raspberries or blackberries. You can also use other freeze-dried fruits like cherry and mango. Just make sure all the fruit is FREEZE DRIED.
Yes. You can freeze these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies on the counter overnight whenever you feel like having a cookie. You can also freeze the cookie dough too!
Absolutely. You just need to substitute two ingredients. First, switch the old-fashioned oats with gluten-free rolled oats. Second, use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour if you want to keep the cookie texture the same as the regular ones.
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Strawberry Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 bags freeze dried strawberries 0.7 ounce each
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon freeze dried strawberry crumbs see notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a food processor, add oats and two bags of freeze dried strawberries. Pulse several times (I did 6 pulses) until oats and strawberries are combined, and the strawberries are mostly small crumbs. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and beat until combined. Add in salt, baking powder, flour, and the oats with freeze dried strawberries. Mix until soft, but firm dough forms.
- Using a large 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a small bowl. Dip the bottom of a measure cup into the sugar then press down on the cookie dough balls until they are about 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes in oven. Remove and use a spoon to shape the edges back into a perfect circle. Cool on pan 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack before dipping in icing.
- For the icing, whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream and strawberry crumbs until smooth.
- Pick up a cookie and gently dip the top into the icing, allowing the excess to drip off. Try not to let TOO much icing attach to the cookie. Alternatively you could use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of icing on top of each cookie.
- Allow the icing to set, about 30 minutes, then store in airtight container.
Notes
- You’ll need three bags of freeze dried strawberries (we buy the 0.7 ounce bags on Amazon). If you want to save a little money, buy two bags. Process them in the food processor (before adding the oats). Remove 1 Tablespoon of crumbs for the icing, then add the oats and process again).
- Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- Freeze cookies in airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on counter (in container) overnight.
- Oats- by processing the oats, the texture of the cookie is perfect. Don’t process into fine crumbs though (you don’t want it to be flour). You could use quick oats instead of the old fashioned oats, but don’t use steel cut oats in today’s cookie recipe.
