Nothing screams "summer cookies" like these simple, fluffy, fresh strawberry shortcake cookies! Keep them light or add a fluffy cream cheese filling to take them to the next level.
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I was inspired by Delish but wanted a lighter version and a better way to fill the cookie if I chose to use cream cheese. After several tweaks, here we are - with a delicious cookie recipe. Just look at the fluffiness!
💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Use fresh or frozen strawberries: If you've stopped to ask, "What can I use strawberries for?" this recipe is for you! Easy to make with fresh strawberries in the summer and frozen ones during the rest of the year!
- Comes together in under an hour: These cookies are utterly delicious, soft and chewy and super fluffy but they take very little time to make. You can also make and freeze the cookie dough ahead of time if you'd like!
📋 Ingredients
These cookies use just nine simple ingredients (not counting the optional filling). The ingredients include all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt (salt is critical to activate the baking powder), granulated and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice and strawberries.
Picking the right strawberries
Skip strawberries that are visibly moldy or grossly misshapen (or smell bad). If your strawberries look a bit bruised few days after you buy them, chop off those parts. The Environmental Working Group reported that strawberries contain the most pesticides of any fruit or vegetable, so when possible, please try to buy organic to avoid residues.
Storing and cleaning strawberries
Store your strawberries in the fridge until it's time to eat them. Wash them first under running water thoroughly before you consume them. Don't put washed strawberries back into the fridge though - this can cause them to go bad soon. If you sliced an extra strawberry or two while making this recipe, make sure to eat them within two hours. Don't store those in the fridge more than two days!
Making a vegan version of this cookie
To make a vegan "basic" cookie, use vegan butter (to maintain the same fluffy texture) or vegetable oil (slightly less fluffy texture) instead of butter. Swap the egg with flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 2.5 tablespoon of water).
🍓 How do you make strawberry cookies from scratch?
This recipe is inspired by Otis Spunkmeyer's strawberry shortcake cookies (loved them when I lived in the Bay Area). That version has white chocolate and cranberries in it. Mine is simpler and highlights the deliciousness of the strawberries in just three steps!
First, chop up the strawberries and soak them in lemon juice and sugar
Soaking strawberries in lemon and sugar brings out both the sweet and tart components in the fruit. This makes them a perfect complement to the sweet and fluffy cookies! It also helps keep the strawberries fresh for longer. I typically strain the strawberries after soaking for 10 minutes, and strain again before adding to the dough. You can save the strained liquid too! Just add it to cream cheese for a strawberry-flavored filling! If you wish, you can add some rose water to this for an awesome flavor.
Next, prepare the dough and fold in strawberries
Mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt and sift them together. Cream butter with both sugars, and add eggs and vanilla extract to make a smooth mix. Then, combine with the dry ingredients to make a flaky dough.
Drain strawberries, fold gently into the dough. Then, scoop out medium sized balls and bake them, spaced about 2" apart on a large tray at 350F. For a decadent cookie, you can add strawberry jam or cream cheese filling (see below for notes)
Portion dough and bake!
Using a cookie scoop, portion out the dough into equal pieces (roughly 1.5 tablespoons each) and then place them on a baking sheet, neatly spaced apart from each other.
🧁 Optional Cream Cheese Filling
The strawberry shortcake cookies, without any fillings, are already absolutely delicious. They are also a tad lighter than the ones with filling. But occasionally, you want a more decadent cookie. So if you want a "filled" cookie, you have two options. You can either use a strawberry jam or a cream cheese filling.
Simple strawberry jam filling
Remove the edges, and chop up 1 lb of strawberries. Add this to a small saucepan, along with 1.5 cups of granulated sugar. Bring to a boil, then add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Continue boiling for 15 minutes, stirring to make sure they don't stick to the bottom or burn. Portion the cookie dough into 12 equal sized "dough balls" and then flatten them. Use your thumb to create an indent in the center of each cookie. Add a teaspoon of the jam to the thumbprint area. Bake, enjoy!
Decadent cream cheese filling
Cream together 4 oz of soft cream cheese with 2 tablespoon of powdered sugar. As soon as you're done creating the filling, portion them into 12 teaspoon sized dollops on a baking sheet. Throw this in the freezer while you prepare the dough (~10 minutes). Then, you can make a simple thumbprint cookie for an easy fix, or you can stuff the cookie.
I'll warn before you start. "Stuffing" the cookie is a bit messy and takes a while, so if you want a quick, clean, but delicious method, the thumbprint method is the way to go. But hey, if you're up for an adventure, you won't regret stuffing the cookie! I was inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction (specifically, her red velvet cookies) to freeze the filling before stuffing the cookie. Okay, here goes.
Take two small portions of cookie dough (small cookie scoop or about a tablespoon of dough each). Flatten one of them a bit. Take a frozen cream cheese filling ball, and place it in the center of the cookie dough. Cover with the other piece of cookie dough and roll into a nice smooth ball. The key is to do this as quickly as possible. The heat from your hand could start melting the cream cheese, and then it's a mess. Delicious, but still a mess.
Ideally, you want the filling to be cool as it goes into the oven. So, consider popping the finished cookies in the fridge for a few minutes before you pop them into the oven.
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
Don't mix the butter and flour too much. You ideally want a crumbly texture that holds together when pressed. You also want to make sure to avoid excess moisture as much as possible. So, drain strawberries right before you fold them into the dough.
Coating strawberries with a pinch of flour before adding it to the cookie dough will prevent them from dropping to the bottom of each cookie
Frozen strawberries work great this recipe! Chop them finely, add lemon juice and pop in the fridge while they soak (about 10 minutes). Then, strain the strawberries really well, and pop them in the freezer for about 3-5 minutes so they retain their structure and don't add excess water.
If you're not able to find flour, you can use strawberry cake mix in a pinch. Just replace everything except the folded in strawberries with a box of cake mix, 2 eggs and ⅓ cup of butter instead. Then fold in the strawberries into that dough. Note that the cookies will be a tad flatter than the recipe below.
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
I suggest storing these cookies in the fridge in an airtight container. This will make sure they stay fresh for longer, maintain the fluffiness and keep the strawberries as fresh as possible. Try to finish them off within a day or two when possible!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you!!
If you like these delicious, strawberry shortcake cookies, don't forget to check out some of my other simple desserts:
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling
- 3 medium strawberries, chopped (~½ cup of chopped strawberries)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Cookies
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
Prep strawberries:
- Chop up the strawberries finely and then add the lemon juice and sugar to them and stir well. Cover and soak them for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, strain and set aside
Prep Filling (Optional)
- Note: This is only if you decide to go the filling route but this is totally optional - the main recipe does not include filling.
- Cream together about 4 oz of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (and strained strawberry juice). Line a baking sheet or plate (that can fit in your freezer) with some parchment paper. Scoop 1 teaspoon of this filling onto the sheet - repeat so you have 12 tiny cream cheese "balls". Throw this in the freezer for while you make the dough
Prepare Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Sift the baking powder and salt in with the all purpose flour. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the two sugars - the consistency should be pliable and soft (I typically use the paddle attachment in my stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer or cream by hand - see recipe notes for doing this by hand)
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to this mixture. Then, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until it's a smooth dough
- Strain the strawberries one more time and then add to the dough - fold gently taking care not to mash up the strawberries (if you want an extra fruity taste, you can add up to ¾ cup)
Bake Cookies (No Filling Version)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Just scoop out roughly a 1.5 tablespoons of dough and roll into a smooth ball and place them on the baking sheet. Note: Make sure to leave 1-2" between each ball to ensure that they have space to spread!
- Bake at 350F for 20 minutes - the cookie will look and feel "soft and fluffy" but it should be done (check the bottom to see if it's harder and browned as an additional check)
Bake Cookies (With Filling!)
- Note: Again, this is an optional step - skip if you're just making the regular cookies! This WILL get a tad bit messy (more stuff on your hands, but the end result is totally worth it!)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat
- Remove the cream cheese balls from the freezer.
- Scoop roughly 1.5 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, and flatten into a "small pancake" on the palm of your hand. Place a cream cheese ball at the center and crimp the edges so it reforms into a rough ball. Smooth it out into a ball like shape to the best extent possible and place on the baking sheet - repeat with the rest of the dough until you have 12 cookies
- Bake at 350F for about 20-22 minutes and check the bottom to see if it's browned and a bit harder (the rest of the cookie will be fluffy) - enjoy the deliciousness!
Notes
- This recipe is a bit messier than most cookies because the strawberries are sticky. If you want the basic cookie without filling, use a cookie scoop, and you're set!
- This recipe needs room temperature butter - so try to take the butter out about 30 minutes before you need to use it if possible!
- If you're creaming the sugar and butter by hand, first use a wooden spoon to really break up the room temperature butter and sugar and get them mixed roughly together - then use a fork to really "fluff" them up the same way you fluff rice. This will take 2 to 5 minutes so get ready for action!
- Every person's oven is a bit different, so I suggest starting to check around the 18 minute mark to make sure it doesn't over bake!
- Nutritional information provided for the basic cookie without filling!
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on May 23, 2020 and updated on January 31, 2021 with additional tips and helpful process shots.
I made this recipe without the filling. So delicious! It's my favorite cookie after chocolate chip and my husband's favorite after snickerdoodle. It tastes like a mix between a scone and a cookie.
I'm so glad this worked out for you, Kelly! It really does taste like a mix between a scone and a cookie - all the fluffiness!
I do lives on Facebook and this coming week is my cookie week and I would like ask permission to use your recipe on my live to share with everybody Mama Dee
I made these and everyone loved them, thanks for this!
Thank you so much for sharing! This made my day!
I made these last night and oh my goodness, I love them! The sugar and lemon juice soak really brings out the sweetness of the strawberries; I ended up using 3/4 of a cup. I also added about a cup of white chocolate chips to the dough and they are fantastic if you’re wanting a more dessert type cookie. I will definitely be making these again! So so so good.
I'm so glad they worked for you Ashley! The idea of white chocolate chips is amazing!!
These were DELICIOUS! Yes, they were a bit messy, but very easy to make... Your directions and tips were so helpful! Will definitely be making again!! Thanks!
Thank you so much - so glad you enjoyed the recipe! And yes, agree it's a bit messy but the fluffiness makes up for it 🙂
Made this recipe, it’s fabulous ❤️
I’ve done it with my 8 yo daughter...
Well, I just watched while she worked (happily and voluntarily of course), because they’re sooo easy and fantastic 🙂
I'm so glad you (and your daughter!) enjoyed the recipe, Rebeca!!
Please update the 2X recipe ingredients. It says 1 cup of butter but then says 1 stick next to it. It should read 2 sticks. I was having trouble with my batter and had to add the second stick after mixing everything together and didnt have time to bring the second stick to room temp. Also, under your ingredient list it says sugar and cream cheese for the filling but the instructions say powder sugar. Please specify in ingredient list which sugar it should be. Thank you.
Hi Katie - thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback! The recipe scaling calculations are automatic and I realize it retained my notes on the original recipe even when you scaled - apologies for that! Hopefully the cookie still tasted amazing and you were able to enjoy it. I've specified the powdered sugar in the list. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
I've made these several times now. We love them! They aren't too sweet. I am the worst baker ever and these are the first cookies I've ever made that turn out correctly every time. I double the recipe and they are still gone within a day. Huge hit!
Thank you - so glad you liked it!
I used the cream cheese filling delicious it's like a cheesecake cookie loved this recipe will definately make them again
Thanks so much Michelle! I'm so glad you loved the recipe 🙂
I had no problems making these! I put the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes before portioning them out on the cookie sheet. I left the cream cheese balls in the freezer for longer too (this made it easier to handle).
It's not that messy if you use spoons for the cream cheese filling - just plop some dough down, then put a cream cheese ball on top, then plop another scoop of dough on top of that. Mine came out beautifully!
That's amazing, thank you so much! Great tip on using the spoons!
These were a big hit at work! I will definitely be making more for my next family get together. I’m sure they will love them ❤️
So glad you liked them!
Can freeze dried strawberries be used in this recipe?
Hey Phyllis, I don't see why not! The big difference is that the freeze dried strawberries typically have all water removed, so you might want to soak them properly in the initial steps (with the lemon juice) and then drain the liquid in order to get it to the right consistency. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
These were SO GOOD!!!
I added 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
Tip... I cut the strawberries very small. When adding the strawberries, I did one or 2 pieces inside the scoop, scooped up dough, made a thumb print, put 2 or 3 more pieces of strawberry, then covered the thumbprint with a little more dough. I definitely recommend doing this- you get strawberries outside the cookie & inside, and the inside ones taste really good.
The first batch was a little overdone on the bottom. For the second batch, I pressed some white crystal sprinkles on top and baked for 18 minutes. THEY WERE AMAZING.
I was worried the strawberries would get soggy inside the cookie overnight, but I just woke up and tried one, and the cookies taste even better now that they've had time to settle.
These are great suggestions! So glad you liked them.
These are sooooo good! They taste like a combo of a biscuit and a cookie. I added sliced almonds and they gave the cookies a little more texture. Great either way though!
Ooooh, great idea to add almonds!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I agree with everyone who said these taste like a scone/cookie mix. Today was my first time making them and I will definitely make them again. They were easy and tasty! I added a bit of lemon rind to the dough as well for added flavor.
These taste just like summer! We had to go for the cream cheese filling and it is DIVINE! 🙂
The cream cheese filling really does take it up a notch!
Highly recommended! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious!
I made these with frozen strawberries and they were delicious! We especially love the caramelly taste you get from the brown sugar.
So yum!
Thank you so much, Claire!
Definitely took them to the next level and added a cream cheese filling lol it made them SO indulgent I struggled to share!
These cookies are insanely good! So good I will have to make them again as the kids smashed them down.
Thanks for a simple but very tasty cookie!
What a satisfying summer cookie! They really do have that strawberry shortcake feel.
I love these cookies. Everyone that has tried them, loves these cookies. Everyone thinks they're scones but I just think they're absolutely delicious no matter what they're called.
It is definitely a cross between a scone and a cookie 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!