Description
These vibrant Strawberry Sugar Cookies are soft and chewy, infused with the delicious flavor of strawberries and topped with a sparkling strawberry sugar coating. Perfect for spring and summer celebrations, these cookies are sure to impress!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Strawberry Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (36g) freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure strawberry extract (like Amoretti Artisan Natural Wild Strawberry or Cooks)
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring
For the Sparkling Strawberry Sugar:
- ½ cup white or red sparkling sugar (sanding sugar)
- 1 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberry powder
Instructions
- Prepare the Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder:
- Blend or process freeze-dried strawberries in a high-speed blender or spice grinder until they become a fine powder. Set aside.
- Make the Sparkling Strawberry Sugar:
- Stir together 1 tablespoon of strawberry powder with ½ cup of sparkling sugar. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Preheat Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare the Cookie Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients:
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, blend in the vanilla extract, strawberry extract, and red gel food coloring until fully incorporated.
- Mix Dry Ingredients:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and 6 tablespoons of strawberry powder.
- Combine Ingredients:
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix to maintain soft, tender cookies.
- Chill Dough:
- Chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight, to make it easier to handle and enhance flavor.
- Form Cookie Balls:
- Once chilled, scoop the dough into 30 medium-sized cookie balls using a cookie scoop. Roll each ball in your hands, then roll in the prepared Sparkling Strawberry Sugar to coat evenly.
- Bake:
- Place the cookie balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to set.
- Cool:
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store:
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Use soft butter for the best texture.
- Avoid overmixing the dough after adding the flour to keep the cookies soft and tender.
- Freeze-dried strawberries can be found at stores like Target, Trader Joe’s, or online.
- For the best results, use gel or powdered food coloring.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg