Strawberry shortcake cookies taste just like shortcakes in cookie form! With fresh juicy strawberries and buttery shortbread crumbs, these strawberry cookies are perfect for any occasion from spring to summer and beyond!
Strawberry season is my favorite, as you can tell by all of my strawberry recipes like strawberry crepe cake and strawberry cinnamon rolls. These strawberry shortcake cookies are hands down my favorite strawberry dessert!
They require simple ingredients and create a truly unique flavor. The strawberry flavor is also fresh and natural, as it only uses real strawberries. They were so good they even inspired my strawberry shortcake cupcakes!
If you love fruity cookies, you must try my super popular peach cobbler cookies and mango cookies!
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why you'll love this recipe
- Fresh strawberries: No artificial flavors here! These strawberry shortcake cookies have real chopped strawberries in the dough giving them the perfect berry flavor.
- Soft and chewy: They are perfectly soft and chewy with gooey centers and crunchy bites from the shortbread crumbs.
- The best shortcake flavor: Buttery vanilla shortbread crumbs are mixed into the cookie dough and pressed into the tops for that classic shortcake flavor.
- Perfect for any occasion: You can make these strawberry shortcake cookies year-round but are perfect for spring and summer. You can also make them for any occasion but especially Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Easter!
ingredient notes & substitutions
Fresh strawberries: I tested these strawberry shortcake cookies with fresh and frozen strawberries and found that frozen strawberries are mushier and hold more water than fresh ones, making the dough too wet and cakey. I recommend using fresh strawberries only! Your berries should be firm and not old or mushy!
Eggs: You will need a whole egg and just an egg yolk. The extra yolk gives them a rich and chewy texture.
Lemon juice: This helps maintain the berries' red color and sweetness even after baking.
Flavor additions: For more flavor, try adding mini white chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate!
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
how to make strawberry shortcake cookies
Before you start, preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 1: Make the shortcake crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and oil until crumbs form (image 1 below).
Spread the crumbs out onto a lined baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely before using.
Step 2: Prepare the strawberry mixture. In a small bowl, toss the diced strawberries and lemon juice together. Set aside (image 2 below).
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars. In a mixing bowl, cream the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy (image 3 below).
Step 4: Mix in the wet ingredients. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until just combined (image 4 above).
Step 5: Mix in the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until almost combined and there are still some dry flour pockets (image 5 below).
Step 6: Mix in the shortcake pieces. Fold in the shortbread crumbs and strawberries until just combined (image 6 above). Try not to smash the strawberries too much while mixing!
Step 7: Scoop and bake! Use a large scoop or a standard cookie scoop to scoop the strawberry cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press more of the shortcake crumbs onto the tops (image 7 above). Then chill the tray in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, overnight is best!
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Bake them spaced at least two inches apart. For standard cookies, bake 9-11 minutes. For larger cookies, bake 12-14 minutes. Let the tray cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing them!
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Dice the strawberries: To get bits of berry in every bite, the strawberries must be diced in small pieces. If they are too large the cookies won't spread properly.
- Don't overbake! If the edges are too brown, they will be thicker and puffier with no gooey centers. Pull the tray out of the oven as soon as the edges are a light golden brown, they will continue to cook on the hot tray!
storage & freezing
Store strawberry shortcake cookies in an airtight container or ziplock bag. They will stay soft and fresh for 3-4 days at room temperature if stored properly.
These cookies are freezer friendly! Once the cookie dough is frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month.
recipe faqs
They taste like strawberry shortbread cookies! You get bites of strawberry and shortcake crumbs in every bite.
I do not recommend using frozen strawberries, I found that the cookie dough absorbs too much of the extra moisture resulting in a wet dough that bakes into a cakey texture.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but would love to hear how it turns out!
I recommend cutting them into small diced pieces. You can see in the first process photo above for a visual. They should be a similar size to a mini chocolate chip!
If your strawberries are really juicy after sitting with the lemon juice, or just in general, I recommend straining as much of the liquid out as possible before adding them to the cookie dough.
If your cookies are spreading, it's likely the dough wasn't chilled long enough. You must give them a minimum of 2-3 hours in the freezer before baking. Also, make sure your oven is at true temperature with an oven thermometer! If they are still spreading, make sure your butter wasn't too warm. It shouldn't look greasy or be melted when you use it.
more cookies to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Equipment
- large 3 tablespoon cookie scoop OR 2 tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
Shortcake Crumb
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Strawberry Cookie Dough
- ⅔ cup diced fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 12 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour *see notes below for measuring flour*
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup shortcake crumbs from above recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, light brown sugar, flour, baking powder, oil, and vanilla until crumbs form. Spread out onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely before using.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 4 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, toss the strawberries and lemon juice together. Set aside.⅔ cup diced fresh strawberries, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for three minutes until light and fluffy.12 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until just combined.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until almost combined.2 cups + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Then gently fold in the shortcake crumbs and chopped strawberries. If the strawberries are super juicy, strain the juice before adding them to the cookie dough!½ cup shortcake crumbs
- Scoop the dough with a medium (2-tablespoons) cookie scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press more shortcake crumbs onto the tops of each dough ball.You can also use a large (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop for large bakery-style cookies!
- Chill the tray in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, overnight is best!
- Then preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Bake the cookies spaced 2-3 inches apart for 9-11 minutes for standard size and 12-14 minutes for large cookies. You will know they are done when the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
- After baking, you can press more shortcake crumbs into the top and more diced strawberries if desired.
- Let the tray cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing each one, then enjoy!
Notes
-
- Step-by-step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
-
- Dice the strawberries: To get bits of berry in every bite, the strawberries must be diced in small pieces. If they are too large the cookies won't spread properly.
-
- Don't overbake! If the edges are too brown, they will be thicker and puffier with no gooey centers. Pull the tray out of the oven as soon as the edges are a light golden brown, they will continue to cook on the hot tray!
- Fresh strawberries: I do not recommend substituting frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones. They will be too soft and juicy for the cookie dough.
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
This recipe was originally published in 2022. It has since been updated with new photos and an improved recipe!
Glo says
Should the frozen cookies come to room temperature before baking?
Cambrea Gordon says
No, they should be baked frozen!
Dana says
Made these, great flavor
S says
can i substitute oil for butter
Cambrea Gordon says
This recipe has only been tested with butter, I don't recommend using oil. Try my olive oil chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Nupur says
We loved them so much, thank you for the lovely recipe!
Jamie says
I made these and they were amazing…. The first day. Crispy edges, soft and chewy cookie, great strawberry flavor. However, the very next day the cookies had all gone overly soft and flaccid, floppy and unappealing and lacking the burst of strawberry flavor.. any tips to avoid this in the future. Cookies were stored at room temp in an airtight container, they were completely cooled prior to storing.
Cambrea Gordon says
Hi Jamie, I have not come across this issue or heard of anyone else having this problem yet. It sounds like it is maybe too much moisture in the strawberries that is seeping out over time, I would try storing them with a paper towel in the container next time to absorb some of that extra moisture.
Sadia says
I made strawberry cookies out of store-bought cake mix and they had a play dough after taste so I had to hunt for a homemade strawberry cookies recipe and these are it!!! They taste so good! My friends who also bake asked for the recipe and the ones who don't have requested for me to make it for them on their birthday!
One question though, how long can these stay in the freezer? I am confident that 4 months would be too long but how about one month? Because I would love to make a bunch in advance and bake them as needed but I'm afraid that the strawberries will start to release excess moisture.
Cambrea Gordon says
Hi Sadia! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them! The strawberries don't release that much moisture in the dough, I've baked them after a few months and they were fine! They definitely will need more crumb on top though, so I would recommend leaving the crumb off and making a batch for them right before you plan on baking them. Hope that helps! 🙂
Shiri says
Made it and they are the best strawberry cookies I"ve ever made. Taste like a dream, so soft and chewy 😍 I even added 100g of chopped white chocolate for extra 😉 Just perfect! Thank you ❤️
April says
I really love the taste of this recipe, however, when I try to make them, my first batch came out flat and looked under really underbaked when I took them out of the oven. Even after sitting on the hot pan for 15 minutes, the middle still looks really underbaked. they also spread out a lot. I did freeze them overnight however, the first batch I put in we’re on a tray that was not in the freezer. Would that have anything to do with it?
Cambrea Gordon says
Hi April, did you use a scale to measure the ingredients? How warm was your butter before you used it? Do you have an oven thermometer? Your oven temperature could be lower than 350. These are the most common reasons for the issues you're having. Alos, they do not need to be baked on a frozen tray, I always bake mine on a room-temperature tray different from the one they were frozen on!
Shirley says
I just made these the other day and they turned out AMAZING! I also shared with with friends and everyone LOVED them!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Ricardo M says
These cookies were so refreshing!! Definitely will make them again.
Cambrea Gordon says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Madelyn says
I just made these and they are SO GOOD!!!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! Love to hear that 🙂
Mari says
I really enjoyed these! They were so delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe!
Cambrea Gordon says
Thanks Mari! 🙂
Karen says
They were fun to make and absolutely delicious!!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! So great to hear!