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 to 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!
Table of Contents
Why We 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, similar to my strawberry shortcake ice cream cake!
Ingredient Notes and 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!
Recipe Instructions
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). Bake until golden brown.
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 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, and as soon as the edges are a light golden brown, they will continue to cook on the hot tray!
Storage and 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 it to an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month.
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 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 isn’t too warm. It shouldn’t look greasy or be melted when you use it.
More Fruity Cookie Recipes
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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Equipment
- large 3 tablespoon cookie scoop OR 2 tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
Shortcake Crumb
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Strawberry Cookie Dough
- ⅔ cup diced fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 12 tbsp 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
- 1/2 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 (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 tbsp (12 g) light brown sugar, 6 tbsp (46 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 4 tbsp (32 g) canola or vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, toss the strawberries and lemon juice together. Set aside.⅔ cup (86 g) 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 tbsp (168 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until just combined.1 (52 g) large egg, 1 (16 g) large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until almost combined.2 cups + 2 tbsp (265 g) 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!1/2 cup (60 g) 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.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!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!
Have mine in the freezer now and can’t wait. Question though – I followed the recipe exactly but your dough balls look much more uniform and firm before putting them in the freezer. Mine are very sticky and don’t “round out” when I scoop them. How can I fix this? Hopefully it doesn’t make too much of a difference but will report back!
Hi Kim! You could just need a bit more flour in the dough. I would also check that your butter wasn’t too warm, it should be between 64-68F. If it was too warm that could also be why it’s more sticky.
One of the easiest and best cookies I’ve ever made!