Today we’re sharing a delightful treat that’s perfect for spring and summer: Strawberry Shortbread Cookies. These cookies are made with a buttery and crumbly shortbread base, infused with the intense flavor of freeze-dried strawberries. The addition of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt makes for a perfectly balanced flavor, while the powdered sugar adds a subtle sweetness. And to take these cookies to the next level, we’ve included a simple yet delicious glaze recipe to drizzle over the top. So, let’s get started and create these irresistible Strawberry Shortbread Cookies!
Shortbread Cookies
The dough recipe is the base of several of my favorite sweet cookies- Cardamom Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate and Almonds, Orange, cranberry, and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies and Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies. It also works remarkably well with these spicy Jalapeno Lime Shortbread Cookies.
The Ingredient Notes:
- Butter: 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature are used to make the shortbread base for the cookies. The butter provides richness and a melt-in-your-mouth texture to the cookies.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: 1 oz of freeze-dried strawberries are ground to a powder and added to the dough. The strawberries add a burst of intense and fruity flavor to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract is added to the dough to enhance the overall flavor of the cookies.
- Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup of powdered sugar is added to the dough for a subtle sweetness and to give the cookies a crumbly texture.
- Glaze: For the glaze, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water are mixed together to create a sweet and simple topping that complements the flavors of the cookies.
Make Freeze Dried Powder:
To make the freeze-dried strawberry powder, you’ll need a food processor or a blender. First, add the 1 oz of freeze-dried strawberries into the food processor or blender. Pulse the machine a few times to break the strawberries down into smaller pieces.
Then, run the food processor on high speed until the strawberries are finely ground and have turned into a fine powder. This should take about 1-2 minutes, depending on the power of your machine.
Once the strawberry powder is ready, remove 2 tablespoons of the power and set aside for decorating.
How to make the dough:
After you’ve made the strawberry powder, it’s time to finish making the dough for the cookies. To do this, add the room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the food processor with the strawberry powder. Pulse the machine a few times to combine the ingredients.
Next, add the all-purpose flour to the food processor and pulse again until a dough forms. Be careful not to over-process the dough as this can result in tough cookies.
Once the dough is formed, remove it from the food processor and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Chilling the dough will help it firm up, making it easier to roll out and cut into shapes. After the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place the cut-out cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until just slightly golden on the bottom side.
Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature.
Mix the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water in a small bowl. Use a spoon to pour the glaze over the cooled cookies before the glaze sets decorate with the remaining frozen dried strawberry power.
Store the cookies at room temperature for up to a week in an airtight container. You can also freeze the baked cookies for months. It’s incredible how well they hold their buttery, flaky textures for so long in the freezer.
If you’ve tried this strawberry shortbread cookies recipe or any other recipe on BalancingBowls, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 oz of freeze-dried strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ all-purpose flour
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Make Freeze Dried Powder:
- Add the 1 oz of freeze-dried strawberries into the food processor or blender. Pulse the machine a few times to break the strawberries down into smaller pieces.
- Run the food processor on high speed until the strawberries are finely ground and have turned into a fine powder. This should take about 1-2 minutes, depending on the power of your machine.
- Once the strawberry powder is ready, remove 2 tablespoons of the power and set aside for decorating.
How to make the dough:
- Add the room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the food processor with the strawberry powder. Pulse the machine a few times to combine the ingredients.
- Add the all-purpose flour to the food processor and pulse again until a dough forms. Be careful not to over-process the dough as this can result in tough cookies.
- Remove it from the food processor and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Chilling the dough will help it firm up, making it easier to roll out and cut into shapes. After the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place the cut-out cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until just slightly golden on the bottom side.
- Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature.
Make the Glaze:
- Mix the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water in a small bowl. Use a spoon to pour the glaze over the cooled cookies before the glaze sets decorate with the remaining frozen dried strawberry power.
