Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

If you’re stuck in a dessert rut, consider this recipe: Juicy berries are blended into a silky icing and spooned onto these strawberry shortcake cookies. The base layer features a buttery biscuit that’s crumbly in texture. The topping is reminiscent of a homemade rich frosting. It’s highly versatile, so you can infuse different fruits—like raspberries, blueberries or blackberries—and customize it to your liking.

Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

• All-purpose flour: The flour in this recipe contributes to the crumbly and tender texture of the strawberry shortcake cookies.
• Sugar: We sprinkle granulated sugar into the dough, which gives the cookie a sweet flavor.
• Butter: We use cold butter in the cookie dough because it helps create a tender crumb.
• Vanilla extract: We add a few drops of vanilla to the cookie dough because it enhances the flavor with sweet and floral notes.

Frosting:

• Butter: We prefer softened butter for the frosting because it’s easier to beat.
• Strawberries: The star of this recipe is the fresh ripe strawberries that we blend into the frosting.
• Milk: We add a small spoonful of 2% milk to the frosting to help smooth it out and make it spreadable.
• Confectioners’ sugar: We use powdered sugar for the base of the strawberry frosting in this recipe.
• Additional sliced fresh strawberries (optional): For extra decoration, as you like.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cookie dough

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, combine the water and vanilla, then stir it into the crumb mixture until moistened. Refrigerate the dough, covered, until it’s firm, one to two hours.

Step 2: Cut out and bake the cookies

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

Preheat the oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, then cut the cookies with a floured 3-inch round cookie cutter. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies until they’re lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for two minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 3: Decorate the cookies

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

For the frosting, beat the butter, strawberries and milk until combined. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing until blended. Spread the frosting over the cookies, then top with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Variations

• Fold in other berries: While we prefer strawberries for this strawberry shortcake cookie recipe, you can also use other ripe berries, such as raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.
• Make a whipped cream topping: You can create a lighter frosting by making whipped cream. (Psst: Here’s a quick and easy recipe for homemade whipped cream.)
• Add a crumble on top: Add a strawberry crunch topping to replicate the flavor of strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.

How to Store Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

After your strawberry shortcake cookies have cooled to room temperature, place them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for about a week. We recommend storing the cookies at room temperature and keeping the frosting separately in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, decorate the cookies.

Can you make these strawberry shortcake cookies ahead of time?

If you have a fun gathering coming up, make this dough in advance and store it in the fridge for two to four days. Then, bake them fresh and serve a sweet treat.

Can you freeze these strawberry shortcake cookies?

You can freeze the dough, but we recommend making the frosting fresh every time you bake these cookies. Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place them in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag. They’ll last for up to two months in the freezer.

How long do strawberry shortcake cookies last?

If you have a ton of cookies left over, you can store them in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze them for 8 to 12 months.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Tips

Jena Carlin for Taste of Home

Do I have to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking?

We recommend refrigerating the dough before baking this recipe for strawberry shortcake cookies. This will help solidify the butter, which prevents the cookies from spreading too thin while baking.

How do I know when the strawberry shortcake cookies are finished baking?

Use the toothpick test to check if your strawberry shortcake cookies are ready to come out of the oven. Poke the cookies in the center: If the toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs, they’re ready. If it comes out with wet batter, let them bake a little longer.

What else can I do to decorate these strawberry shortcake cookies?

You can drizzle royal icing on these strawberry shortcake cookies to create fun striped designs. You can also sprinkle edible glitter onto these treats for a bit of shimmer, or sift powdered sugar on top for a snow-like effect.