These strawberry cookies are soft, tender, and full of the flavors of strawberry shortcake. Fresh strawberries add bright, juicy bursts to every bite, while a little sour cream in the dough brings that familiar tangy richness you’d expect from a classic shortcake. This strawberry shortcake cookie recipe captures everything you love about the dessert in cookie form. Sweet, lightly golden, and just a little bit messy in the best way, they’re the perfect summer cookie for warm weather and easy summer baking.
This spring has been unusually hot, and I’ve been craving simple, summer-ready bakes—especially anything with fresh fruit and bold strawberry flavor. This strawberry shortcake cookie recipe took a few tries to get right, mostly because of the extra moisture from the strawberries. I considered using freeze-dried strawberries at one point, but they were expensive and hard to find. And really, when there are pints of fragrant, juicy fresh strawberries in season, it’s hard to justify using anything else. Instead I found success using macerated strawberries, adding a step where the strawberry juice is strained out. This reduced the overall moisture but kept the strawberry flavor. The resulting cookie is perfect with a glass of milk or sweet cream and maybe a few fresh juicy strawberries.
Looking for more cookie inspiration? Our chocolate ginger and triple ginger cookies are two other favorites around here that are definitely worth a try.
Why You’ll Love this Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Recipe
- Tastes Like Summer: Packed with fresh strawberries and a hint of tang from sour cream, this is the ultimate summer cookie, full of strawberry shortcake flavor without the fuss.
- Great way to use up ripe strawberries: this is the perfect strawberry recipe to pull out when you have an abundance of extra berries.
- A fun twist on a classic dessert: If you love classic strawberry shortcake, these cookies offer a new way to enjoy those familiar flavors.
Ingredients (and Substitutes)
- Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are essential here, they deliver a beautiful natural flavor. Ideally you want fully ripe berries, look for ones that you can smell the fresh strawberry scent. Frozen strawberries won’t hold up well in this recipe; they tend to release too much liquid.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar works best for this recipe, brown sugar will add more caramel notes that will hide the flavor of the strawberries.
- All-purpose flour – This gives the cookies structure without making them too dense. No need to sift—just spoon and level your flour for accuracy.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter at room temperature so it creams easily with the sugar. If you only have salted butter, just skip the added salt later on.
- Egg – One large egg binds everything together and adds richness. No substitutes recommended here.
- Sour cream- This is the secret to the cookie’s soft texture and subtle tang. It echoes the flavor of a traditional shortcake. Full-fat is best, but plain Greek yogurt works in a pinch.
- Vanilla – A little vanilla extract rounds out the flavor and pairs well with the strawberries.
- Baking soda – This gives the cookies their soft, slightly puffy texture. Make sure it’s fresh—baking soda loses strength over time.
- Salt – Just a pinch sharpens the sweetness and balances the flavors. Don’t skip it!
How to make Strawberry Shortcake Cookies (with pictures)
Prep the Strawberries – In a small bowl, stir together the minced strawberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour so the sugar can draw out the juices.
Mix the dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Combine Wet Ingredients- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth.
Finish the Strawberries – Strain the macerated strawberries through a fine mesh sieve, gently pressing to remove excess liquid. Toss with 1 tablespoon of flour to help absorb moisture during baking. Add the strawberries to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
Bring it all Together – Gradually add the flour mixture to the strawberry mixture, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Bake – Preheat the oven to 350℉. Scoop dough into rounded tablespoon-sized balls and place them 3 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake one tray at a time for 16–18 minutes, or until just golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Questions about how to make this Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Recipe
How do I store these cookies?
These cookies are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but they’ll keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because of the fresh strawberries, they’ll soften a bit over time. Just like fresh strawberries in strawberry season, these cookies don’t last as long as anyone wants.
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?
Frozen strawberries release too much liquid as they thaw, which makes the dough overly wet and can lead to soggy cookies. For this strawberry shortcake cookie recipe, fresh strawberries really are the way to go—they hold their shape better and give you that jammy, sweet-tart burst without throwing off the texture. If fresh berries aren’t in season, it’s worth waiting until they are.
My dough feels too we, should I add more flour?
The dough for these cookies will be on the softer side—that’s normal. It should be sticky but still scoopable. If it feels overly loose or runny, double-check that the strawberries were well strained and tossed with flour before adding. If things still seem too wet, you can add a tablespoon or two of flour to help firm it up, but avoid adding too much or the cookies might end up with a cakey texture. Chilling the dough for 15–20 minutes can also make it easier to work with.
Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberries
- 1 cup strawberries minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
Cookie Dough
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ⅛ cup sour cream
- 1½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare Strawberries: in a small bowl combine minced strawberries and 1 tbsp sugar, stir to fully combine. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour so that the sugar can draw out liquid from the strawberries.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: in a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: in a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
- Finish Strawberries: using a fine mesh sieve, strain the strawberry mixture, gently pressing down to remove any excess liquid. Mix in 1 tbsp of flour to coat the strawberries and absorb moisture during the baking process. Reduce mixer speed to slow and add the strawberry mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Combine: gradually add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and continue mixing until the dough starts to form. It will still be a bit wet, but should be workable.
- Bake: preheat oven to 350℉. Using two spoons, scoop cookie dough out into rounded tablespoon sized balls and place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 1 tray at a time until the cookies are starting to turn golden brown, usually between 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
