Soft Strawberry Sugar Cookies (Printable)

Tender sugar cookies infused with real strawberries and topped with a luscious pink glaze.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Strawberry Sugar Cookies

01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
03 - ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - ½ cup neutral oil such as canola or vegetable
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely crushed
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11 - 2 tablespoons milk

→ Pink Strawberry Icing

12 - 1½ cups powdered sugar
13 - 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry powder
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
15 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
16 - ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
17 - Pink food coloring, optional

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, oil, and granulated sugar together until light and creamy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the crushed freeze-dried strawberries, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Mix until well combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with milk in small additions, and mix until a soft dough forms.
06 - Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball to flatten slightly.
07 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are just set but the centers remain soft. Avoid overbaking.
08 - Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, strawberry powder, melted butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Add additional milk for thinner consistency or pink food coloring for deeper hue if desired.
10 - Once cookies are completely cooled, spoon or drizzle the icing over each cookie. Allow the icing to set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly soft for days, which is rare for homemade cookies and honestly kind of ridiculous in the best way.
  • The real strawberry flavor actually comes through without tasting artificial or chalky, which surprised even me.
  • These look beautiful on a plate with their soft pink icing, but they're genuinely easy to make, so you can take all the credit.
02 -
  • Overbaking is the fastest way to turn these soft cookies into crispy ones, so set a timer and actually check them a minute early instead of assuming time is exact.
  • Freeze-dried strawberries make all the difference because regular fresh strawberries release too much moisture and make the dough difficult to work with.
  • Letting the cookies cool completely before icing is non-negotiable, or the icing will melt and slide right off into sadness.
03 -
  • Weighing your flour with a kitchen scale makes these cookies more consistent, and if you don't have one, spoon the flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping directly from the bag.
  • Keep the dough slightly cool by working quickly, and if it gets soft and sticky, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes before scooping.
  • The icing texture is everything, so taste it before you spread it and adjust the milk or powdered sugar to match your vision of how it should look and feel.
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