These strawberry biscuit cookies are made from real strawberries without the crutch of artificial flavor. Adapted from my biscuits and strawberry shortcake, each buttery cookie is tender and flaky in the centers, packed with juicy strawberries, and topped with a sprinkle of crunchy sugar and sweet icing. A truly unique cookie!
The cookies you see here started out as a major recipe failโtwice. I initially took my blueberry muffin cookies and swapped blueberries for strawberries. Sounds perfectly doable right? Well, Iโm sure that could work with frozen chopped strawberries, but fresh strawberries are wet and created a cookie paste, not a cookie dough. I even reduced the added liquid in the recipe, too. Unsurprisingly, the cookies spread horribly.
In the 2nd attempt I reduced the strawberries and left out the milk. There were hardly any strawberries in each cookie. And they tasted dry. Back to the drawing board.
Cookies with Real Strawberry Flavor
As you might remember from my endless strawberry cake recipe testing, itโs difficult to produce strawberry-flavored baked goods made solely from real strawberries. The crutch of artificial strawberry flavor is over-used because recipe creators often lose their minds developing a strawberry tasting recipe without it. (See above!)
You have to get creative. I ditched my entire idea, turned to my homemade biscuits, and created sweet strawberry biscuit cookies. Added fresh chopped strawberries, a sprinkle of coarse crunchy sugar, and drizzled each with sweet icing. It took determined (stubborn?) effort, but now we have cookies with REAL strawberry flavor. ๐
Why Youโll Love These Strawberry Biscuit Cookies
- Flaky biscuit-like centers
- Buttery, soft, and cakey
- Crunchy sugared tops
- Juicy strawberries
- No mixer required
- Sweet icing
Like strawberry shortcake or scones in cookie form!
Ingredients You Need
- Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. If using frozen, make sure theyโre chopped and frozen. Do not thaw them prior to adding to the cookie dough. If using fresh, as I usually do, chop them up in the first step instructed in the written recipe below, then blot them with a clean towel to rid excess moisture. Place the chopped strawberries in the freezer as you work on the rest of the ingredients. The colder they are, the easier they are to work with in this dough. Trust me!
- Flour: Like biscuits, one of the main ingredients is all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: These are strawberry biscuit cookies, so theyโre sweeter than savory biscuits. Use regular granulated sugar in this cookie recipe.
- Baking Powder: We need quite a bit of leavener to lift this heavy cookie dough.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
- Cold Butter: Butter adds ALL of the texture. For flaky layers and pockets, use cold butter. When little pieces of butter melt as the biscuit cookies bake, they release steam and create little pockets of airโ this makes the cookies flaky on the inside with set edges. (We donโt want this butter to melt or get soft before the dough hits the oven. The colder, the better.)
- Whole Milk: This dough requires liquid. Though my regular biscuits use buttermilk, regular whole milk is great here. You can use nondairy milk if needed.
- Egg: An egg turns these biscuits into cookies, allowing them to hold their shape.
- Optional Coarse Sugar: A sprinkle of coarse sparkling sugar adds delicious crunch on top of the soft and flaky cookies. Talk about a burst of TEXTURE!
How to Make Strawberry Biscuit Cookies
If youโve made my biscuits or strawberry shortcake before, youโre familiar with this process. It seems complicated, but truly couldnโt be easier if you take the time to read the recipe before you begin. So you understand the process, let me quickly walk through each step.
- Chop, blot, & freeze the strawberries.
- Mix the dry ingredients together.
- Add cold cubed butter. Work the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter. Do not over-think this stepโyouโre just cutting the butter into smaller pieces that will help coat the flour. This is how we make pie crust and scones, too. (You can use a food processor in this step, but I find it often over-works the cookie dough.)
- Whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla together. Pour into the dry ingredients.
- Gently mix together, creating a thick dough.
- Carefully work in the strawberries. Do not over-mix, which will turn the dough slimy. Some strawberries wonโt combine into the dough at all and thatโs ok. You can add them to the dough balls when you shape the cookies before baking.
- Chill the cookie dough for 45 minutes.
- Portion into 1.5 Tablespoon balls. You can use a Tablespoon measuring spoon (will be a heaping Tablespoon) or a medium cookie scoop. Dot each with excess strawberries that may not have been worked into the cookie dough. Top each with coarse sugar.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned.
Use my step-by-step photos as a visual guide.
Strawberry Icing
Of course you could call it a day now, but who doesnโt love a snazzy little accessory every now and then?! Add icing! Start with regular vanilla icing and add a heaping Tablespoon of strawberry jam. The jam adds a little color and flavor. If you donโt have strawberry jam, donโt worry about it because these strawberry biscuit cookies taste excellent with regular vanilla icing as well.
Flaky, buttery, soft, thick, vanilla-y, juicy, and REAL STRAWBERRIES!
More Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Coconut Macaroons
- Homemade Strawberry Sauce (Dessert Topping)
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberry Biscuit Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from my biscuits and strawberry shortcake, these strawberry cookies are tender and flaky in the centers, packed with juicy strawberries, and topped with a sprinkle of crunchy sugar and sweet icing. Chill the dough for at least 45 minutes before shaping and baking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (120g) chopped strawberries (see note)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk, cold (dairy or non dairy)
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: coarse sugar for topping
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectionersโ sugar
- 2โ3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) milk or heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1 heaping Tablespoon strawberry jam
Instructions
- Strawberries: If youโre using fresh strawberries, chop the strawberries into small bite-sized pieces if you havenโt already. Gently blot them with a towel to rid some moisture. (No need to thaw and blot if youโre using frozen strawberries.) The wetter the berries are, the more difficult they are to combine with the dough. Freeze the fresh chopped strawberries as you prepare the other dough ingredients. The colder, the better.
- You can use a food processor for this step, but I encourage you to do it by hand so you donโt accidentally over-work the dough. Overworked dough lends tougher cookies. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl (or pulse together in your food processor). Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. (Or pulse several times in a food processor.) See photo above for a visual. If you used a food processor in this step, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour/butter mixture. Using a large spoon or silicone spatula, fold everything together until just about combined. The dough is thick, sticky, and tacky. Avoid overworking the dough.
- Carefully work in the cold strawberries. Do not over-mix, which will turn the dough slimy. Some strawberries wonโt combine into the dough at all and thatโs ok. You can add them to the dough balls when you shape the cookies before baking.
- Cover the cookie dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day.
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF (191ยฐC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Using a Tablespoon measuring spoon or medium cookie scoop, portion/shape dough into balls about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. (If using a Tablespoon measure, it will be a heaping Tablespoon of dough.) Press any strawberries that havenโt stuck to the dough into the tops of the cookie dough balls. Arrange 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If desired for delicious crunch, sprinkle each dough ball with coarse sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 15-16 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Icing: Using a fork, whisk confectionersโ sugar, 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of milk/heavy cream, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Add 1 more Tablespoon (15ml) of milk/cream to thin out if necessary. (I always add it, especially if using cream.) If desired for light strawberry flavor, whisk in strawberry jam. Drizzle over cookies.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 day (see step 5), but you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking. If itโs too hard/chilled to handle, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Itโs best to thaw these dough balls before baking, then continue with the recipe and bake as instructed. Unglazed or glazed baked cookies freeze well for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Pastry Cutter | Cookie Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | Medium Cookie Scoop | Coarse Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Strawberries: If using frozen strawberries, do not thaw. If using fresh strawberries, see step 1 about preparing the berries. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries instead.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or non, in the cookie and icing.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These were delicious and standout with it being strawberry and a biscuit cookie! I was running out of all-purpose flour so used what I had left (100g) and the rest bread flour. This made for a great biscuit texture that wasnโt too soft or chewy. I know I can never go wrong with one of Sallyโs recipes!
What packing instructions do you recommend to insure that the Strawberry Biscuit cookies maintain their freshness if they are mailed?
Hi Michele, with fresh fruit in them, these cookies wouldnโt be the best for mailing. For other cookies, hereโs our favorite way to pack and ship cookies.
I am looking for the Strawberry & Cream, or Strawberry Cream cookie recipe! It has freeze-dried strawberries, cream cheese and white chocolate chips. But it doesnโt seem to be on your website anymore. Any help would be appreciated, thank you.
Hi Sally, we were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that recipe, so we unpublished it. But if you send us a request to sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com we will email it to you!
Skip this one, or only serve while they are warm. As an other reviewer mentioned, they were ok while warm, but after they cooled, and especially the next day the texture was mushy and not appealing. I just threw most of them away, which almost never happens with three young kids in the house who love all things sweet.