These strawberry-frosted sugar cookies are thick, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth, topped with a creamy buttercream made from real strawberries so the frosting truly tastes like berries.
I’m always looking for a reason to make my favorite strawberry buttercream, and these cookies are worth it. The base is an extra-tender, cakey sugar cookie reminiscent of Lofthouse-style cookies: thick, soft, and never dry. The star is the strawberry buttercream made from a reduced puree of real strawberries, which gives the frosting an authentic fruit flavor.
I prefer a thick layer of frosting, so I piped it on using a piping bag and a 1M tip. You can also spread the frosting with an offset spatula, a flat knife, or the back of a spoon if you prefer.
For the Sugar Cookies
This dough yields cakey, thick cookies, so stick to simple round cutters rather than ornate shapes. The dough must chill for at least 4 hours before rolling and cutting, so plan ahead.
Start by sifting the dry ingredients—cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Cake flour is important here to create a delicate, cakey crumb. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar, then beat in the cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and a touch of almond extract for depth of flavor. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disc about 1 inch (2–3 cm) thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Chilling firms the dough and makes it easier to roll without spreading during baking.
When chilled, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/3–1/2 inch thick for those extra-thick cookies. Cut rounds, place them on lined baking sheets about 1½ inches apart, and bake until the tops are set. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack.
Recipe Tip
Watch the cookies as they bake — remove them when the tops look set and not when the bottoms start to brown. With sugar cookies, appearance matters more than the clock.
For the Strawberry Frosting
The frosting is built from a reduced strawberry puree so it delivers concentrated, natural flavor without thinning the buttercream. If using frozen berries, thaw them first (a few short bursts in the microwave on medium power will speed this up).
Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth, then press the puree through a fine metal sieve to remove seeds. Place the sieved puree in a saucepan and simmer gently, stirring constantly, until it reduces to about one-third of its original volume and thickens nearly to a jam-like consistency. This intensifies the strawberry flavor and removes excess water that could make the frosting runny. Cool the reduction completely before adding it to the buttercream.
To make the buttercream, beat softened butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar in stages, and mix in the cooled strawberry reduction and a pinch of salt. If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons of whipping cream to reach the desired consistency. Start mixing on low speed and scrape the bowl often to ensure even mixing.
For decoration, fill a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip and pipe a spiral starting in the center of each cookie, moving outward to create a rosette. Maintain steady pressure and ease up at the end of each spiral. Alternatively, spread the frosting with a spatula or spoon.
Make Ahead Tips
Cookie dough (formed into two discs and wrapped) can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before rolling and baking. Let refrigerated dough warm slightly on the counter if it’s very firm before rolling.
Baked, cooled cookies freeze well. Layer them between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container and thaw in the refrigerator.
You can make the strawberry puree and reduce it up to two days ahead; cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the buttercream.
More Strawberry Recipes to Love
- Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Frosting
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Strawberry Sauce – perfect for ice cream sundaes!
Strawberry Frosted Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups cake flour (360 g) — for extra thick cookies, add 2 more tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened but not melting
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 oz (56 g) full-fat cream cheese, brick style
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- Extra cake flour for rolling
Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar (330–440 g), sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons whipping cream, if needed
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk and set aside.
- Beat butter and granulated sugar until creamed, about 2–4 minutes.
- Beat in cream cheese until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix to combine.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated.
- Divide dough in half, form each into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line cookie sheets. If the dough is very cold, let it sit briefly to soften slightly.
- Work with one disc at a time. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll to about ⅓ inch (5–8 mm) thickness. Cut rounds and transfer to the lined sheet about 1½ inches apart. Re-form scraps and repeat.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 11–13 minutes, until the tops look set. Cool on the sheet.
Strawberry Frosting
- Puree the sliced strawberries until smooth. Press through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds.
- Simmer the sieved puree over low–medium heat, stirring constantly, until reduced to about one-third of the original volume and thick like jam (about 20 minutes). Cool completely.
- Beat the butter until fluffy. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, then 3 tablespoons of the cooled reduced strawberry puree and the salt. Begin on low speed and scrape the bowl. Add remaining powdered sugar gradually, alternating with extra tablespoons of puree or a splash of cream, until you reach the desired texture and sweetness.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen tip and pipe rosettes or use a spatula to spread the frosting.
Notes
- Cake Flour: Do not use self-rising cake flour. If you don’t have cake flour, substitute by combining all-purpose flour with cornstarch (measure and sift as needed) to approximate cake flour.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for best texture.
- Almond Extract: Optional but recommended for added depth.
- Strawberries: Fresh or thawed frozen berries work; thaw frozen berries before pureeing.
- Frosting Amount: You may have leftover frosting depending on how heavily you frost each cookie.
- Make Ahead: Dough can be refrigerated up to 48 hours. Reduce the strawberry puree up to 48 hours ahead and refrigerate.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours or in the refrigerator up to 5 days. If chilled, bring to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.
- Nutrition: Nutrition values are estimates based on 20 cookies and assume all frosting is used.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 42 g,
Protein: 3 g,
Fat: 20 g