Chewy, soft, and packed with real strawberry flavor, these sandwich cookies are anything but ordinary. Freeze-dried strawberries give them their bold berry punch and that gorgeous pink color, all without a drop of food coloring or soggy texture. It’s the kind of cookie that actually tastes as good as it looks.
All About the Strawberries
This isn’t your average sandwich cookie. It’s like a cross between a whoopie pie and a sugar cookie but loaded with a phenomenal strawberry flavor.
You know those soft sugar cookies from the bakery case? Imagine those, but better. Now smash two of them together with a thick swirl of tangy cream cheese frosting that’s packed with more strawberry flavor than any jam. That’s what you’re getting here.
I’ve tried using fresh strawberries in cookies. I’ve tried jam. Even frozen berries. But nothing compares to freeze-dried. Packed with flavor, zero moisture, and they blend right into your dough and frosting like magic. No weird color. No sogginess. Just pure berry intensity.
The strawberry cookie base is plain and simple, with cornstarch and cream of tartar, keeping the cookies a little chewy so they don’t crumble apart when you bite into the sandwich.
Make sure you don’t skip chilling the dough. Some cookie recipes don’t require it, but this one does, as it solidifies the butter and keeps them from spreading too much.
The filling is cream cheese-based, with more freeze-dried strawberries added for color and flavor. This helps keep the frosting thick enough to pipe. It’s the same frosting that I use for this moist strawberry cake.
Grab These Before You Start Baking
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Don’t forget to check the recipe card for the full list.
- Cream of tartar: It gives the cookies that signature soft-but-snappy bite and adds just a hint of tang to cut through the sweetness.
- Cornstarch: Keeps the cookie crumb soft and tender. It’s subtle but helps the cookies feel light, not dense.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: These add concentrated berry flavor without adding moisture. Fresh or frozen strawberries won’t work here. They also have an intense strawberry flavor and a natural pink color without food dye.
Mix It Up
Not into strawberries? Try freeze-dried raspberries or blueberries instead. Just keep the amount the same. The rest of the recipe doesn’t need to change.
How Strawberry Sandwich Cookies Come Together
Step One: Make the Dough
Pro tip: Room temperature butter will be easier to cream, incorporating more air and resulting in a lighter cookie. You can soften butter quickly if needed.
Step Two: Chill the Dough
Cover and chill the dough until firm. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much and helps hold their shape.
Step Three: Scoop and Bake
Pro tip: I kept the cookies large for a more bakery-style look, but you can make them smaller if you like.
Step Four: Make the Filling
Pro tip: If the filling feels too soft, chill it for a few minutes. Also, make sure to use room temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps. Learn how to soften cream cheese if you forgot to let it sit out.
Or, if you’re just here for a good cookie and couldn’t care less about filling, skip it! They’re so good on their own. Like strawberry shortcake in cookie form.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
Filling:
- 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup butter room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cookies:
- With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add to the butter mixture on low speed and mix until combined. Break up the strawberries into small pieces. Gently mix in the strawberries, just enough to disburse but not so much that they bleed into the dough.
- Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so that it is soft enough to form into balls but not as soft as it was when you made the dough. Use an ice cream scoop to form into balls
- Preheat oven to 325º. Place the balls on a parchment covered baking sheets. Gently press down with the palm of your hand to slightly flatten.
- Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are slightly browned, the centers will appear soft. Allow to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Frosting:
- In a food processor process the freeze-dried strawberries until they are powdery. Add butter and cream cheese and process until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and process. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time until it is smooth and creamy.
Assemble:
- Let the frosting chill for a few minutes then pipe or spread it onto 1 cookie and place another cookie on top. Let chill until the frosting sets.
