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 actually tastes like berries.
I’m always looking for an excuse to make my favorite strawberry buttercream, and these cookies are worth the effort. The base is an extra-tender, cakey sugar cookie reminiscent of classic bakery-style cookies: thick, soft, and never dry. Topped with a concentrated strawberry buttercream made from real berries, these cookies have an authentic strawberry flavor you won’t get from artificial extracts.
I prefer a generous layer of frosting, so I pipe it on with a piping bag and star tip, but a flat spatula or the back of a spoon works just as well if you want a simpler finish.
For the Sugar Cookies
This dough yields thick, cakey cookies, so avoid delicate, intricate cutters. The dough needs at least 4 hours to chill before rolling and cutting, so plan ahead.
Start by sifting the dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Cake flour is important for a delicate crumb—do not use self-rising flour. In another bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar, then add the egg, cream cheese, vanilla, and a touch of almond extract. The cream cheese keeps the cookies extra soft, and almond extract brightens the flavor. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until combined.
Divide the dough into two portions and form each into a disc about 1 inch (2–3 cm) thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.
After chilling, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Keep the dough about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick for thick cookies. Cut rounds, transfer them to a lined baking sheet, and bake.
Recipe Tip
Watch the cookies closely while baking—the tops should look set when you remove them, and the bottoms should not be browning. With sugar cookies, visual cues matter more than strict timing.
For the Strawberry Frosting
The frosting is made from real strawberries. If you use frozen fruit, thaw it first—microwaving in 1-minute intervals on medium power speeds this up.
To avoid watery frosting, concentrate the strawberry flavor by pureeing the berries and removing seeds. Pulse the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth, then press the puree through a fine metal sieve to remove seeds.
Cook the sieved puree in a saucepan over low–medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reduces to roughly one-third of its original volume and thickens to a jam-like consistency. This concentrates the flavor and removes excess water. Cool the reduced puree completely before adding it to the buttercream.
When cool, make the frosting like a typical American buttercream: beat the butter until fluffy, add powdered sugar, then blend in the reduced strawberry puree and a pinch of salt. Add a tablespoon or two of cream only if needed to reach a spreadable texture.
To decorate, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (a 1M works well). Start in the center of each cookie and pipe a spiral outward for a rosette. Keep steady pressure and ease off at the end for a clean finish. If you prefer, use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the frosting.
Make Ahead Tips
The dough discs (wrapped) can be refrigerated up to 48 hours before rolling and baking.
Fully baked and cooled cookies freeze well. Layer cookies with parchment or wax paper between them and store in a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator.
For the frosting, prepare the strawberry puree and reduce it up to 2 days ahead. Cool completely, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and finish the buttercream on the day you plan to frost the cookies.
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
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Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups cake flour (360 grams), for extra thick cookies – add 2 extra tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened but not starting to melt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 ounces cream cheese (56 grams), full-fat, brick style
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- extra cake flour, for rolling out the cookies
Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), slightly softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams), sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream (15-30 ml), if needed
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
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Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk and set aside.
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In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 2–4 minutes.
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Beat in the cream cheese until smooth, then scrape down the bowl.
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Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until combined.
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On low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until incorporated.
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Divide dough in half. Form each half into a disc about 1 inch thick and wrap in plastic.
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Chill the dough discs for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets. If dough is very cold, let it warm slightly at room temperature before rolling.
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Work with one disc at a time. Lightly flour the surface and rolling pin. Roll dough to about 1/3 inch (5–8 mm) thickness, cut rounds, and place on lined baking sheets about 1½ inches apart. Re-form scraps and repeat.
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Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 11–13 minutes, until the tops look set. Cool on the baking sheet.
Strawberry Frosting
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Puree the sliced strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
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Pass the puree through a fine sieve to remove seeds, using a spoon or spatula to press it through. Transfer the strained puree to a saucepan.
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Over low–medium heat, gently simmer the puree, stirring constantly, until reduced to about 1/3–1/4 of its volume and thick like jam (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and cool completely.
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When the reduced puree is cool, beat butter until fluffy. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar, then add 3 tablespoons of the reduced puree and salt. Scrape the bowl and continue adding the remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with extra reduced puree or a splash of cream, until you reach the desired consistency and sweetness.
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Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with your preferred tip (1M works well) and pipe rosettes starting from the center outward, or spread with an offset spatula or knife.
Notes
- Cake Flour: Do not use self-rising cake flour. If you don’t have cake flour, substitute 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour plus ⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted together several times.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for best texture.
- Almond Extract: Optional but recommended for added depth.
- Strawberries: Fresh or frozen both work; thaw frozen berries before pureeing.
- Frosting Yield: You may have leftover frosting depending on how much you pipe on each cookie.
- Make Ahead: Prepare dough up to 48 hours ahead. Reduce the strawberry puree up to 48 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to finish the buttercream.
- Storage: Store assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator up to 5 days. If chilled, let sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.
- Nutrition: Nutrition facts are estimates based on 20 cookies and assume all frosting is used; actual values will vary with cookie size and frosting amount.
Nutrition
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