Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

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These strawberry shortbread cookies are soft, buttery, and covered in a delicious strawberry glaze! They are easy to make, bursting with natural strawberry flavor, and only require 7 ingredients!

strawberry shortbread cookies on a baking sheet with glaze and freeze dried strawberries on top

In my opinion, strawberries truly make the most delicious desserts. My strawberry cheesecake cookies are the most popular recipe on the blog, and I get requests to make strawberry banana muffins all the time!

But these strawberry shortbread cookies are something else. They taste like a little slice of heaven, and look so beautiful and elegant.

They are a perfect for bridal showers, weddings, mother's day, brunch or a fancy tea party!

Why These Strawberry Shortbread Cookies Work

You can make them in any shape you'd like - you can do rectangular ones like I did, or you can use round cut outs or other fun cookie cutter shapes
This recipe uses freeze-dried strawberries, which provide so much more strawberry flavor to the shortbread!
These strawberry shortbread cookies have freeze dried strawberries baked into them, and are then dipped in a strawberry glaze, which gives the cookies double the strawberry flavor!
This whole recipe uses only 7 ingredients, and they are egg and nut free!
Since this recipe uses freeze dried strawberries, it doesn't have to made saved for the summer months - you can make these cookies year-round!

Ingredients Needed

ingredients to make strawberry shortbread cookies in bowls labelled

Butter: You can use regular butter or dairy free butter to make strawberry shortbread cookies
Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour, and I don't recommend substituting any other flours.
Powdered sugar: If you follow a vegan diet, be sure to use a vegan icing sugar, as not all powdered sugar is vegan.
Freeze-dried strawberries: This is what gives the cookies their strawberry flavor. This recipe will work fine with fresh strawberries, but the strawberry flavor will be very, very subtle. If don't have freeze dried strawberries, you can also add strawberry extract to the glaze for a stronger strawberry flavor.
Milk: the strawberry glaze calls for a little bit of milk, and you can use either regular milk or dairy free milk.

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

STEP ONE: Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer and beat until smooth. Add in the vanilla, then mix in the flour and salt.

STEP TWO: Chop up half a cup of freeze dried strawberries and fold them into the dough. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and form it into a log shape (roughly 7 inches long and 1 ¼ inches thick). Wrap it in the plastic wrap then refrigerate for 1 hour (optional, see notes in recipe card below).

step by step process showing how to make strawberry shortbread cookies

STEP THREE: When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Slice the dough into pieces that are just under ½ inch thick. Bake for 8-11 minutes.

STEP FOUR: To make the glaze, crush 6 tablespoons of freeze dried strawberries into a powder (I use a small blender for this). Set aside.

STEP FIVE: Melt butter in the microwave or over the stove, then whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Mix in the freeze dried strawberries.

STEP SIX: Dip the cooled shortbread into the glaze, or drizzle the glaze over it, then place them on a plate or cooling rack while the glaze sets.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Do I have to chill the dough?

Chilling the dough helps the butter to firm up so that the cookies hold their rectangular shape (or circular, if making these as round cut-out cookies).

If you aren't too worried about the shape of the cookies or having perfectly straight edges, it's fine to chill the dough for less time or even skip the chill time altogether.

Can I make these cookies with fresh strawberries?

I don't recommend it. You just can't taste the strawberry flavor in these cookies as much using fresh or frozen strawberries, and they add liquid to the dough. If you only have fresh or frozen strawberries, you'll need to add about 1-2 tablespoon more flour to the shortbread dough (to compensate for the extra water from the strawberries).

Instructions to make the glaze using fresh strawberries is in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

strawberry glaze in a bowl with a whisk in it

Can I make these cookies with raspberries?

Sure! You can use freeze dried raspberries instead of strawberries. The dehydrated berries can be substituted at a 1-1 ratio.

Can I make strawberry shortbread cookies as round cookies or using cookie cutters?

Absolutely! Once the dough has been refrigerated (for at least one hour, ideally longer), roll it out onto a lightly floured surface and use your cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough.

Where can I find freeze dried strawberries?

Freeze-dried strawberries can be found in most grocery stores with the other dried fruits. You can also order them online.

Alternatively, you can make your own dried strawberries at home. Dried strawberries are slightly different than freeze-dried but they will work in a pinch!

Can I use artificial strawberry flavor?

There is plenty of strawberry flavor in these cookies with the freeze dried strawberries, but if you are using fresh strawberries and want to get more strawberry flavor, you can add strawberry extract to the glaze.

strawberry shortbread cookies stacked on top of each other with freeze dried strawberries in the background

Expert Tips

Properly measure your flour - If you over-measure your flour, the shortbread won't be as buttery and it will be crumbly and even a bit dry. I recommend weighing your flour with a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method
If you want to have perfectly shaped shortbread, refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. If you are planning to use cookie cutters or make round cookies, this step is necessary. If you aren't worried about the cookies being perfectly shaped, then you can skip the chilling step all together.
Let the shortbread cool completely before glazing the cookies so that it doesn't melt!
For an extra wow factor, decorate the shortbread with more freeze dried strawberries before the glaze has set completely!

Storage and Freezing Instructions

The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for up to a week.

You can freeze the plastic wrapped dough in a large freezer bag for 2-3 months. The glaze takes less than 5 minutes to make, so I recommend just making it when you decide to bake the dough.

You can freeze the baked shortbread as well! You can freeze them either glazed or not glazed (just wait for the glaze to set before freezing) in an air tight container.

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If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.