This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.

Jump to Recipe
5 from 3 reviews

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 chocolate strawberry cake 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 perfect for bridal showers, weddings, mother’s day brunch, or a fancy tea party!

Why You’ll Love My Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

  • 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. I do not recommend using fresh strawberries.
  • 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 by step process showing how to make strawberry shortbread cookies

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 1/4 inches thick). Wrap it in the plastic wrap then refrigerate for 1 hour (optional, see notes in recipe card below).

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 1/2 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.

strawberry glaze in a bowl with a whisk in it

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

Storage Instructions

The strawberry shortbread 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.

More Recipes You’ll Love

strawberry frosted donuts on a tray with one strawberry

Strawberry Frosted Donuts
slice of vanilla strawberry cake on a plate

Strawberry Vanilla Cake
a slice of chocolate strawberry cake on a plate with a fork

Chocolate Strawberry Cake
strawberry sugar cookies stacked on top of each other with the one on top missing a bite

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

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!

strawberry shortbread cookies on a baking sheet with glaze and freeze dried strawberries on top
5 from 3 reviews

Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

Gabby Kislanko
These strawberry shortbread cookies are soft, buttery, and covered in a strawberry glaze! Easy to make with just 7 simple ingredients!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients
 

Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

  • 1¾ cup + 2 tbsp (238 g) all-purpose flour, SEE NOTES
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (73 g) icing sugar
  • ¾ cup + 3 tbsp butter , (regular or vegan), softened
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (15 g) freeze-dried strawberries, SEE NOTES
  • pinch of salt

Strawberry Glaze

  • 6 tbsp (12 g) freeze-dried strawberries , SEE NOTES
  • ¾ tsp lemon juice
  • 1½ tbsp butter (regular or vegan), melted
  • 2 tbsp milk (regular or vegan), (add more as needed)
  • ¾-1 cup (90 g) icing sugar

Instructions
 

Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

  • Add butter and icing sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer and beat until smooth. Mix in the vanilla, then add in the flour and pinch of salt.
  • Roughly chop the freeze dried strawberries and stir them into the dough. Form the dough into a log shape and wrap in plastic wrap. The log will be roughly 7 inches long and 1 1/4 inches thick. Refrigerate for 1 hour (optional, see notes).
  • Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • Slice the log of dough into pieces that are just under 1/2 inch thick, then bake for 8-11 minutes, or until the edges are very slightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the strawberry glaze.

Strawberry Glaze

  • Use a blender or food processor to grind the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder (it's okay if there are some larger pieces or seeds). You can also place the strawberries in a ziploc bag then roll over them with a rolling pin.
  • Melt the butter in the microwave or over the stove then transfer to a bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Add in the freeze dried strawberries. Add more powdered sugar if needed to thicken the glaze.
  • Dip the cooled shortbread into the glaze or drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Add more freeze dried strawberries on top for decoration if desired. Place the cookies on a plate or cooling rack to let the glaze set.

Equipment

Mixing Bowl

Notes

MEASURING FLOUR: Properly measure your flour using the scoop and level method or a kitchen scale.
CHILLING THE DOUGH: Chilling the dough helps the butter to firm up so that the cookies hold their rectangular (or circular, if making these as round cookies) shape. If you aren’t too worried about the shapes of the cookies being perfect or having perfectly straight edges, you can chill the dough for less time or even skip the chill time altogether. The dough can also be chilled for a few days before baking. 
COOKIE CUTTERS: These cookies can be made as round cookies or using fun-shaped cookie cutters. I recommend chilling the dough for at least one hour beforehand, then roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut out the shapes. 
STRAWBERRIES: Freeze-dried strawberries should be used in this recipe for a strong strawberry flavor. Using fresh strawberries provides significantly less strawberry flavor, but it will work. For the cookies, dice 6 tbsp of fresh strawberries into small pieces then fold them into the dough. If the dough seems too wet, add in 1-2 tbsp more flour. For the glaze, blend or mash the strawberries up and mix them into the glaze. You may need to add more powdered sugar to compensate for the liquid from the fresh strawberries.
You can also use strawberry extract if you don’t have freeze dried strawberries.
Storage and Freezing Instructions: Store cookies for up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container.
The cookie dough can be chilled for up 5-6 days before baked. You can also freeze the plastic wrapped dough in a large freezer bag for 2-3 months.
Baked shortbread can be frozen in either glazed or not glazed (just wait for the glaze to set before freezing) in an air tight container.
Calories: 280kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 580IU, Vitamin C: 158mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Please let us know by leaving a star rating and review!

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