Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to give gifts to a special person – or special people – in your lives. So why not make some cookies? They make the perfect sweet gift. Whether you bake or not, these delicious treats will make this Valentine’s Day extra special. Ready your aprons and let’s get started!

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Spatulas + whisk OR electric mixer
• Baking sheet
• Food processor OR mortar and pestle OR plastic bag and rolling pin
• 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop OR tablespoon
• Pink/red gel food coloring (optional BUT REALLY RECOMMENDED)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups (45 g) freeze-dried strawberries (1.5oz)
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¾ cups (215 g) all-purpose flour
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar for rolling
• 1 teaspoon of strawberry extract (optional but recommended for a stronger flavor and color)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175C).
2. Place 2 ½ cups freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor and pulse repeatedly until they’re ground to a fine dust. Measure out 1 Tablespoon of fine powder and place in a small dish (for rolling the cookies).*
3. Combine 1 cup unsalted butter,1 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until well-creamed (about 2 minutes on md-high speed).
4. Add strawberry powder (minus the Tablespoon which you will reserve for later) and stir on low-speed until combined.
5. If desired, add pink food coloring until desired color is achieved.
   Pink food coloring
6. Stir in 1 large egg until combined.
   
7. In a separate dish, whisk together 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour,¾ teaspoon salt,½ teaspoon baking soda. With the mixer on low-speed, gradually add to the strawberry mixture in 3 parts, stirring until completely combined.
8. Take your reserved strawberry powder from earlier and add ¼ cup (50 g) of granulated sugar. Whisk until well-combined.
9. Scoop dough by level 1 ½ Tablespoon and roll between your palms to make a smooth ball. Roll through the strawberry/sugar mixture until completely coated and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing at least 2” apart.
10. Bake in the center rack of a 350℉ (175℃) oven for 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for several minutes before using a spatula to carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying.

*If you’re using a mortar and pestle (or a bag and rolling pin), just crush the strawberries until powdery! The seeds will likely be intact but that’s okay.

Tips 

• Add some food coloring to make the cookies look more red! If you decide not to, the cookies will come out with a pinkish color: But overbaking will risk it looking too brown. Play it safe!
• For cookies, we always recommend a silicone baking mat. It helps the cookies from browning too much in the oven and it’s super convenient.
• Feel free to mix in white chocolate chips or other sweet toppings! If you are, make sure to add them in just before the dry ingredients are fully combined. This will prevent overmixing!
• While your first batch is baking, roll some more dough balls and put them aside. It streamlines the baking process! You can also clean your equipment for less post-bake dishwashing.

And that’s it! Your sweet gift is ready to be received by your loved one (or your stomach, we don’t blame you). These cookies were a fun challenge for us: The color was surely unexpected. But baking is about trial and error, so don’t give up! 

This recipe was modified from Sam’s at Sugar Spun Run. Check it out! https://sugarspunrun.com/strawberry-cookies