5 Ingredients or Fewer
by: Emma Laperruque
May29,2018
4.4
12 Ratings
- Prep time 1 hour
- Cook time 26 minutes
- Makes 12 cookies
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Author Notes
The amount of freeze-dried strawberries called for here totals at 1.2 ounces, the standard-sized bag. Don't substitute fresh strawberries! Their moisture would compromise the recipe. But you could substitute other freeze-dried fruit, from raspberries to blueberries. —Emma Laperruque
Test Kitchen Notes
This is one of our Big Little Recipes. Read more here: 5-Ingredient Strawberry Shortbread Is Prettiest in Pink —The Editors
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
StrawberryShortbread
Ingredients
- Glaze and sprinkles
- 1/2 cupfreeze-dried strawberries (9 grams)
- 1 cuppowdered sugar (114 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoonkosher salt
- 3 tablespoonsheavy cream, plus more as needed
- Shortbread
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour (257 grams)
- 2/3 cuppowdered sugar (76 grams)
- 1 teaspoonkosher salt
- 1 cupunsalted butter, cold, roughly chopped (226 grams)
- 1 1/4 cupsfreeze-dried strawberries (25 grams)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Start the glaze and sprinkles. Add the strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and blend until powdery. Divide between two small-ish mixing bowls and cover each with plastic wrap. No need to clean the food processor—we’ll be using it in just a sec.
- Move onto the shortbread. Add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt to the food processor. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle the butter evenly on top. Pulse until the mixture is mealy, like you took pie dough a few pulses too far. Sprinkle the strawberries evenly on top. Pulse until a shaggy dough starts to form. It shouldn’t be one cohesive mass, but should easily hold together when you squeeze it with your fingers.
- Divide evenly among the cups of a standard-muffin pan (roughly a heaping 2 tablespoons each). Press the dough down with your fingers to create solid cookies. Prick each one a few times with a fork.
- Bake for about 26 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the edges are golden brown. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula to wiggle out of the cups. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before glazing.
- Make the glaze. Add the powdered sugar and salt to one of the strawberry powder bowls. Whisk with a fork to combine. Add the cream and whisk again until smooth. Add more as needed to yield a texture that’s somewhere between drippy frosting and thick glaze.
- When the shortbread is completely cool, turn each cookie upside-down. Use an offset spatula to spread strawberry-cream glaze on each. You want it to just ooze over the edges of the cookie but mostly stay put. Once they’re all glazed, turn to the rest of the strawberry powder. Transfer to fine-mesh sieve and shake, shake, shake over the glazed cookies, like a light dusting of sprinkles. Alternatively, you could do this by hand.
Tags:
- Cookie
- American
- Milk/Cream
- Dried Fruit
- Strawberry
- 5 Ingredients or Fewer
- Dessert
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Stacy Isabel
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Fran McGinty
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Lisa Dungan
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Brinda Ayer
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Emma Laperruque
Recipe by: Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
Popular on Food52
25 Reviews
C F. February 13, 2021
I agree with one of the reviewers below - the shortbread is a little too thick making the cookies quite dry. The cookie presentation is perfect for Valentines Day. Do love the dried strawberry addition.
Wulfstan February 16, 2020
These are very nice. I wonder if anyone has tried making twenty four thinner cookies instead of twelve? The glaze and sprinkles amount seemed far too much for twelve. And the thickness of the cookies was a bit much for me.
Stacy I. January 16, 2019
I need these (and summer!) NOW. So I went and bought 20oz of freeze dried strawberries off Amazon just so I could fill my home and <3 with ALL THE STRAWBERRY treats.
stay tuned foodie friends!
Emma L. January 18, 2019
Yay, hope you enjoy!
Fran M. July 23, 2018
I just made these. They are wonderful.
Emma L. July 26, 2018
Yay! So glad to hear that, Fran.
PaigeM July 16, 2018
Hi Emma, I'm excited to try this recipe for an event and I'm wondering if you have any idea how the cookie freezes--without the icing, of course?
Emma L. July 16, 2018
Hi Paige! I'd bake the shortbread, cool completely, then freeze in an airtight, freezer-friendly plastic bag. Or a couple plastic bags—however they won't be crushed. Then just thaw at room temperature before glazing and proceed as usual!
PaigeM July 17, 2018
Exactly what I was hoping you'd say. Thanks!
ThereseTetzel July 15, 2018
Can these cookies be baked free formed (individual) or in a traditional bar shaped and then cut before frosting?
Emma L. July 15, 2018
Hi! I haven't tried that, but I don't see why not! You could roll the dough into balls, smush into patties, and bake on a sheet tray. Keep in mind that the baking time will probably vary. Hope that helps!
Gina June 27, 2018
What if you don’t have a food processor? Is there a way of making these with just your hands to break up the butter?
Emma L. June 27, 2018
Hi! I haven't tried another method, but I imagine you could smash the berries in a plastic bag, then use a pastry cutter or fork or your hands to incorporate the butter into the flour. (If you have a standing mixer, this could be another good alternative.)
Lisa D. June 14, 2018
Hello. Might be helpful to include a warning about the silica packs in the freeze-dried strawberries. I've never used freeze-dried fruit and so just dumped the bag into the Cuisinart and turned it on. I didn't realize that I'd pulverized a silica packet too until I was adding the second bag and noticed a small white thing in the bowl. Had to throw out the powdered strawberries and go get two more bags. It may just be me and my unfamiliarity with the product, but thought it was worth a comment in case other first-time users of freeze-dried fruit are out there. Still going to make the cookies (they look amazing), but it was a little frustrating. Thank you.
Emma L. June 14, 2018
Oh no! So sorry that happened (and so glad you caught it in time). Appreciate the note—we'll certainly take that into consideration moving forward—and hope the new batch turns out well!
Carol June 13, 2018
Hi Emma,
I hope this will be my last question about this recipe. Once the icing is on the cookies, how do I store the left over cookies?
Emma L. June 13, 2018
Hi Carol! Happy to keep answering :) You can store these, too, in an airtight container. I like to avoid stacking or wrapping with plastic or foil, which can mess up the glaze.
Carol June 12, 2018
Hi Emma,
Can these cookies be made a day or two ahead? If so, how would I store them?
Carol
Emma L. June 12, 2018
For sure! But I would break up the recipe for best results: Bake the cookies, cool, and store in an airtight container for a couple days. Then, just before serving, add the glaze and strawberry dust.
Priscilla L. June 3, 2018
Annette, it's the first batch of dried strawberries that you are dividing into two bowls for the frosting and sprinkles. The 1 1/4 cup of dried berries goes into the batter. Hope this helps!
Annette June 3, 2018
A bit confused on the 3rd use of strawberry dust. In the recipe it says to divide--using half in the cookie and half in the glaze. Then is says to use remaining powder dusted on top of the glaze.
Brinda A. May 31, 2018
obsessed with the original strawberry recipe, but i can't wait to try these with freeze-dried bluebs and get beautiful purply-periwinkle cookies!
Emma L. May 31, 2018
Yes, please! They would be sooo pretty!
Denise May 30, 2018
What a nice, easy, fast, pretty recipe!! Delicious and the video really helped. The chefs note helped when I was purchasing the ingredients! Thank you!
Emma L. May 30, 2018
So happy to hear that—thanks, Denise!
