Description
Delight in these vibrant vegan Strawberry Sugar Cookies, made with fresh strawberry reduction and a soft, tender crumb. Naturally colored with pink or red food coloring and sweetened with granulated sugar, these cookies offer a perfect balance of fruity flavor and classic sweetness. Ideal for sharing or as a colorful treat at any occasion, they can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Cookies
- 3 cups (360g) strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (150g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ¼-1 teaspoon pink or red food coloring, as needed
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt (if using unsalted vegan butter)
Sugar Coating (optional)
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make the strawberry reduction: Optionally blend or puree the strawberries using a stick blender or food processor until you have about 1 ½ cups of puree. In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat, cook the strawberry puree (or whole strawberries with a splash of water) while stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high if needed and stir constantly to prevent burning. Continue cooking for 15-30 minutes until the mixture thickens and weighs about 120g, resembling tomato paste. Let it cool.
- Prepare cookie dough: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and vegan butter until smooth. Mix in the cooled strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and food coloring until combined.
- Add dry ingredients: Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt, then beat until just combined. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky. If too sticky, cover and chill for 10-20 minutes.
- Shape cookies: Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, portion dough into about 20 balls (approximately 2 tablespoons or 38g each). Roll each ball in the optional granulated sugar to coat.
- Arrange and flatten: Place cookie dough balls 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets because they’ll spread. For thinner, chewier cookies, gently flatten each ball before baking.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Storage and serving: Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, refrigerate up to 10 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Weigh strawberries and flour for best results to ensure proper dough consistency and spreading.
- Pink food coloring yields a medium-pink cookie color; red food coloring is stronger and requires less. Color fades during baking.
- For chewier cookies with more strawberry flavor, reduce flour to 2 cups (250g); dough will be stickier and cookies will crack more.
- The recipe works well gluten-free using King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour, resulting in a slightly softer dough and well-baked cookies.
- If cookies don’t spread during baking, flatten them gently right after removing from the oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
