Strawberry sugar cookies are soft and chewy, with a crunchy sugar crust and plenty of sweet strawberry flavor! They're made from scratch using freeze-dried strawberries, with no dyes or artificial flavors.
In a large bowl add butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about a minute.
In a food processor, process freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder.
In a separate bowl, whisk (or sift) together the flour, strawberry powder, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined.
Cover bowl or wrap dough in wax paper. Chill for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator. Refrigerating helps the flavors meld and makes dough firmer and easier to roll into balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop dough using a 1.5 tablespoon (medium) scoop or shape by hand into 1.5 inch balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar.
Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to crack on top. Cookies will not brown on tops or sides. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Cookies will keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
Raw cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls (and baked cookies) freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag.
Freeze-dried strawberry can NOT be substituted with fresh strawberries - freeze-dried strawberries work because they are not adding extra moisture to the cookie dough.
Optional: add a few dots of red or pink food coloring to dough for a brighter color. Or, roll cookies in red or pink sugar sprinkles instead of granulated sugar before baking.