These Strawberry Swirl Cookies are a true delight, featuring an ultra-chewy vanilla sugar cookie dough beautifully swirled with vibrant, strawberry-infused cookie dough. Soft, chewy, and bursting with fruity flavor, these cookies are ready in under an hour, making them a perfect last-minute treat or a fun baking project.
They are inspired by classic sugar cookies but with a fresh, fruity twist that will captivate any strawberry lover. The result is a naturally pink, visually stunning cookie with an incredible texture and a gorgeous, vibrant swirl.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ultra-Chewy Texture: Perfectly soft and chewy, a delightful contrast to crispy cookies.
- Natural Strawberry Flavor: Infused with real strawberry, offering an authentic fruity taste without artificial extracts.
- Visually Stunning: The beautiful pink and white swirl makes them as pretty to look at as they are delicious to eat.
- Quick & Easy: Ready in under an hour, perfect for when a cookie craving strikes.
- Kid-Friendly: A fun recipe to make with children, and a treat they’ll adore.
📜 A Brief History of Sugar Cookies
The sugar cookie, a simple yet beloved classic, traces its origins back to the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers, known as the Moravians, developed the cookie, originally called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie. Its simplicity—using sugar, flour, butter, and eggs—made it an accessible, popular treat. Over time, sugar cookies became a canvas for creativity, decorated for holidays and special occasions. Adding fruit, like in these strawberry swirl cookies, is a modern twist that adds a fresh dimension to this timeless favorite.
🛠 Tools You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls (large & medium) 🥣
- Hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment 🎛️
- Whisk & silicone spatula 🍴
- Measuring cups & spoons 📏
- Baking sheets & parchment paper 📄
- Small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop 🥄
- Wire cooling rack 🌬️
🥄 Key Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Softened for easy creaming and rich flavor 🧈
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness and helps with structure 🍚
- Large egg: Binds the dough and keeps it tender 🥚
- Pure vanilla extract: Enhances overall flavor 🍦
- All-purpose flour: The base for chewy cookies 🌾
- Baking powder: For a soft, slightly puffy texture ⬆️
- Freeze-dried strawberries: For natural strawberry flavor and color 🍓
- Milk: To help blend freeze-dried strawberries into a paste 🥛
- Pink food coloring (optional): To intensify color 💖
🍪 How to Make Delightful Strawberry Swirl Cookies
- Cream Butter & Sugar: In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy 🧈🍚
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined 🥚🍦
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl 🥣✨
- Form Dough: Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet on low speed until just combined 🌾👐
- Divide Dough: Split dough in half; leave one half plain 🔪
- Prepare Strawberry Dough: Crush freeze-dried strawberries, mix with milk to form a paste, then fold into second half. Add pink food coloring if desired 🍓💖
- Shape Swirled Cookies: Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of each dough, roll into 5-inch logs, taper ends, press logs together, roll into spiral balls 🌀🍪
- Roll in Sugar: Coat each cookie ball with extra granulated sugar ✨
- Chill (Optional): Chill on parchment-lined sheet 15-30 mins ❄️⏱️
- Preheat Oven: 350°F (175°C) 🌡️🔥
- Bake: 9-11 mins, edges lightly golden, centers soft ⏱️🍯
- Cool: Let cookies cool 5 mins on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack 🌬️🍪
💡 Tips for Success
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing can toughen cookies.
- Use Freeze-Dried Strawberries: Adds color & flavor without extra moisture.
- Chill Dough: Makes it easier to shape and keeps swirl defined.
- Don’t Overbake: Centers should look slightly soft for chewy texture.
- Taper Logs: Helps create a more defined spiral.
🆘 Cookie Troubleshooting Guide
- Cookies Spread Too Much: Dough too warm; chill longer.
- Not Chewy Enough: Overbaked or too much flour; bake until centers slightly underdone.
- Color Not Vibrant: Not enough strawberry powder or coloring; crush strawberries finely and add gel coloring.
👩🍳 Pro Chef Tips
- Use vanilla bean paste for richer flavor.
- Try other freeze-dried fruits like raspberries or blueberries.
- Add white chocolate chips to vanilla dough for extra sweetness.
- Store baked cookies in airtight container to keep chewy.
☕ Perfect Pairings: What to Drink with Your Cookies
- Cold milk 🥛
- Iced tea or lemonade 🍋
- Hot white chocolate or herbal tea ☕
- Sparkling rosé or fruit-infused water 🥂
📦 How to Store
- Room Temp: Airtight container, 3-5 days.
- Freezer: Baked cookies up to 3 months; unbaked dough also up to 3 months.
🍰 More Recipes You’ll Love
- 🎃 Pumpkin Pudding Cookies Soft, Spiced & Ready in 30 Minutes!
- 🎉 Irresistibly Gooey Carrot Cake Stuffed Cookies
- 🍪 Ultra-Soft Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cookies
- 🎀 Soft Sour Cream Cookies with Pink Frosting
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Delightful Strawberry Swirl Cookies: A Chewy, Fruity Treat! 🍓✨
Description
These Strawberry Swirl Cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with real strawberry flavor. Vibrant pink swirls make them as beautiful as they are delicious, and they’re ready in under an hour perfect for last-minute treats, family baking, or a fun fruity twist on classic sugar cookies.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
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Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the large egg and pure vanilla extract until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
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Form Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
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Divide Dough: Divide the cookie dough evenly into two separate bowls.
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Prepare Strawberry Dough: In a small bowl, combine the finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries with 1 tablespoon of milk to form a thick paste. Add this strawberry paste to one half of the cookie dough. If desired, add a few drops of pink gel food coloring to enhance the color. Mix until the strawberry paste is fully incorporated and the dough is uniformly pink.
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Shape Swirled Cookies: Take a small portion (about 1 tablespoon) of the plain vanilla dough and roll it into a log about 5 inches long, tapering the ends slightly. Do the same with a small portion of the strawberry dough. Gently press one vanilla log and one strawberry log together side by side. Carefully roll them together into a flat spiral shape. Then, gently roll the spiral into a ball, ensuring the swirl pattern remains visible on top. Repeat this process with the remaining dough. If the dough becomes too soft or sticky to handle at any point, place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up
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Coat in Sugar: Place the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Roll each shaped cookie ball in the sugar to coat evenly.
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Chill (Optional): For best results and to prevent spreading, place the shaped and sugar-coated cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes before baking.
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Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Bake: Arrange the chilled cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still appear soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
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Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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