Description
Delight in these soft and chewy vegan Strawberry Sugar Cookies featuring a natural strawberry reduction that infuses every bite with fruity flavor and a beautiful pink hue. Perfectly sweetened and subtly flavored with vanilla, these cookies are easy to make and great for sharing or storing for later.
Ingredients
Strawberry Reduction
- 3 cups (360g) strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (150g) vegan butter (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4-1 teaspoon pink food coloring (or red food coloring, as needed)
- 2 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
Coating
- 1/4 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 1/2 cups of strawberry puree. If not blending, you will have small chunks of strawberry in the cookies.
- Cook the strawberry puree: Place the strawberry puree or whole strawberries with a dash of water into a large pot or saucepan on medium heat. Cook while stirring occasionally (or stirring constantly if on high heat) for 15-30 minutes until the mixture thickens to about 120g (heaped 1/3 cup) and resembles tomato paste. Let it cool completely.
- Preheat and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cookie removal.
- Mix sugar and butter: In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar and vegan butter together until well combined and creamy.
- Add strawberry puree and flavorings: Mix in the cooled strawberry reduction, vanilla bean paste, and pink food coloring, beating until fully incorporated.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and a pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter) to the bowl. Beat until just combined to form a soft, tacky cookie dough. If dough is too sticky, cover and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.
- Scoop dough balls: Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, portion out about 20 balls of dough (approximately 2 tablespoons or 38g each).
- Coat dough balls in sugar: Place the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar in a small bowl and roll each dough ball in the sugar until well-coated.
- Arrange on baking sheets: Place the sugar-coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets spaced about 2 inches (5 cm) apart to allow spreading. For thinner, chewier cookies, gently flatten each ball slightly.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until the edges appear cooked and set.
- Cool the cookies: Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store and serve: Enjoy cookies warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, refrigerate for up to 10 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Using fresh or frozen strawberries works well, just thaw frozen before use.
- The amount of food coloring can be adjusted depending on desired pink intensity, but color will fade slightly during baking.
- Using a vegan butter and vanilla bean paste keeps this recipe fully plant-based and flavorful.
- Cooling the strawberry puree before adding prevents melting butter and affects dough consistency.
- Refrigerating the dough if sticky helps to handle and shape the cookies better.
- Cookies spread during baking, so space dough balls apart on trays.
