Bright, happy, and fruity as can be, these Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookies are just fun, aren’t they? They’re also easier than you might think – creating the marbled effect is a breeze. Read on for a few tips or just jump ahead to the recipe.

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Strawberry Lemon Sugar Cookies

This recipe is sort of my own riff on the wonderful cookie of a similar make/model from baking blogger Sarah Kieffer’s book, 100 Cookies (highly recommend). I struggle to find lemon paste and vanilla paste regularly, so my version here swaps in extracts for those. I use regular food coloring, and freeze-dried strawberries as well. They’re SO good and I honestly find the whole marbled cookie effect to be totally attractive – it’s just a good time.

Don’t fear the marbling! To achieve this look, you take a ball of yellow/lemon dough and a ball of the pink/strawberry dough and sort of press them together. Roll them into a single, smooth ball, creating a cookie that is about 1-inch in size (doesn’t have to be exact).

What you’ll need to make these Strawberry Lemon Cookies

This is a very standard-op sugar cookie recipe, but with the delicious addition of some dried strawberries and lemon extract + zest.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)
1.5 cups granulated sugar
Zest of two large lemons (this doesn’t have to be an exact amount)
1 egg plus 1 yolk
½ teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
.8 to 1-ounce package of freeze-dried strawberries (raspberries also work)
A few drops of red and yellow food coloring, optional (to taste)

How to make these Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

A good amount of butter, extra vanilla, some lemon zest and extract, and some crushed freeze dried berries combine to make a truly delicious, beautiful cookie.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until nicely combined.

In a bowl using an electric mixer and the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest, egg and yolk, lemon extract, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Crush the freeze-dried berries into as fine a dust as you can (a food process or just your fish/a rolling pin will do the trick). Transfer half of the dough to a bowl and to the half still left in the mixer, add the crushed berries and as much red food coloring as you like. You can add a few drops of yellow to the other half, if you like. Mix both just until combined, and the color is well distributed.

Roll all of the dough (both colors) into ½” to ¾” balls. To make a cookie, gently press and roll together a red and yellow ball until you have one smooth cookie. Place them on cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches in between.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just done. They’ll be nice and flat – chewy in the middle and crisp around the edges once they’ve totally cooled. Let them cool completely before transferring elsewhere.

If you like the looks of these Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookies, you might also like:

Whipped Cornbread Cookies

Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies