These Strawberry Sugar Cookies are are soft and chewy eggless pink sugar cookies that are made with real strawberries! They're soft and chewy in the middle and crunchy on the edges; the perfect combo! Best yet, they're also gluten free, nut free and easily vegan!!! Unlike many eggless cookies that go stale very quickly, these beauties stay soft for days!
These strawberry sugar cookies could not be more gorgeous! If you're a strawberry lover, these beauties are for you! They have a strong strawberry flavor throughout while still tasting like my Small Batch Sugar Cookies! Thanks to all the moisture from the strawberries, these beauties stay soft for days!
For more sugar cookie recipes, try my super popular Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, my Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies, my Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies and my Cut Out Sugar Cookies.
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Reasons to Love These Cookies
- Allergy Friendly- These cookies are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!
- Soft & Chewy- These cookies are the most perfect texture.
- Covered in Sugar- The sugar coating gives a nice sweetness just like with our Fruity Pebbles Cookies!
- Real Strawberries- Gives the cookies a pale pink color (to get the brighter pink use a bit of red food coloring) and an amazing strawberry flavor!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this gluten free flour because it’s nut safe but it does contain dairy. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce.
- Cornstarch- This little bit of cornstarch mixed into the flour prevents the cookies from spreading. Without it, the cookies will spread out when baking.
- Milk- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non dairy, use a non dairy milk of your choosing.
- Unsalted Butter or Vegan Baking Sticks- Don’t use melted; the cookies will spread into a giant mess.
- Cornstarch and Water- These cookies have no egg so this mixture helps bind everything together.
- Strawberries- You can use fresh or frozen.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make these Vegan
- Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
- Make sure the brand of sugar you use is vegan.
- Use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
- Only use a non dairy milk of choice.
- If using red food coloring, make sure the red food coloring is made in a vegan facility or is plant based.
How to Make this recipe with All Purpose Flour
- Use 2 packed cups of regular flour (336 grams).
- Only use 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Only use 2.5 tablespoons of strawberry liquid.
- You still need to chill the dough due to the lack of eggs.
This recipe has not been tested with these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Here are the step by step instructions to make these pink sugar cookies!
Make the Strawberry Liquid
Step 1: Heat the Strawberries and Granulated Sugar
In a saucepan set over medium heat, cook the granulated sugar and strawberries, stirring constantly, until they are syrupy. About 10 min. It will still appear chunky and that’s fine.
Step 2: Strain the Strawberries
Set a mesh colander over a bowl. Pour the strawberry liquid through the strainer and set aside to let cool.
Make the Cookies
Step 1: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the remaining 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Step 3: Cream the Sugar
In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter or vegan baking stick and 1 ¼ cups of the sugar until it is soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add in the other Wet Ingredients
Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, milk, the cooled strained strawberry liquid (about 3.5 tablespoons...you may have some left over) and vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look pale pink and chunky.
Step 5: Add in the Dry Ingredients and Chill the Dough
Slowly beat in the gluten free flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
If desired, add in ¼ teaspoon red food coloring and mix into the dough so it is blended throughout.
Keep the dough in the bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2.5 hours. You must not skip this step or the cookies will spread everywhere. I love to chill mine overnight.
Step 6: Scoop the Dough and Coat with Sugar
I use an ice cream scoop to make large cookies. It makes 12 scoops.
Roll each dough ball in the extra 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to coat completely.
Step 7: Bake the Cookies
Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Store extra dough balls in the fridge while the rest are baking if they don't all fit. I only bake 6 at a time.
Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven by using a spatula to push them into a circle shape and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. If you don't do this, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use Packed Cups of Flour- Normally in baking we do not use packed cups however, when working with gluten free, I've found using packed cups works best to help the baked goods keep their shape.
- Use Room Temperature Butter- Do not use softened or melted butter/vegan baking sticks. The cookies will spread out when baking into a giant mess.
- Strain the Strawberry Liquid- This is crucial. If you do not strain the strawberry liquid, there will be seeds all throughout your cookies. In addition, there will be way too much liquid and the cookies will end up being a spread out mess.
- Chill the Dough- If you don’t chill the dough for at least 2.5 hours, the cookies will spread and be flat and thin. Chilling overnight is the best.
- Reshape the Cookies- If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the dough the night before. Keep it shaped in a disc, wrapped in plastic and place in a zip top bag.
If doing this, there is no need to chill it again, prior to baking.
Or you can freeze the dough for up to 30 days. Thaw the dough in the fridge the night prior to using.
Most gluten free baked goods are best made the same day, but you can make these cookies a day before!
Unlike most gluten free cookies, they’re actually so soft they stay fresh for several days!
Yes! You can use a small cookie scoop.
Bake the cookies at the same temperature but for 13 minutes. Reshape as needed. Should make around 24 cookies.
Many food colorings are not safe for those with celiac and nut allergies.
It appears to me that McCormick is.
I checked their website and it said that any product that contains a gluten free label is produced on a dedicated gluten free line and has been validated as gluten free.
McCormick says if gluten appears in a product, they will always list it on a label.
They will never hide allergens under the term “natural flavors.”
I even called the company. The statement said, if a product ever contained an allergen it would be declared on the label. If it is not declared, this means the product does not contain it.
I feel very confident in using McCormick products due to these procedures they have in place, but of course you need to make your own decisions.
You can also use plant based natural food colorings but keep in mind the color may differ from mine.
Or you can eliminate the food coloring completely. The cookies will be a very pale pink.
Once the cookies have cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Other Strawberry Recipes You'll Love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @laneandgreyfare and follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube! Enjoy!!!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Liquid
- 1 ¾ cups quartered strawberries , fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
For the Cookies
- 2 cups gluten free flour (I use a 1:1 gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (keep the 2 tablespoons separate for rolling)
- 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- 3.5 tablespoons strawberry liquid
- ¼ teaspoon red food coloring (I use McCormick. You may need less if you’re using a gel or paste)
Instructions
For the Strawberry Liquid
- In a saucepan set over medium heat, cook the granulated sugar and strawberries, stirring constantly, until they are syrupy. About 10 min. It will still appear a little chunky and that’s fine.
- Set a mesh colander over a bowl. Pour the strawberry liquid through the strainer and set aside to let cool.
For the Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, the 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch, the baking powder and the kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature butter or vegan baking stick and 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar until soft and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly beat the cornstarch water mixture, milk, the cooled strained strawberry liquid (3.5 tablespoons...you may have some left over) and vanilla into the creamed butter and sugar. It will look pale pink and chunky.
- Slowly beat in the gluten free flour mixture a little at a time until just combined. If desired, add in ¼ teaspoon red food coloring and mix into the dough so it is blended throughout.
- Keep the dough in a bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2.5 hours. You must not skip this step or the cookies will spread everywhere. I love to chill mine overnight.
- After 2.5 hours, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Take the dough out of the fridge. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough out. You should have 12 scoops.
- Roll each dough ball in the extra 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to coat completely.
- Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Store extra dough balls in the fridge while the rest are baking if they don't all fit. I only bake 6 at a time.
- Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them into a circle and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack. If you don't do this, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.
Kristina
Love finding egg free recipes b/c my son has an egg allergy. He picked these for me to make. The strawberry liquid gave them such a nice flavor. The batter smelled so good!!! Lee was super helpful when I realized I didn’t have any cornstarch & I was trying to find a substitution. Sent my husband to the store though. Very easy recipe overall. Refrigerated over night & they baked perfectly this morning. Can’t wait to try more of Lee’s recipes! ☺️
Lee
SO glad they worked out! Thank you!!!
Lis
Amazing recipe! Easy to follow, clear cut instructions! I made these and they turned out delicious and perfect for a Vday treat!
Lee
I'm so thrilled! Thanks so so much!
Stacey B
This was so yummy!! I was amazed at how soft they were yet still held together! My kids absolutely adored them!! Will definitely make them again! Thank you!
Lee
I'm so glad they loved them!!! Thanks so much!!
Rebecca
Can I put the strawberries in or on the cookies?
Lee
Hi Rebecca! I have not made these with strawberries inside as I thought it might be way too much moisture. If you wanted to put strawberries on top when they're cool, I'm sure that would taste yummy! Just not sure how well they would keep...they may get soggy quickly.
Gianna
I had a question on how you had the cookies go flatter? I scooped them with the ice cream scooper but for some reason they didn’t seem to flatten out as much and stayed quite puffed up and only slightly went down. Do you have a recommendation on how I can get them to more of a cookie shape rather then stay so puffy? But overall they taste great! Love recipe
Lee
Hi Gianna. Before you put them in the oven you could use your hand to flatten them down so they're not a ball shape. Mine go down in the oven on their own but hopefully doing that prior to baking will help yours along!
Katey
Truly, TRULY, the best cookies. I used this recipe to make Kirby cookies for my 6 year old and they came out perfect! Easy to follow and just delicious. (I ate too many tbh!!!) Can’t wait to try the other sugar cookie recipes here!
Lee
Thank you so much! Making them into Kirby was so cute and a great idea!!!
Sarah
If I want to use eggs can I? What replaced the eggs?
Lee
Hi Sarah! Sadly I cannot test this recipe with eggs due to my son's severe allergy. It actually took me years to try to mimic the texture of a cookie with eggs, so I am not truly sure what adding one would do. If you wanted to try, I would use packed cups of flour (336 grams), no cornstarch water mixture, one egg, only 2 tablespoons of milk and 3 tablespoons of strawberry liquid. Hope it works out! Sorry I can't be of more help!
Char
Why is cornstarch listed in the recipe twice? Are you supposed to use that much of it?
Lee
Hi there! Yes. In the first part you're going to mix it into the gluten free four as a dry ingredient. Second you're going to mix 2 heaping tablespoons of it with the water to create a liquid which will act as an egg replacement. You do need both due to the lack of eggs and the liquid from the strawberries. Hope this helps!
Jill
The recipe was simple and the instructions were perfect. Fresh strawberry is the prize ingredient. We cut out heart shapes for Valentine’s Day!
Lee
Thank you!!! So glad!
Sydney
These cookies are so fun! A great way to brighten up the gray winter skies while baking on a Wednesday afternoon... I added a 1/2c sprinkles to the flour mixture and they turned out looking sort of like unicorn cookie colors?! Will make again!
Lee
Thanks so much!!!
Elaine
Another yummy recipe! So well written and easy to follow. Perfect for Valentine’s
Lee
Thank you!!!
Michele
When I rolled them in sugar and put them in the baking sheet they still were in ball form when they were fine. Do I need to flatten the ball out Before I put in the oven? Thanks!!!
Lee
Hi Michele! I actually do not flatten them before I put them in the oven. They have a lot of moisture in them so they tend to flatten and spread a bit on their own as they bake. Hope that makes sense!
Rachel
Do you think we could use arrowroot instead of cornstarch? Or would that change it too much?
Lee
I haven't tried that but I have people who have done that in my other recipes and it worked. Sorry I can't be of more help!
Kathryn
Made these cookies yesterday and my kids and I loved them! They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, so so yummy. The strawberry flavor is there, but subtle.
I used white flour in place of gluten free (as we don’t have any dietary restrictions). When using white flour instead, I did not change any other liquid measurements in the recipe as author suggests.
Lee
SO glad it worked out! Thanks!
Kelly
What GF 1:1 flour did you use to get them to flatten out and look so beautiful? Thank you! Looking forward to making these this weekend!
Denny
Made these cookies for Valentine's day using AP flour and as per Kathryn's comment, no need to change the liquid measurements. Great recipe!
Lee
So glad they worked out!!! Thanks!
Fayth
Did you still use cornstarch water and everything else just change to AP flour?
Ginny
These are just perfect for Valentine’s Day! Another winner!
Lee
Thank you!
John
These cookies are the best! Wow!