these raspberry strawberry cookies have three layers of shortbread: raspberry, strawberry and almond. fruity, buttery, and pink enough that you're ready for valentine's day!
i've been thinking more about putting my money where my mind is. i have more purchasing power now than ever before (surprise surprise since i was a student), and i want to support things that matter to me. asian american representation, small businesses, meaningful research. so when i heard about the good cookies event for cookies for kids' cancer that julie of the little kitchen was hosting, i knew i wanted to join in, monetarily (if you do too, awesome!) and with raspberry strawberry cookies in tow.
fruit + butter isn't my jam: people rave about the passion fruit caramels from jacques genin, but the combo of really tart passion fruit and almost too decadent caramel wasn't my favorite. buttery shortbread and tart raspberry and sweet strawberry is somehow different, and i'm all for it here.
i decorated the raspberry strawberry cookies with white chocolate and strawberry sugar. definitely not necessary, though this step makes them feel a little more pink and valentine-sies, especially since the brightness from the raspberries and the strawberries dulls a bit between raw dough and baked cookie.
flavor-wise, it makes the strawberry more apparent. if you want more of that buttery shortbread to come through, i'd recommend skipping this step.
notes in the recipe card if you want more info about how i decorated!
and if you're not sure what to do with the rest of the freeze dried strawberries, how about transforming it into strawberry popcorn?
1 year ago: honey toast | cauliflower salad with pickled grapes, cheddar and almonds
2 years ago: maple persimmon upside down cake
- 3 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
- ¼ cup freeze-dried raspberry powder
- food coloring if desired
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
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Mix together the butter and sugar until combined. Add the vanilla and salt. Split between 3 bowls.
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Add the almond extract to one bowl, the strawberry powder to another bowl, and the raspberry powder to the last bowl. Add food coloring if desired. Mix the contents of each bowl until homogenous and well-combined.
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Add 1 cup flour to each bowl, and mix each bowl until a dough forms. Feel free to drizzle some water (no more than a few tablespoons) if the dough seems dry. Let the dough chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
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Roll each dough out to ¼” thick. You’ll be layering the doughs, so try to make them similar in shape and thickness. Trim the edges until you get a smooth rectangle (you can still bake the trimmings), and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter or a paring knife. I like cookies that are about 3.5cm x 6.5cm.
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Place the cookies on an ungreased (I like using a Silpat) baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.
Adapted from Ina Garten.
To make the fruit powders, place the freeze-dried fruit in a spice or coffee grinder, and pulse until very fine. If you notice a lot of big pieces still intact, sift the powder into the cookie dough.
If you want to decorate the cookies like this, melt some white chocolate (you can add a splash of vegetable oil if it's too thick to help thin it out). Pour into a plastic bag, snip a corner, and drizzle the chocolate onto the cookies. Sprinkle strawberry sugar (freeze-dried strawberry powder mixed with super-fine sugar) onto the chocolate and let harden.
other cookies besides these raspberry strawberry cookies
Maria | kitchenathoskins says
They look so pretty and packed with berry flavors. I will have no problem in devouring the entire batch;)
Susannah says
Heather, You are wonderful for creating and sharing this lovely recipe for such a worthy cause!
Your Mediavine swag is on the way and should be to you soon. It's a small token of our appreciation for your time and efforts to wipe out pediatric cancer.
Thank you so much for participating!
— Susannah at Mediavine
JulieD says
Thank you so much for participating this year! You're amazing!
Robotance says
Looks very sweet and so good! I really love the little heart you added into this! Also, I love the raspberry and strawberry, so why not put them together!? 🙂