Delicious Strawberry Butter Cookies

These melt-away strawberry butter cookies are the perfect treat whether you're enjoying a quiet moment with tea on a drizzly day or adding something special to your holiday cookie collection. With their delicate, crumbly texture from quality butter and bright strawberry notes, they simply dissolve in your mouth. The recipe is straightforward enough for a weeknight baking session but pretty enough to show off at gatherings.

I baked these for a spring outing last year and everyone kept coming back for more. These days, my neighbor's little girl asks for them every birthday without fail.

Collect Your Ingredients

• Butter: creates that tender crumb and keeps everything moist, so try to get good quality European-style when possible
• Granulated sugar: adds sweetness and helps create those crispy edges, try to use fine crystal variety
• Cake or all-purpose flour: builds the cookie foundation, with cake flour making them extra tender if available
• Powdered sugar: delivers that bakery-style softness and works perfectly in the glaze
• Strawberry jam: adds a natural fruity tang, go for one packed with actual berries for better taste
• Vanilla extract (optional): even a tiny bit enhances the cookie base with wonderful aroma

How to Make It

Prepare the Cookie Dough:

Mix the soft butter and granulated sugar in a big bowl until it looks really light and fluffy, taking about four minutes with a sturdy wooden spoon or hand mixer for the best texture

Add the Flour:

Slowly mix in the flour in three parts using gentle movements, finishing with your hands or a spatula to make sure everything's well combined, the dough will feel soft but shouldn't fall apart

Shape and Chill:

Take tablespoons of dough, roll them into balls and put them on a lined baking tray with space between them, press them down slightly with your fingers or a glass bottom for more even cookies, then cover and chill for at least ten minutes to help them keep their shape

Bake the Cookies:

Heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit while the dough rests, then bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes until the cookies look just set without browning, with just light gold on the bottoms

Cool and Prepare Filling:

Let the cookies cool completely on the tray for ten minutes before moving to a rack, meanwhile stir the strawberry jam until smooth, and if it seems too runny, mix in a bit of cornflour and warm gently to thicken

Assemble and Glaze:

After cookies cool down, put a small spoonful of strawberry jam between two cookies or simply top each with jam, then sprinkle with powdered sugar or make a simple glaze by mixing powdered sugar with a little water

Optional Touch:

Mix some vanilla extract into your dough for more flavor or stir a tiny bit into the jam filling for extra aroma

My favorite part has to be the jam because it takes me back to picking strawberries with my grandma when I was little. That sweet fruity layer nestled between buttery cookies tastes like early summer in every bite.

Flavor Boosters

Feel free to try raspberry or apricot jam for something different. If you need gluten-free options, a flour blend works nicely instead of cake flour, but make sure it contains xanthan gum. You can use margarine to replace butter in a pinch, but you'll miss out on some richness and softness.

Serving Suggestions

Stack these cookies on a pretty cake stand with fresh strawberry slices for a beautiful table display. They make wonderful gifts wrapped in parchment paper or tucked into lunch boxes. For something special, try adding a swirl of vanilla buttercream between cookies for a bakery-style treat.

Creative Twists

Butter cookies hold a special place in both European and North American baking traditions, often appearing during holidays. Adding fruit jam connects to the thumbprint cookie style that's big in Scandinavian cooking. When strawberries are fresh and in season, try cooking up your own quick jam for truly homemade taste.

Everyone at my book club can't stop talking about how soft these cookies are and how they love that burst of jam in every bite. I once made a big batch for an afternoon at the park with my kids, and all the other parents thought I'd bought them from a fancy bakery.

Common Questions About This Recipe

→ Can I use fresh strawberries instead of jam?

Strawberry jam works best for consistent sweetness and texture, but you can try making your own substitute by cooking and blending fresh strawberries until smooth.

→ What type of flour works best for these cookies?

You'll get softer cookies with cake flour, but all-purpose flour makes them a bit sturdier and works just fine too.

→ Why use both regular and powdered sugar?

The powdered sugar mixes in smoothly for that soft, gentle bite, while granulated sugar adds just the right amount of structure and sweetness.

→ Can the dough be made in advance?

You can definitely make the cookie dough 1-2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Just let it warm up a little before you start shaping and baking.

→ Should the butter be salted or unsalted?

Unsalted butter lets you manage the flavor balance better, but you can go with either one based on what you like.