Strawberry Cookies With White Chocolate Chunks (Print Version)

Soft cookies made with fresh strawberries, white chocolate chunks, and cream cheese for ultimate tenderness and moisture.

# Ingredients:

→ For the Cookie Dough

01 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 3/4 cup sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
08 - 1/8 teaspoon salt

→ For the Strawberries and White Chocolate

09 - 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for coating strawberries)
12 - 5 oz white chocolate, chopped

→ For Topping

13 - Sanding sugar for decoration (optional)

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Pour fresh lemon juice over the chopped strawberries and let them sit for a few minutes. This draws out excess moisture. Then drain them well - this is the secret to preventing soggy cookies!
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
04 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar, and softened cream cheese together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
05 - Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix well until fully combined.
06 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Don't overmix.
07 - Stir in the chopped white chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
08 - Sprinkle the drained strawberries with 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour and toss gently until all the strawberry pieces are coated with a thin layer of flour. This helps prevent them from sinking and also keeps them from adding too much moisture.
09 - Gently fold the flour-coated strawberries into the cookie batter, being careful not to overmix.
10 - Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between each cookie.
11 - Refrigerate the cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking. This helps them hold their shape better while baking.
12 - If desired, sprinkle a light amount of sanding sugar on top of each cookie. Don't overdo it since the cookies are already sweet enough!
13 - Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. The centers should still look slightly soft.
14 - Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Notes:

01 - The lemon juice and draining step is crucial - it removes excess moisture from the strawberries so the cookies don't get soggy.
02 - Coating the strawberries with flour before adding them helps them stay distributed throughout the cookies and prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
03 - Cream cheese adds incredible moisture and tenderness to these cookies, making them soft and chewy.
04 - Chilling the dough before baking helps the cookies maintain their shape and prevents them from spreading too much.
05 - Fresh strawberries give the best flavor, but frozen strawberries that have been thawed and drained also work.
06 - Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

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