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Strawberry Crunch Shortcake Cookies - Soft, Buttery, and Delightfully Crunchy

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • Cream cheese (softened; block-style, not whipped)
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • Large eggs
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cornstarch
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Fine sea salt
  • Freeze-dried strawberries (for dough and crunch topping)
  • Vanilla sandwich cookies (like Golden Oreos)
  • Unsalted butter (melted, for the topping)
  • Optional: white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
  • Optional finish: powdered sugar for dusting

Method
 

  1. Prep your tools. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Set out butter and cream cheese so they’re truly soft.
  2. Make the strawberry crunch. In a food processor, pulse 1 cup vanilla sandwich cookies and 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries to coarse crumbs. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons melted butter and pulse once or twice to combine. You want sandy, clumpy bits, not dust. Set aside.
  3. Grind strawberries for the dough. Pulverize 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder. This adds flavor without moisture.
  4. Cream the fats and sugars. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3 ounces cream cheese, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup light brown sugar until fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed.
  5. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth and slightly thick. The mixture should look creamy, not curdled.
  6. Whisk dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and the strawberry powder.
  7. Combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low just until no streaks of flour remain. If using, fold in 1 cup white chocolate chips. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
  8. Scoop. Use a 2-tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. You should get about 18–22 cookies.
  9. Top with crunch. Press the tops of each dough ball into the strawberry crunch mixture, coating generously. Place crunch-side up on the pan and gently press to secure.
  10. Bake. Bake 10–12 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden and centers look slightly underbaked. Do not overbake—they’ll firm up as they cool.
  11. Pan-bang for shape (optional). If you like crinkly edges, bang the pan once on the counter right out of the oven. This helps settle the centers.
  12. Cool. Let cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if you like.