Strawberry Chocolate Cookies
Fudgy dark chocolate cookies studded with strawberry chunks and frosted with fresh strawberry frosting and silky chocolate ganache.
Why you’ll love these strawberry chocolate cookies
- They are rich and indulgent but with a refreshing strawberry center.
- The cookies are simple to bake, they require just a bowl and a whisk and there’s no refrigeration time.
- These cookies are thin and chewy, making them the perfect vehicle for strawberry frosting and chocolate ganache.
If you’re here for strawberry season, you HAVE to try my fresh strawberry cupcakes. Or just use fresh strawberries to top cheesecake or vanilla cake.
If you like this style of cookie, I think you’ll love my buckeye cookies and my carrot cake cookies.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour (and cocoa powder) is so often over measured. If not, make sure to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar for the cookies. These cookies are sweet but reducing the sugar will affect the texture. Light brown sugar also works for these cookies.
- Cocoa Powder: I love using dutch-process cocoa powder but any unsweetened cocoa powder will also work.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter because these cookies are quite sweet and that helps balance them out. Unsalted works fine too though.
- Dairy free butter also works well.
- Eggs: make sure to use large eggs.
- Strawberries: I used a few freeze dried strawberry chunks in the cookie dough – if you can’t find freeze dried strawberries, you can skip this.
- If you do use the freeze dried strawberries in the cookies, you’ll have some leftover so you can use it in the frosting as well. You can use it in addition to the strawberry reduction OR skip the reduction and just add ground up freeze dried strawberries to the frosting.
- For the reduction I used fresh strawberries. I had some leftover from my cupcakes so I used that but again, if this seems like too much work or you don’t have fresh strawberries, use just the freeze dried strawberry powder.
- Fresh strawberries have a slightly better flavor – more fresh lol – but freeze dried strawberries give it a better structure, color and intense flavor. So a little bit of both is ideal.
- Powdered Sugar: I use powdered sugar in the strawberry frosting layer.
- Dark Chocolate: I recommend dark chocolate over milk or semi-sweet chocolate. If you don’t like dark chocolate, semi-sweet works too. Milk chocolate should work fine as well but I recommend reducing the cream by about a tablespoon.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I usually opt for a 36-40% cream, I don’t recommend swapping this.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Strawberry Reduction
Pulse all the strawberries in a food processor until they’re all blended.
Cook the strawberry puree for about half an hour, until it’s reduced by half. Cool back to room temperature.
Chocolate Cookies
Step 1: Combine the melted butter with the brown sugar and egg. Whisk aggressively, for 2-3 minutes, until it lightens in color.
Step 2: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and use a rubber spatula to fold the dough just until the flour is almost combined.
Step 3: Add the chopped freeze dried strawberry chunks and fold until all the flour is combined and the strawberries are evenly distributed.
Step 4: Scoop the dough into 14 round balls with a 2 ounce cookie scoop. Roll them so they’re smooth and then place 4-7 per pan (depending how large your pan is – leave good space between them).
Step 5: Bake for about 6-7 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and bang it on the counter a few times so the cookies flatten a little. Quickly use a biscuit cutter (or anything round) to scoot the cookies back into a round shape and finish baking for another 6-7 minutes. Then bang them on the counter and scoot them with the biscuit cutter again. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
Chocolate Ganache
Step 1: Heat the cream on the stove and then pour it on top of the chocolate chips. Let it rest for a few minutes and then mix until it’s smooth. Allow the ganache to cool for 10-20 minutes while you make the frosting.
Strawberry Frosting Frosting
Step 1: Beat the butter until it’s pale and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat again until it’s fully combined.
Step 3: Add the strawberry reduction and/or freeze dried strawberry powder and beat again until it’s fully combined. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookies.
Step 4: The chocolate ganache should be cooled but still runny by now – use a spoon to spread it on top of the strawberry frosting. Top with freeze dried strawberry crumbs and sea salt flakes.
How to make cookies ahead of time
The cookie dough can also be made ahead of time. Just finish the cookie dough, scoop the dough balls and place them in an airtight container or bag and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for a few months.
Before baking, bring them back to room temperature and proceed with the recipe.
You could also bake the cookies a day ahead and just frost them later.
How to store chocolate strawberry cookies
Allow the cookies to fully set (a few hours) before placing them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 2-3 days, refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for a few months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this dairy free?
I haven’t tested these with dairy free butter but all of my recipes that I have tested have worked with dairy free butter so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I also don’t have a good alternative for dairy free ganache unless you want to use coconut cream.
Can I make this gluten-free?
I haven’t tested these with gluten-free flour but all of my recipes that I have tested have worked with dairy free butter so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I recommend a 1:1 gluten-free substitute like King Arthur or Bob’s red mill.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.
If you make these super fabulous strawberry chocolate cookies, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Chocolate Strawberry Cookie Recipe
Fudgey dark chocolate cookies studded with strawberry chunks and frosted with fresh strawberry frosting and silky chocolate ganache.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 3 bowls
- 1 Whisk
- 1 offset spatula
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2/3 cup (52g) unsweetened cocoa powder spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 oz freeze dried strawberries roughly chopped
Strawberry Frosting
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick/56g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar spooned and leveled
- tiny pinch of fine sea salt
- 1-2 Tbsp strawberry reduction start with 1 and if the frosting isn't too runny, you can add in a little more.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp freeze dried strawberries powdered *optional (if you want the strawberry flavor much more intense, grind up the rest of the bag of freeze dried strawberries and add some into the frosting – this is optional but will darken the color and give it more flavor).
Chocolate Ganache
- 2/3 cup (4 oz) dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and line a large cookie sheet.
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugar and egg. Whisk aggressively, for 2-3 minutes, until it lightens in color.1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, 1 1/2 cup (300g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and use a rubber spatula to fold the dough just until the flour is almost combined.1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour, 2/3 cup (52g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Add the chopped strawberries and fold until all the flour is combined and the strawberries are evenly distributed.1/2 oz freeze dried strawberries
- Scoop the dough into 14 round balls with a 2 ounce cookie scoop. Roll them so they're smooth and then place five per pan.
- Bake for about 6 minutes then remove the pan from the oven and bang it on the counter a few times so the cookies flatten a little. Quickly use a biscuit cutter (or anything round) to scoot the cookies back into a round shape and finish baking for another 6 minutes. Then bang them on the counter and scoot them with the biscuit cutter again. Allow them to cool to room temperature
Chocolate Ganache
- Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl and set aside.2/3 cup (4 oz) dark chocolate chips
- Place the cream in a small pot over medium-low heat and gently heat hit until it's simmering.1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy whipping cream
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and cover with a lid or towel. Let it rest for a few minutes and then mix until it’s smooth.
- Allow the ganache to cool for 10-20 minutes while you make the peanut butter frosting.
Strawberry Frosting
- Place the butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and use the whisk attachment at full speed to beat the butter until it's pale and fluffy.1/4 cup (1/2 stick/56g) unsalted butter
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat at low speed until it comes together a little. Then increase the speed to medium-high, beating for a few minutes until the sugar is combined and dissolved.1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- Add the strawberry reduction and powdered freeze dried strawberries and beat until they're well combined.1-2 Tbsp strawberry reduction, 1 Tbsp freeze dried strawberries
- Spread on top of the cookies. I had just enough for the 14 cookies.
- I like to freeze the cookies with the strawberry frosting for a few minutes before topping with the chocolate ganache. It's not essential but it helps the chocolate set quicker without running off the edge.
- Spoon the cooled-but-still-runny chocolate ganache on top of the chilled peanut butter frosting and top with some sea salt flakes and some freeze dried strawberry chunks on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 5gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 4gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 241IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 3mg
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