Pink sugar cookies are a simple twist on classic sugar cookies and naturally flavored with freeze dried strawberries. These cookies use basic pantry ingredients, with an option to enhance the color with pink food coloring. This post will walk you through each step, including ingredient substitutions and troubleshooting tips.
Recipe in a Glance
This pink sugar cookie recipe is based on my Ube Cookies recipe, using the same base ingredients for a soft and chewy texture.
- Taste: Buttery and sweet with a hint of vanilla. Freeze-dried strawberry powder adds a subtle fruity flavor.
- Texture: Soft and chewy with crisp, sugar-coated edges and a slightly crackled surface.
- Ease: Beginner-friendly; uses simple ingredients and requires no special equipment.
- Time: This is a super simple drop cookie recipe (meaning they are scooped out then baked on the pan, rather than a cut-out cookie) that’s ready in about 25 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 10–12 minutes bake time).
Ingredients & Substitutions
Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.) You can still find the full printable recipe at the end of this post.
The listed ingredients below yield 18 pink sugar cookies (dough weight is about 50grams each/ use a 2 tablespoon or #40 cookie scoop).
REFRIGERATED:
- butter. 226g (1 cup) of unsalted butter at room temperature. What is Room Temperature Butter? Using unsalted butter allows better control over the salt content. If using salted butter, omit added salt.
- egg. 1 large egg (about 50g, weight is without shell), at room temperature. Adds moisture and helps bind the dough. A room-temperature egg mixes more evenly.
PANTRY:
- sugar. 300g (1½ cups) of white granulated sugar for the cookie dough + another 50g (¼ cup) for rolling.
- vanilla. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- all-purpose flour. 320g (2 cups + 9 tbsps) all-purpose flour. If you are measuring flour with cups, be sure to use the scoop and level method to get the correct amount of four.
- baking soda. ½ teaspoon. Baking soda do expire so make sure yours are still good.
- salt. 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt.
- freeze-dried strawberry powder. 20g (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons). Can be found in online stores like Amazon or for US – Target or Trader Joe’s. Adds a mild fruit flavor without affecting texture. You could easily replace it with freeze dried raspberries if that is your preference.
- pink food coloring (optional). These cookies are naturally flavored and colored with freeze-dried strawberries. However, the color dulls after baking them. So if you want a nice pink color that pops, start with 2 drops of pink gel-based food coloring and add from there. If you wish to keep it natural, note that the color of the cookies will not be as bright after baking.
Recommended Tools
Here are a few handy tools I used to make these pink sugar cookies. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases without a cost to you.
- digital food scale (love the color pink :))
- parchment paper – these sheets are so convenient!
- baking sheet – checkout the honeycomb pattern
- cordless hand mixer – good and inexpensive
How to Make Pink Sugar Cookies
In the step-by-step photos below, I was using a stand mixer but an electric hand mixer would definitely work as well.
STEP 1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven (convention oven, no fan) 350°F / 180°C.
Measure your ingredients and ensure that your butter and eggs are at room temperature.
Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
STEP 4. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and freeze-dried strawberries. When there are just a few streaks of flour left, add your pink food color gel (if using) a few drops at a time until you achieve the color that you like. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix!
TIP: The final pink sugar cookie dough should hold together well when scooped or rolled into balls, and not overly sticky or wet. The dough should be easy to handle and shape without falling apart.
STEP 5. Place the granulated sugar for rolling in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop (I like to use #40 or 2 Tbsp cookie scoop), scoop balls of dough (about 50g each) onto the prepared baking sheets.
Roll each ball of dough between your hands to form a ball, then roll in the sugar before placing on the baking sheet. Leave any mixture that you are not baking off just yet in the bowl and scoop just before baking.
STEP 7. Place 8 dough balls on each sheet.
To ensure even baking, I prefer putting only 1 baking sheet inside the oven and just repeat the baking process with the remaining cookie dough.
STEP 8. Bake the cookies until puffy and set around the edges, about 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 10 minutes – the cookies will deflate as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
How To Get That Perfectly Round Cookie
You wanna know the secret to getting perfectly round cookie? Scoot your cookies!
Using a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie itself, scoot the cookies into a round shape when they are hot from the oven. This helps them to be perfectly round.
It’s important to note that you should do this immediately after you take out the baking sheet from the oven before the cookie edges become set.
Troubleshooting & Tips
- Storage. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Cookies spreading too much? Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking, or check if your butter was too soft.
- Not soft enough? Reduce bake time slightly and ensure you’re measuring flour correctly.
- Want a stronger pink color? Add more food coloring or use a concentrated gel-based option.
More Bakes To Try
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Pink Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 226g (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 300g (1 ½ cups) granulated white sugar
- 50g egg (weight is without shell) (about 1 large egg in North America)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 320g (2 cups + 9 tbsps) all-purpose flour (if measuring by cups, use the scoop and level method)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 20g (2 tbsps + 2 tsps) freeze-dried strawberries (see notes) (sub with freeze-dried raspberries)
- pink food gel coloring (optional)
- 50g (¼ cup) additional granulated white sugar for rolling
Instructions
- PREP. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven (convention oven, no fan) 350°F / 180°C. Measure your ingredients and ensure that your butter and eggs are at room temperature. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.226g (1 cup) unsalted butter300g (1 ½ cups) granulated white sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.50g egg (weight is without shell)1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and freeze-dried strawberries. When there are just a few streaks of flour left, add pink food color (if using) one drop at a time until your desired color is achieved. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!320g (2 cups + 9 tbsps) all-purpose flour½ tsp baking soda1 tsp fine sea salt20g (2 tbsps + 2 tsps) freeze-dried strawberries (see notes)pink food gel coloring (optional)
- TIP: The final pink sugar cookie dough should hold together well when scooped or rolled into balls, and not overly sticky or wet. The dough should be easy to handle and shape without falling apart.
- Place the granulated sugar for rolling in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop (I like to use #40 or 2 Tbsp cookie scoop), scoop balls of dough (about 50g each) onto the prepared baking sheets.Roll each ball of dough between your hands to form a ball, then roll in the sugar before placing on the baking sheet. Leave any mixture that you are not baking off just yet in the bowl and scoop just before baking.50g (¼ cup) additional granulated white sugar for rolling
- Place 8 dough balls on each sheet.To ensure even baking, I prefer putting only 1 baking sheet inside the oven and just repeat the baking process with the remaining cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies until puffy and set around the edges, about 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 10 minutes – the cookies will deflate as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
