Strawberry Frosted Lemon Cookies
Strawberry frosted lemon cookies are sweet, tart, and full of bright berry and citrus flavor. This cookie recipe is easy to make and is the perfect dessert to add to your spring or summer baking list!
Strawberry Frosted Lemon Cookies
Hold onto your Spandex, because these strawberry frosted lemon cookies are about to blow your taste buds into next week! Tart, sweet, and prettier than a pair of jelly shoes, they’re the Lisa Frank of desserts—bright, bold, and totally bodacious. One bite and you’ll be like, “I’ve had the time of my life…” and yes, you owe it all to these cookies.
The lemon cookies are super soft and tender, and have a bright and fresh lemon flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest. With a touch of “pretty in pink” from easy strawberry buttercream frosting made with freeze-dried strawberries, these totally rad cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and tart…just like Baby.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – Simple recipe with simple steps.
- Soft and tender cookies – Soft lemon cookies that melt in your mouth.
- Bright and fresh lemon flavor – Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest add bright lemon flavor.
- Intense strawberry flavor – Freeze-dried strawberries add amazing berry flavor.
- Balance of sweet and tart – Tart lemon and sweet strawberry are the perfect balance of flavors.
Ingredients for Strawberry Frosted Lemon Cookies
Lemon Cookies
- Cake flour – Cake flour creates the light and soft texture. All-purpose flour will not work well in this recipe.
- Cornstarch – To help the cookies stay soft and fluffy.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – You could also use canola oil or another neutral baking oil.
- Powdered sugar + granulated sugar
- Lemon juice + lemon zest – Fresh lemon juice and zest give the cookies a bright lemon flavor.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – Made into a fine powder with a food processor or a blender. For this frosting recipe, you will need about 1 ounce of freeze-dried strawberries.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract helps to round out the flavor of the frosting.
- Salt – Provides contrast to the sweetness of the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream become smooth and creamy.
Additional Ingredients
- Freeze-dried strawberries – For decoration.
- Lemon zest – For decoration.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities for this recipe.
How to Make Strawberry Frosted Lemon Cookies
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Massage the granulated sugar and lemon zest together to release the natural oils. Cream the butter, vegetable oil, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar until it is smooth. Add in the egg and lemon juice and mix to combine. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Bake the cookies: Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared cookie sheets, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pan for 1 minute and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Make the strawberry frosting: Whip the butter until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix until combined. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cookies: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip with the strawberry frosting. Pipe a swirl of the frosting onto the cooled cookies, spread with an offset spatula, and decorate with freeze-dried strawberries and lemon zest.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for detailed instructions on how to make this recipe.
Expert Baking Tips
- Do not substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour in this recipe. Cake flour will give the cookies a very light and soft texture. All-purpose flour will make a dense and chewy cookie.
- Do not over bake the cookies. The cookies should remain a pale color and have no caramelization on the bottom or around the edges. This will help the cookies remain soft and cakey, rather than dry and crumbly.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough to create round, even, and uniform cookies.
- Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to gently shape the cookies so they are perfectly round.
Storing and Serving
- Room temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve the cookies at room temperature for the best taste and texture. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving to soften the frosting.
- Freezer: Store the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, lay the cookies out on a baking sheet pan and thaw until they are at room temperature. Make the buttercream and frost the cookies as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop. This will help create even, round cookies. Immediately when you remove the cookies from the oven, gently nudge the sides of the cookies with the back of a spoon to create a round shape.
If you can’t find freeze-dried strawberries, you could use my recipe for strawberry buttercream frosting made with strawberry reduction which is frozen strawberries that have been cooked and blended into a puree. I found freeze-dried strawberries at my local grocery store, but they are also available on Amazon.
Yes! Use a medium (1.5 tablespoon) cookie scoop to create smaller cookies. For baking, check the cookies at around 10 minutes. The cookies should be puffed up inn the center and set on the edges. The yield of the recipe will vary.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Frosted funfetti cookies
- Lemon sugar cookies
- Cake mix cookies
- Copycat Lofthouse cookies
- Frosted red velvet Oreo cookies
If you try out these strawberry frosted lemon cookies, please take a moment to leave a comment with a star rating below to let me know how you enjoyed this recipe!
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Strawberry Frosted Lemon Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) cake flour do not substitute
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 g) lemon juice
Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 oz (30 g) freeze-dried strawberries pulsed in the food processor to make a fine powder
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 g) freeze-dried strawberries finely chopped, for decoration
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) lemon zest for decoration
Instructions
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine and massage the granulated sugar and lemon zest to release the natural lemon oils. This enhances the lemon flavor in the cookies. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter, vegetable oil, powdered sugar, and lemon-infused granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet pan, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes until the cookies puff up in the center and remain pale on the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 1 minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until fully incorporated.
- Use a blender or a food processor to grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. Then, add in the freeze-dried strawberry powder and mix on low speed until well incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- Increase the speed on the mixer to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix the buttercream for several minutes to remove any air bubbles.
Frosting the Cookies
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip with the strawberry frosting. Pipe a swirl of the frosting onto the cookies and spread the frosting with an offset spatula. Decorate the cookies with finely chopped freeze-dried strawberries and lemon zest.
Notes
Nutrition
Made This Recipe?
Please leave a comment with a star rating to let me know how you enjoyed the recipe!
About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
These cookies were so fun to make! Easy follow recipe, make certain to have the cake flour on hand, contributed to the deliciousness of the final product. Shared with family and friends, 5 star rating from all! Thanks you again for sharing the recipe! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🍓🍋
Hi Pam! Thank you for trying the recipe! So thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the comment and positive review!