Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies
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Chocolate covered strawberry cookies pair tender chocolate cookies with bright strawberry filling and fudgy ganache. They are the perfect cookies for Valentine’s Day (though you’ll catch me enjoying them year-round)! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Strawberry Chocolate Cookies
Inspired by chocolate covered strawberries, these chocolate covered strawberry cookies are the *perfect* cookie to make this Valentine’s Day! Featuring soft, tender chocolatey cookies with a bright, fresh strawberry buttercream center and firm, fudgy chocolate ganache. Yum!
We’re using the same chocolate cookie base that I used in my recent devil’s food cookies, so you can expect a rich and tender crumb. It pairs so well with the fresh strawberry filling!
Speaking of the filling, I wanted a bright, vibrant, natural strawberry center with fresh strawberry flavor, and the easiest and tastiest way to make this happen was with freeze dried strawberries. The end result is similar to a strawberry buttercream, but with a brighter flavor.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Texture: the combination of smooth frosting, chewy cookie, and fudgy ganache is a texture-lover’s dream! They remind me a bit of my buckeye cookies, but instead of spreading the frosting on top, we’re using it as a filling.
- Flavor: Rich, Dutch chocolate cookies really benefit from the freshness of the strawberry filling. The freeze dried strawberries, which are real strawberries that have been preserved into a crispy treat, provide a truly amazing flavor! And since you can buy them year, these cookies will taste great no matter the season (unlike my strawberry tart, which most definitely tastes best with ripe summer berries.
- Ease: Yes, there are three separate parts to this recipe, but none of them are complicated or challenging. Using freeze dried strawberries means we can avoid chopping and cooking down fresh berries; in fact, there’s no stovetop needed here at all.
- No food coloring or artificial flavors! I avoid these where I can, and luckily the color and flavor of the strawberry filling here is 100% natural. So that’s a win for me!
These indulgent gourmet cookies are a bit more effort than my classic Valentine cookies, but the flavor and appearance is well worth it. Especially if you want to spoil your Valentine this year!
What You Need
This is just an overview of the key ingredients in today’s recipe; for a full detailed list, keep scrolling.
- Freeze dried strawberries. You must use freeze dried strawberries here; dried/dehydrated strawberries simply won’t work the same. I typically find these in my grocery store in the same aisle as dried fruit. I love using them for my strawberry cookies and Neapolitan cookies to get a lovely strawberry flavor and color without added moisture or the need to cook down fresh berries.
- Cake flour. This makes for the most tender, gourmet cookie crumb. I highly recommend grabbing a box at the store to keep on hand (I use it in many of my gourmet cookie recipes!). If you want to use all-purpose flour, you can, but your results won’t be quite as good. I provide substitution instructions in the recipe notes below.
- Dutch cocoa powder. I found Dutch cocoa provided the best flavor to contrast with the strawberry filling here, so stick with that for best results!
- Neutral oil. This might seem like a strange addition to a cookie recipe, but it makes the cookies super tender and moist, almost like a chocolate cake! I prefer avocado oil, but vegetable or canola oil will work too.
- Semi-sweet chocolate. You can use chips, a chopped baking bar, or couverture chocolate (my preference). We’ll melt this down with some heavy cream (or whipping cream/double cream) to make our fudgy ganache topping.
SAM’S TIP: Dutch cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder are NOT the same thing! I talk more about the differences between the two in my post on natural vs. Dutch process cocoa.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies
Make the dough
- Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the eggs, oil, and vanilla until incorporated, then set aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the butter mixture until incorporated.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula (we don’t want any dry pockets of flour!), then cover and chill the dough in the fridge.
Make the filling
- Beat the butter until creamy, then stir in the strawberry powder and salt on low speed.
- Stir in the powdered sugar, then scoop and drop by level 1-tablespoons (I use a cookie scoop for this) onto a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
Assemble
- Stuff the cookies by rolling a 3-tablespoon scoop of dough into a smooth ball, then press a frozen frosting dollop into the center. Roll the dough around the frosting until it is completely covered (and centered–this is important!). Repeat with remaining dough and frosting.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes on parchment lined sheets and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The centers may seem a bit underdone when you remove the cookies from the oven–that’s totally fine!
- Make the ganache by heating the chocolate and cream until melted and smooth; you can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave. Let cool for a few minutes before using.
- Spread ganache over the cooled cookies and let set up before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t over-bake, or your cookies will be dry. It can be hard to tell when chocolate cookies are done baking since they are so dark, but I usually like to look for the edges to be set. It is okay if the centers are still underdone! They’ll finish cooking outside the oven and will solidify even more once the frosting filling cools down.
Frequently Asked Questions
This usually happens when the filling isn’t totally concealed OR if it wasn’t quite centered in the cookie. I demonstrate how I do this in the video below, if you are concerned about this or having trouble.
Note, once you have this technique down, I have SO many other stuffed cookie recipes: cheesecake stuffed cookies, cookie butter snickerdoodles, chocolate lava cookies, brown sugar pop tart cookies, and more!
I don’t see why not! You can add up to a cup of chocolate chips to the dough before chilling. I usually stick with semi-sweet chocolate chips in my cookies and think mini chocolate chips would be best, but I do think white or milk chocolate chips would work nicely in these chocolate covered strawberry cookies too.
I don’t recommend substituting fresh strawberries for the freeze dried strawberries here, but if you wanted to use them to make a strawberry jam type filling (like the filling for my strawberry pop tart cookies), I think that would work. Just know that if you do this, you’re not going to get the same pop of color.
If you like these cookies, try my chocolate covered strawberry brownies next 🍓
Enjoy!
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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
- 2 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil, avocado, canola, or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups (394 g) cake flour
- ⅔ cup (70 g) Dutch cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
For the Filling
- 8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons (24 g) freeze-dried strawberry powder, (see note)
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ⅓ cups (165 g) powdered sugar
For the Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet or couverture chocolate
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
For the Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment) to beat the butter and sugars together until combined. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for at least a minute, until light and fluffy.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, oil, and vanilla extract and stir on low speed to combine all ingredients. Set aside.2 large eggs, 2 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 ½ cups (394 g) cake flour, ⅔ cup (70 g) Dutch cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually add dry ingredients into the wet, mixing on low speed until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure flour is completely incorporated.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. While chilling, prepare your strawberry filling.
For the Filling
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter on high speed until creamy.8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
- Add strawberry powder and salt and stir on low speed to mix thoroughly together.4 Tablespoons (24 g) freeze-dried strawberry powder, ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually add sugar, mixing on low speed until completely combined.1 ⅓ cups (165 g) powdered sugar
- Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Scoop filling by 1 Tablespoon (14g) scoops onto baking sheet and place in freezer to freeze for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Assembly
- Once dough has chilled and the filling is frozen, remove both from the refrigerator/freezer and scoop cookie dough into 3-Tablespoon (58g) sized scoops. Roll gently between your palms to form a ball and use your thumb to make a crater into the center of the cooie dough. Take one dollop of filling and press firmly into the center of the dough, then roll the dough over the dollop to completely conceal and center the filling. Roll between your palms to form a smooth even ball and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2 inches (5cm) apart.
- Transfer baking sheet to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 11-12 minutes (centers may appear slightly underbaked).
- Allow cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack and covering with topping with chocolate topping.
For the Chocolate Topping
- Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high for 25 seconds, stir well, and if needed return to microwave for another 15 seconds. Use a whisk to whisk together until ganache is smooth (if needed return to microwave in 10 second intervals). Allow ganache to cool for several minutes so it’s not too thin/runny before using.1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet or couverture chocolate, ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- When cookies are completely cooled, top each cookie with approximately 2 teaspoons of ganache and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread evenly over top. Allow ganache to harden before enjoying!
Notes
Cake flour
I recommend using cake flour for the best texture, but if you don’t have it you can substitute 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g) + 2 Tablespoons (16g) cornstarch.Freeze dried strawberries
Use freeze-dried and not dehydrated strawberries. I buy the strawberries then pulverize them in my food processor until they’re a fine dust. You’ll need less than a 1-oz package of strawberries.Storing
Store in an airtight container. Cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days but should be refrigerated beyond this.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
These cookies are so good! They were a big hit for Valentine’s Day. Thanks Sam
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Becca! I’m so glad it was such a hit! 🙂
I used 3/4 teaspoon LorAnn Oils strawberry emulsion in place of the freeze dried strawberries. Worked perfectly for me. I prefer the artificial strawberry flavor in my baked goods. If you’re needing a specific number of cookies make more then you think. Each tray, at least one leaked even using the same technique to seal it. I baked from frozen at 350F for 12 minutes; they were perfectly moist and I forwent the ganache I think it would have been just too much and too sweet.
Thank you for trying my recipe, Lauren! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies. 🙂
can these be chilled overnight?
Hi Catherine! It can be chilled overnight. The dough may be a little tough to roll out the next day so you may want to leave it at room temperature for a little bit before rolling. 🙂
I’m guessing you can freeze the cookie dough then let it come to room temp and add the strawberry filling and bake? I would like to make a big batch ahead of time to have ready for orders. Thanks!
Hi Becca! I don’t want to say it’s impossible, but the dough may be a little more difficult to work with. I would probably fill the cookie before freezing. 🙂
Can I make the strawberry filling a few days ahead of time..and just leave them in the freezer?
Hi Kathleen! I don’t think you would have any issues doing that, but I would probably wrap/cover them while they sit in the freezer. 🙂
Made these yesterday and they are delicious! Not that difficult to make either. I really enjoy these gourmet cookie recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sarah! 🙂
can you freeze these?
Sure thing! 🙂
I just watched your video on making these cookies and immediately wanted to make some for Valentine’s Day – I needed more cookies so I cut the measurements in half (did a 29 gram cookie dough to half of the strawberry buttercream) and instead of the ganache I drizzled them with pink chocolate melts – they look absolutely gorgeous however here is what I learned – ALWAYS trust Sam!! They did not have enough strawberry center to give it that good strawberry flavor, so it’s much better to make the full size cookie and use the full amount of strawberry filling – also don’t skip the ganache!! I wish I had put on the ganache and then drizzled with the pink chocolate, the cookie was a little dry without the ganache- so always trust Sam and make these cookies exactly as her recipe states – they are delicious!! Thanks Sam!!
Thank you so much, Monica! I think you’ll really love them with the ganache and the larger size. Let me know how they go! 🙂