Description
Delight in these Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies featuring a rich cocoa cookie exterior, a luscious freeze-dried strawberry buttercream center, and a smooth bittersweet chocolate topping. Perfectly chewy and bursting with strawberry-chocolate flavor, these cookies are elegantly finished with a glossy chocolate coating for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (preferably Kerrygold), softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature (~70°F)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups cake flour (King Arthur recommended)
- 3/4 cup sifted cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
For the filling:
- 8 tbsp butter, softened
- 4 tbsp strawberry powder (from crushed freeze-dried strawberries)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
For the topping:
- 1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cream
Instructions
- Prepare dry ingredients and filling: Sift cocoa powder to remove lumps and combine with cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. Beat softened butter for filling until creamy, mix in strawberry powder, salt, and powdered sugar until smooth. Portion filling into tablespoon-sized dollops on parchment and freeze at least 15 minutes to firm.
- Make cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars until fluffy and light (2-3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, then oil and vanilla, blending smoothly. Fold in the dry ingredients gently until just combined to maintain tenderness.
- Chill dough: Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to prevent spreading and ensure even baking. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Assemble cookies: Remove dough and filling from fridge/freezer. Scoop 3 tablespoons dough, flatten slightly, place one frozen strawberry filling in center, then carefully wrap dough around filling and roll into a ball. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake cookies: Bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes until cookies are set but still soft in centers. They will firm as they cool. Cool cookies on sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare chocolate coating: Combine chocolate chips and cream in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring between, until smooth and pourable, preventing burn or seizing.
- Coat cookies: Spoon ~2 teaspoons warm chocolate over each cooled cookie, spreading gently. Place cookies on parchment and refrigerate or leave at room temperature until chocolate hardens (15-20 minutes room temp or 5-10 minutes fridge).
Notes
- Using room temperature eggs helps create a smooth, well-incorporated dough.
- Freezing the strawberry filling before baking ensures a soft, flavorful center inside the cookie.
- Chilling the dough prevents excessive spreading for perfectly shaped cookies.
- Sifting cocoa powder reduces lumps for a smoother dough texture.
- Gently heating the chocolate and cream mixture avoids burning or thickening, ensuring a glossy coating.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before coating to prevent melting or losing shape.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate cookies, strawberry buttercream, chocolate covered cookies, easy dessert, cocoa cookies, holiday cookies, bittersweet chocolate
