Cream Cheese Cookies with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! I know this holiday gets a lot of flak, but I have always loved Valentine’s Day. It’s just such a sweet, fun holiday that can be spent celebrating with a significant other, celebrating with friends, or just a day to treat yourself. I love everything about this cute day – the hearts, the colors, the flowers, and the sweet treats!
This year for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to make a special cookie – a soft and gooey sugar cookie but even better. And I knew I wanted it to be pink. And have sprinkles. My inspiration? Strawberry cheesecake. But in cookie form. So, I made a sugar cookie but added powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar – The cornstarch in powdered sugar helps keep the cookie thick, chewy, and soft. I also added a good amount of cream cheese to give it that cheesecake tanginess. The result was a super soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicious confection that is borderline addictive.
And to top it off, I made a strawberry buttercream frosting. I knew I wanted that fresh strawberry flavor but didn’t want to use fresh strawberries or preserves, as that can add too much moisture and make the frosting break. So instead, I took a classic buttercream and added freeze-dried strawberries that I ground into a fine powder. This gave the frosting so much flavor and created the perfect Valentine’s Day pink color! I also added a touch of lemon juice to brighten the flavor and bring out even more of the strawberry freshness.
Slather each cookie with a good amount of frosting and top with fun sprinkles to create the cutest and most festive treat. Sweet, tart, and slightly tangy; these easy Cream Cheese Cookies with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting are perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year!
I hope you enjoy this recipe and I hope you have the sweetest Valentine’s Day!
Eat well and enjoy!
Cookie Details and Tips
- The Flour – I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. No need to sift the flour but you’ll want to make sure it is leveled in the measuring cup. If you don’t level the flour, there is risk of adding too much and drying out the cookies.
- The Baking Powder – This is a rising agent that helps keep the cookies thick and chewy.
- The Salt – Adding just a touch of salt to baked goods enhances the flavor and helps balance out the sweetness.
- The Butter – I use salted butter in this recipe. You can use unsalted - it should not affect the flavor too much. Also, you want to make sure your butter is softened to room temperature (NOT melted) so that it can cream together with the sugar.
- Quick Tip: If you’re short on time, here’s a great tip to soften butter quickly - Microwave a glass of water (or boil water and pour it into a glass) and empty the glass. Then set the hot glass over a stick of butter. Wait 10 to 15 minutes for the butter to soften.
- The Cream Cheese – Like your butter, you’ll want to make sure the cream cheese is also softened to room temperature so that it can cream together with the sugar and butter.
- Quick Tip: If you’re short on time, you can also use the hot glass method for cream cheese!
- The Powdered Sugar – I know most cookies use granulated sugar, but I love using powdered sugar in this recipe. Powdered sugar contains corn starch which helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
- The Egg – You’ll want to also make sure your egg is room temperature for this recipe. Room temperature eggs help your ingredients combine more cohesively. When all ingredients are room temperature in a baking recipe, it makes for a better batter or dough.
- Quick Tip: If you’re short on time, here’s a great time to bring an egg to room temperature quickly - Place the egg in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes or so. After it no longer feels cold to the touch, remove the egg from the hot water and you’re good to go!
- The Vanilla – The vanilla in this recipe rounds out the flavors and adds a touch of mellow sweetness.
Buttercream Frosting Details and Tips
- The Butter – Just like for the cookies, I use salted butter in this recipe. You can use unsalted, but I would add just a pinch more salt to the frosting if you do. Also, you want to make sure your butter is softened to room temperature (NOT melted) so that it can cream together with the sugar and create a smooth frosting. If the butter is cold, you risk creating a lumpy and broken frosting.
- The Powdered Sugar – For this frosting recipe, I add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing in between each cup.
- Quick Tip: To keep powdered sugar from going everywhere when you turn the mixer or beaters on, start on low speed to incorporate the sugar into the butter. Once it is somewhat incorporated, slowly increase the speed to medium.
- The Vanilla – The vanilla in this recipe rounds out the flavors and adds a touch of mellow sweetness.
- The Lemon Juice – A touch of lemon juice in this recipe adds a wonderful brightness and freshness to the strawberry flavor.
- The Salt – Adding just a touch of salt to this frosting enhances the flavor and helps balance out the sweetness.
- The Freeze-Dried Strawberries – I knew I wanted this frosting to taste like fresh strawberries so artificial flavoring was out of the question. However, if you add fresh strawberries or preserves, you risk adding too much moisture which can result in a broken frosting. So freeze-dried strawberries were the answer! I grind these into a fine powder using a food processor or blender and mix them into the frosting. They add a fresh strawberry taste without the extra moisture.
These melt-in-your-mouth Cream Cheese Cookies with Strawberry Buttercream are perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year!
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 4 oz full-fat cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Sprinkles for garnishing (optional)
- 1 cup salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 oz freeze-dried strawberries (about 1 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberry slices)
- 2 to 4 tbsp heavy cream or milk
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer, or an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese, on medium speed, until light and fluffy. For a stand mixer, you can use the whisk or paddle for this. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated and smooth. Add half of the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Scoop about 2 level tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into smooth balls. The dough will be very sticky, so I suggest lightly flouring your hands when rolling the cookie dough – I usually have to reapply flour to my hands after every few cookies.
Place the cookie balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Slightly press each cookie into a thick, round disc using the bottom of a drinking glass, dipping the bottom of the glass in flour in between each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies at 10 minutes, and adding 1 minute at a time until the edges are very slightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor or blender and pulse until you have a very fine powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl for an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides and gradually add the remaining 3 cups of powdered sugar, mixing well and scraping down the sides in between each cup.
Add in the strawberry powder and beat until it is fully incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides half-way through.
Gradually add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. For frosting these cookies, you’ll want a smooth but slightly thick frosting.
Cover the frosting until ready to use. You can refrigerate this frosting if you want to make it a day or two ahead of time. If you do this, set on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes before using.
When the cookies are cool, frost each with a good amount of the strawberry cream, top with sprinkles, and enjoy!