Ridiculously Easy Strawberry Lemonade Meltaway Cookies Recipe
Ridiculously Easy Strawberry Lemonade Meltaway Cookies combine a delicate, soft butter-based cookie dough with a tangy, sweet strawberry lemonade icing. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are adorned with a luscious strawberry syrup glaze for a perfect balance of fruity and creamy flavors, ideal for spring and summer treats.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup very soft butter, salted
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (Morton’s preferred)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Sugar for rolling (cane sugar preferred, a little coarser than granulated sugar)
For the Strawberry Syrup:
- ¾ cup diced fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Strawberry Lemonade Icing:
- 2-2 ½ tablespoons fresh strawberry syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar (adjust as needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Oven and Pans: Place an oven rack in the upper third position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Make Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk very soft butter until light and fluffy (20-30 seconds). Add powdered sugar and stir until fully incorporated. Mix in cornstarch, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until smooth. Gradually add all-purpose flour, stirring continuously until flour is fully integrated. The dough will be crumbly at first; keep stirring and scraping the sides to form a soft, workable dough. If too soft to roll, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour or refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Shape Cookies: Using a small cookie scoop, portion equal-sized dough balls. Roll each ball in sugar to coat, shaping them into smooth spheres. Place them about 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Flatten each gently with the bottom of a glass to about ½ inch thickness.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 18-22 minutes or until edges just begin to turn light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Make Strawberry Syrup: While cookies bake, combine diced strawberries and granulated sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then strain through a fine mesh sieve pressing solids to extract juice. Discard solids. Return syrup to microwave and cook another minute. Repeat heating in 30-second increments until syrup reduces to about 2-2 ½ tablespoons. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare Strawberry Lemonade Icing: In a medium bowl, combine strawberry syrup and fresh lemon juice. Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and slightly thick but drizzle-able. Adjust consistency with extra powdered sugar to thicken or lemon juice to thin as needed.
- Ice Cookies: Once cookies are cooled, spread the strawberry lemonade icing evenly on top. Allow icing to set before serving.
- Serve and Enjoy: These meltaway cookies are perfect for sharing and ideal for any occasion that calls for a light, fruity treat.
Notes
- Use cane sugar for rolling to add a slight crunch and help shape the cookies more easily.
- Portion dough balls about 30 grams each to yield 18-20 cookies.
- For metric measurements, use the recipe’s toggle button above the instructions or request metric conversions if unavailable.
- Refrigerate dough if it feels too soft to handle; this prevents spreading during baking.
- Adjust icing consistency carefully for perfect drizzle texture; thicker icing holds shape better.
