Cottage Cheese Strawberry Cookies (Print)

Tender cookies combining creamy cottage cheese and juicy strawberries for a delightful treat.

# Ingredients:

→ Dairy

01 - 1/2 cup cottage cheese, whole milk, well-drained
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

→ Sweeteners

03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

05 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Fruit

09 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced

→ Optional Topping

10 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened butter, well-drained cottage cheese, and granulated sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Gently fold diced strawberries into the dough until evenly distributed.
06 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies approximately 2 inches apart.
07 - Sprinkle coarse sugar over cookie tops if desired.
08 - Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until edges are golden and centers are set.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

# Pro Tips:

01 -
  • The cottage cheese creates a texture that's tender and moist without being dense, staying soft for days if you can resist eating them all at once.
  • You get that strawberry shortcake flavor in a handheld cookie, which means no plates, forks, or cleanup drama.
  • They're simple enough to make on a weeknight but impressive enough to bring somewhere and have people ask for the recipe.
02 -
  • Cottage cheese moisture is the biggest variable—buy a good quality whole milk version and drain it in a fine mesh strainer for at least 10 minutes before using, or you'll end up with cookies that spread too much and bake unevenly.
  • Don't skip the vanilla or think you can substitute it with lemon zest; the vanilla balances the tang of cottage cheese in a way that makes the strawberry flavor pop instead of competing with it.
03 -
  • The difference between cookies that are just okay and ones that are memorable comes down to baking them at exactly 350°F and pulling them out when the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly set—that carryover cooking creates the perfect tender texture.
  • If your cottage cheese is extra wet when you drain it, place it in cheesecloth and let it sit in the fridge for an hour; dry cottage cheese makes thicker, less-spread dough that rises better in the oven.
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