Strawberries and Cream Cookies

 Super, soft strawberry cookies with fresh and freeze dried strawberries topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream.

Strawberry season is in full bloom right now. I now can get local and fresh strawberries.

Where I live we love strawberries so much we have an annual festival dedicated to strawberries and everything at the strawberry festival contains strawberries.

These cookies here weren't at the festival but they should have since I am making them with strawberries that are about 10 minutes away from me.

If you do not have local strawberries, you can still make these.

I'm using two types of strawberries to make sure I have enough strawberry flavor in them.

The vanilla buttercream is yummy by itself because its so light and fluffy. I'm using vanilla bean paste to give it extra flavor.

Recipes you may like:
Strawberry Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Strawberry Lemon Sugar Cookies
Strawberry Lemon Pop Tarts

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Strawberries and Cream Cookies

Time:
Prep- 20 minutes
Chilling- 2 to 3 hours
Baking- 10 to 12 minutes

Ingredients

Strawberry Cookies
3 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups Granulated Cane Sugar
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Fresh Strawberries, diced
1/2 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 cup Whole Milk
4 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Granulated Cane Sugar
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract 
Pinch of Sea Salt

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 
2. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy about three minutes. Scrap the sides of your bowl. Add sour cream, strawberries, vanilla and eggs. Adding the eggs one at a time.
3. Lower the speed of your mixer and slowly add in flour mixture. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.
4. While the dough is chilling make the 'roux', in a medium sauce pan bring milk to a simmer. Whisk in flour and salt. Whisk it constantly until it thickens to a pudding consistency. Add in vanilla extract or paste. transfer a small bowl and chill.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two cookie sheet with parchment. Scoop cookie dough out with a 1/4 cup measuring cup and gently roll into the flour. Leave about an inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.
6. Cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wired rack to cool completely.
7. While the cookies are cooling, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add roux to the butter-sugar mixture and beat for up to 5 minutes or until fluffy. 
8. Pipe or scoop buttercream on to cooled cookies. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
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