I wait all year for berry season.  Fresh fruit is my absolute favorite food – just about any kind of fresh fruit – and by extension, I’ll always choose a fruit dessert over chocolate.  I’m weird like that — what can I say?  So when I saw these cookies in the May 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living, they spoke to me loud and clear.  This morning I was up to my elbows in flour anyway, baking the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookies, and a cake, and artichoke dip (okay, there’s no flour in that) for my firm’s summer picnic.  So, I figured, what’s one more dessert?  I’ve been thinking about these cookies for three days.  Strawberries and cream… they had my name written all over them.  Why not?

Well.  They were the hit of the picnic.  The kids gravitated toward the cake, but the adults went crazy for these cookies.  They are light and refreshing, not too sweet — basically, summer in cookie form.   I love baking with fresh fruit and this recipe was so simple and easy that I’m certain it will become one of my standbys.  In fact, given the raves these got, I think I might have won a few converts to the fruit side.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking power
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (not in the original recipe, but really bumps up the flavor)
2/3 cup heavy cream
sanding sugar or vanilla sugar (for sprinkling)

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining granulated sugar in a large bowl.
• Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, or rub it in with your fingers, until it forms approximately pea-sized crumbs.
• Stir in vanilla extract and cream until mixture comes together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
• Using an ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sanding sugar or vanilla sugar (I like Penzey’s vanilla sugar) and bake until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.
• Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Note: These cookies really need to be eaten immediately.  They will not keep longer than one day.  Shouldn’t be a problem.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, May 2009.

This is a repost of the first recipe I posted, when I started my blog back in 2009.  It’s delish, and I thought it deserved to be dusted off and shown in the light of day again!