Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

These gluten free strawberry cheesecake cookies are one of my favorite recipes on this blog. They’re soft, a little tangy from the cream cheese, and have the prettiest pink color thanks to freeze-dried strawberries.

If you love cheesecake but want something quick and easy to make, these cookies are for you. They capture that creamy cheesecake flavor in cookie form.

And yes, they are 100% gluten free. You’d honestly never guess it though. The texture is soft and slightly puffy, just like a good cookie should be.

The white chocolate drizzle on top adds a nice sweetness that ties everything together. It also makes them look pretty fancy for how simple they are to make.

Whether you’re baking for yourself or bringing these to a gathering, they always get compliments. Let me walk you through how to make them.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cheesecake Flavor in Cookie Form – The cream cheese in the dough gives these cookies that rich, tangy cheesecake taste without the hassle of making an actual cheesecake, so you get all the flavor in a fraction of the time.

Naturally Beautiful Pink Color – The crushed freeze-dried strawberries turn the dough a gorgeous pink without any food coloring, which makes these cookies look bakery-level impressive with zero extra effort.

Real Strawberry Flavor Without the Moisture – Freeze-dried strawberries pack intense strawberry flavor into every bite without adding extra liquid that would make the cookies spread too thin or turn out flat.

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 2 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Freeze-Dried Strawberries, crushed to fine pieces
• 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

For the Drizzle

• 1/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil

How to Make

Step 1

In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten free all-purpose flour blend, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl, beat softened butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.

Step 3

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the crushed freeze-dried strawberries and white chocolate chips with a spatula. The dough will turn a beautiful pink color. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 4

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough, roll into balls, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Step 5

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft and slightly puffy. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6

For the drizzle, melt 1/4 cup white chocolate chips with coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies using a fork or spoon in a zigzag pattern. Let the drizzle set for 10 minutes before serving.

My Tips

Crush the Freeze-Dried Strawberries the Right Way

You want the freeze-dried strawberries crushed into fine pieces, almost like a coarse powder with a few small chunks. The easiest way is to put them in a zip-lock bag, press out the air, and roll over them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy cup.

If the pieces are too big, they create dry pockets in the cookie that taste weird and chalky. If they are too fine like dust, the dough turns overly pink but you lose that little burst of strawberry flavor when you bite in. Aim for something in between.

Also, work fast once the bag is open because freeze-dried strawberries absorb moisture from the air really quickly and get sticky. Crush them right before you need to fold them in.

Make Sure the Butter and Cream Cheese Are Truly Soft

The butter and cream cheese need to be at room temperature before you start, and that means actually soft when you press a finger into them. Cold cream cheese will leave lumps in the dough that never fully mix in, and you will see little white streaks throughout your cookies.

Set both out on the counter for about 45 minutes to an hour before you start. If you are in a rush, cut the butter into small cubes and the cream cheese into chunks so they warm up faster, but don’t microwave them. You want them soft, not melted.

Don’t Skip the Chilling Time

This dough has butter and cream cheese in it, which means it is much softer and stickier than a regular cookie dough. If you skip the one-hour chill, the cookies will spread way too thin in the oven and come out flat and greasy instead of thick and chewy.

If you are short on time, pop the dough in the freezer for about 25 to 30 minutes instead. That works in a pinch. You can also chill it overnight if you want to prep ahead, just let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before scooping so it is not rock hard.

More Tasty Recipes

• Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
• Gluten Free New York Cheesecake
• Gluten Free Thumbprint Jam Cookies
• Gluten Free Classic Sugar Cookies
• Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

FAQ

Can I use fresh strawberries instead of freeze-dried?

Fresh strawberries won’t work well here because they add too much moisture to the dough, which will make your cookies spread out and turn cakey or soggy. Freeze-dried strawberries are the key to getting that intense strawberry flavor and pretty pink color without any extra liquid.

You can usually find freeze-dried strawberries in the snack aisle or dried fruit section of most grocery stores. Just crush them into fine pieces with your hands or pulse them in a food processor before folding them into the dough.