Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

These Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cookies are the perfect summer cookie. They’re soft in the center, lightly golden at the edges, and layered with real strawberry flavor in every bite. Think pockets of strawberry jam, creamy white chocolate, and pops of fresh strawberry, all finished with that buttery shortcake crumble on top for that perfect texture and crunch. Trust me, these cookies you’ll ne baking on repeat all spring and summer.

Why Should I Add Sourdough Starter to my Cookies?

Incorporating sourdough starter discard into your cookie dough not only adds a unique depth of flavor but also introduces a fermentation process that enhances the dough’s complexity. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator overnight facilitates this fermentation, as the natural bacteria and yeasts in the sourdough starter continue to develop the dough’s fermentation.

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Tools You’ll Need:

1. Microwave safe bowl- to melt the white chocolate.
2. Whisk- to mix the white chocolate.
3. Cutting board and knife- to chop the fresh strawberries.
4. Large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl- for mixing your cookie dough.
5. Electric mixer (stand or hand-held)– for combining dough.
6. Digital kitchen scale (optional)- for weighing ingredients and dough out. I linked the scale I use here.
7. Spatula– for scraping down bowl.
8. Parchment paper or silicone mats– to line cookie sheet for melted chocolate and baking the cookies.
9. Baking sheets– to spread white chocolate and to bake cookies.
10. 2-ounce (approximately 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop– for shaping large cookies linked here.
11. Large circular cookie cutter (optional)– for perfectly shaped cookies. I use this set linked here. You can also use a small bowl for this.
12. Wire cooling rack- for allowing cookies to rest properly.

Next, Gather Your Ingredients:

1. Unsalted Butter – Creates rich flavor and tender cookie centers.
2. Egg + egg yolk – Adds richness and moisture to the cookie.
3. Sourdough discard – Adds tangy flavor and moisture and is the magic that ferments your dough. Can be used fed, past peak, or straight from the fridge.
4. White Granulated Sugar- Sweetens cookies and gives them a crisp edge.
5. Vanilla Extract – Adds depth and warmth to cookies.
6. All-purpose flour – Provides structure and lift to the cookies. You can substitute bread flour but I like the softness all-purpose gives the cookies.
7. Baking Powder – Helps with lift and rise with too much doming in the center.
8. Baking Soda – Creates the perfect spread without overpuffing the cookies.
9. Sea Salt – Enhances overall flavor and sweetness.
10. White Chocolate Chips– melted down to make those delicious pockets of white chocolate. You can also just use the chips!
11. Coconut Oil (optional)- used to thin the white chocolate to help it spread.
12. Fresh Strawberries- adds delightful pops of strawberry.
13. Strawberry jam- folded into the dough to add even more strawberry flavor and texture.

Instructions

Step 1: Melt the White Chocolate

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips until smooth. I only do short 20 second bursts, because white chocolate can easy burn and clump. Add the coconut oil to help thin the white chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Pour the melted white chocolate onto a lined baking sheet (parchment or a silicone mat). Spread the white chocolate until it’s quite thin, about 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to harden the chocolate while you make the cookie dough (don’t freeze it will make condensation on the chocolate).

Once the chocolate has completely hardened, chop or break it into the desired size shards to add to the cookie dough. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter and granulated white sugar. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, cream together for approximately 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. It’ll be a bit crumbly, that’s okay!

Add the egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Continue to mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes, ensuring all ingredients are well incorporated and fluffy. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix everything at the bottom. This insures all your cookies come out evenly.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch to the wet ingredients and mix very gently until the dry ingredients are just combined.

Rinse and dry your fresh strawberries, and chop into small chunks.

Add the fresh strawberries and the chopped white chocolate to the cookie dough, then drop the strawberry jam in small spoonfuls all over the dough.

Gently fold all of the inclusions into the cookie dough or pulse them in using your mixer. Be careful not to overmix the inclusions at this stage, you want to leave pockets of jam through the dough.

Step 3: Chill the Dough

Using a 2-ounce (approximately 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough into 18 even cookie dough mounds. Place the scooped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate the dough a minimum of 4 hours.

This dough has a lot of moisture due to the strawberries and jam, so don’t skip this chill time! It’s critical for the correct texture.

Optional Long Fermentation: for optimal fermentation and to allow the sourdough starter to ferment the cookie batter, allow the cookie dough to rest in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.

Step 4: Prepare the Shortbread Crumble

Melt the butter for the crumble in a microwave safe bowl. Add the sugar and flour, and mix with a fork until you get a crumbly clumpy mixture.

Step 5: Bake the Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or my preference) silicone mats. I use these silicone mats for the perfect spread on my cookies.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets in 2 rows of 3 (6 each pan), giving them ample room to spread as they bake.

Bake the cookies for ten minutes using the 2 center racks, then remove and top with the shortbread crumble and more chopped fresh strawberries if you’d like. Gently push the crumble and strawberries into the top of the cookies and quickly return back to the oven.

Bake an additional 10-14 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers are set to the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven, and smack the pans on the counter to flatten the cookies if desired.

If you want the cookies perfectly round, use a small bowl or a round cookie cutter placed over each cookie and moved in a circular motion to nudge the edges into a perfect circle.

Baking Note: These baking times are a guide and recommended based on my oven and 2 oz cookies. If you make smaller cookies, be aware the bake time after you add the crumble will be less. Watch the cookies closely to avoid burning and bake 5 minutes then check them. Use the visual cues I’ve listed to assess when the cookies are done.

Step 6: Cool and Enjoy

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets to set before transferring them to a wire rack to set up completely. Serve cooled cookies!

Makes 17-18 large cookies (2 oz)

How to Store:

Room temperature- Keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Place a slice of bread in the container to keep them soft. Because of the fresh fruit don’t leave these cookies out longer than the time recommended.

Freezing-

Baked Cookies: store baked cooled cookies in a Ziplock with all of the air removed first. Freeze for up to one month.

Cookie dough: Transfer the chilled scooped balls to a Ziplock and remove all air, then freeze. When ready to bake, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake as directed.

FAQ’S

If you loved this recipe, drop a comment and leave a star review and don’t forget to checkout more of my sourdough cookie recipes like these Chewy Sourdough Lemon Crinkle Cookies or my Sourdough Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies!

Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

These Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake Cookies are the perfect summer cookie. They're soft in the center, lightly golden at the edges, and layered with real strawberry flavor in every bite. Think pockets of strawberry jam, creamy white chocolate, and pops of fresh strawberry, all finished with that buttery shortcake crumble on top for that perfect texture and crunch.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Fermentation time 12 hours hrs

Servings 18

Equipment

• Microwave-safe bowl – to melt the white chocolate.
• Whisk – to mix the white chocolate.
• Cutting board and knife- – to chop the fresh strawberries.
• Large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl – for mixing your cookie dough.
• Electric mixer (stand or hand-held) – for combining dough.
• Digital kitchen scale (optional) – for weighing ingredients and dough out. I linked the scale I use here.
• Spatula – for scraping down bowl.
• Parchment paper or silicone mats – to line cookie sheet for melted chocolate and baking the cookies.
• Baking sheets – to spread white chocolate and to bake cookies.
• 2-ounce (approximately 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop – for shaping large cookies linked here.
• Large circular cookie cutter (optional) – for perfectly shaped cookies. I use this set linked here. You can also use a small bowl for this.
• Wire cooling rack – for allowing cookies to rest properly.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

White Chocolate Pieces:

• 1 (175g) cup white chocolate chips
• 1-2 tsp coconut oil optional

Wet Ingredients:

• ¾ (170g) cup unsalted butter softened
• 1½ (300g) cups granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard
• 2 (8g) tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 3¾ (470g) cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cornstarch optional but recommended

Shortcake Crumble:

• 1/4 (65g) cup unsalted butter melted
• ½ (60g) cup all-purpose flour
• ½ (100g) cup granulated white sugar

Inclusions:

• ½ (75g) cup fresh strawberries finely diced
• ½ (120g) cup strawberry jam
• 1 (175g) cup white chocolate pieces or chips

Instructions

 

Step 1: Melt the White Chocolate

• In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips until smooth. I only do short 20 second bursts, because white chocolate can easy burn and clump. Add the coconut oil to help thin the white chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
  1 (175g) cup white chocolate chips, 1-2 tsp coconut oil
• Pour the melted white chocolate onto a lined baking sheet (parchment or a silicone mat). Spread the white chocolate until it’s quite thin, about 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to harden the chocolate while you make the cookie dough (don’t freeze it will make condensation on the chocolate).
• Once the chocolate has completely hardened, chop or break it into the desired size shards to add to the cookie dough. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter and granulated white sugar. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, cream together for approximately 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. It’ll be a bit crumbly, that’s okay!
  ¾ (170g) cup unsalted butter, 1½ (300g) cups granulated white sugar
• Add the egg, egg yolk, sourdough discard, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Continue to mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes, ensuring all ingredients are well incorporated and fluffy. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix everything at the bottom. This insures all your cookies come out evenly.
  1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard, 2 (8g) tsp vanilla extract
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch to the wet ingredients and mix very gently until the dry ingredients are just combined.
  3¾ (470g) cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp cornstarch
• Rinse and dry your fresh strawberries, and chop into small chunks.
  ½ (75g) cup fresh strawberries
• Add the fresh strawberries and the chopped white chocolate to the cookie dough, then drop the strawberry jam in small spoonfuls all over the dough.
  ½ (120g) cup strawberry jam, 1 (175g) cup white chocolate pieces or chips
• Gently fold all of the inclusions into the cookie dough or pulse them in using your mixer. Be careful not to overmix the inclusions at this stage, you want to leave pockets of jam through the dough.

Step 3: Chill the Dough

• Using a 2-ounce (approximately 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough into 18 even cookie dough mounds. Place the scooped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate the dough a minimum of 4 hours.
• This dough has a lot of moisture due to the strawberries and jam, so don’t skip this chill time! It’s critical for the correct texture.
• Optional Long Fermentation: for optimal fermentation and to allow the sourdough starter to ferment the cookie batter, allow the cookie dough to rest in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.

Step 4: Prepare the Shortbread Crumble

• Melt the butter for the crumble in a microwave safe bowl. Add the sugar and flour, and mix with a fork until you get a crumbly clumpy mixture.
  1/4 (65g) cup unsalted butter, ½ (60g) cup all-purpose flour, ½ (100g) cup granulated white sugar

Step 5: Bake the Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or my preference) silicone mats. I use these silicone mats for the perfect spread on my cookies.
• Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets in 2 rows of 3 (6 each pan), giving them ample room to spread as they bake.
• Bake the cookies for ten minutes using the 2 center racks, then remove and top with the shortbread crumble and more chopped fresh strawberries if you’d like. Gently push the crumble and strawberries into the top of the cookies and quickly return back to the oven.
• Bake an additional 10-14 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers are set to the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven, and smack the pans on the counter to flatten the cookies if desired.
• If you want the cookies perfectly round, use a small bowl or a round cookie cutter placed over each cookie and moved in a circular motion to nudge the edges into a perfect circle.
• Baking Note: These baking times are a guide and recommended based on my oven and 2 oz cookies. If you make smaller cookies, be aware the bake time after you add the crumble will be less. Watch the cookies closely to avoid burning and bake 5 minutes then check them. Use the visual cues I've listed to assess when the cookies are done.

Step 6: Cool and Enjoy

• Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets to set before transferring them to a wire rack to set up completely. Serve cooled cookies!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

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