I love my basic sugar cookie recipe. It holds it’s shape, it has great flavor, I don’t have to refrigerate it before rolling it out. It’s perfect as it is.
However, I wanted to add something a little more fun to my cookie menu. Who says cakes get to have all the flavor fun?
So, I adapted my favorite sugar cookie recipe to taste like a strawberry milkshake! How fun for a kids party, right?!
I even went a step further and decorated them to look like strawberries in the little berry baskets and all, but you can make them any shape you want. These make great teacher gifts on teacher appreciation day. Not to mention, they’re so cute!
This flavor profile was a bit of an experiment. I originally substituted the Nesquick for some of the flour, but because the Nesquick powder has such a high sugar content, the cookies spread too much and were too flat. So, the next time I tried substituting some of the sugar for the Nesquick powder. It worked! Although, it needed a little more strawberry flavor. For this reason, I added in some strawberry extract. Next time, instead of extract, I am going to try my Amoretti Strawberry Flavor. These are all natural flavorings that have a more concentrated flavor than extracts, so it should kick that strawberry flavor up even further. I use them in my buttercream, as well.
Overall, I am so happy with the results of this flavor experiment! What other flavors would you like to see?
- 2 C. Butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 1 C Sugar
- 1 C Strawberry Nesquick Powder
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Strawberry Extract
- 5¾ C All Purpose Flour
- With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and Nesquick for 7 minutes or until fluffy on medium speed with the paddle attachment.
- Beat in eggs just until combined.
- Add salt, vanilla and strawberry extracts, mixing for about 10 seconds on low.
- Add in flour and mix until dough is pulling clean from the sides of the bowl. In humid weather add up to ¼ cup more flour if needed.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- To roll out dough, put dough on top of parchment paper or silicone mat in between two ¼" wooden dowels. Then roll out with a rolling pin. I like to place my rolled dough on sheet pans and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then, cut into desired shapes. This will help them keep their shape.
- Put shapes onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and put in freezer for 10 minutes before baking to prevent spreading.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until just barely starting to brown on the edges. Iron with fondant smoother. Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack.
- Decorate!
