bakingwithtradition.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to recommended products. Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

These dye free strawberry cookies are full of fresh strawberry flavor from freeze dried strawberry powder mixed into a rich butter sugar cookie dough. You divide the dough in two. Then twist the vanilla and strawberry dough into ropes that get formed into adorable hearts. This is a great cookie for Valentine’s Day.

For a few years now, I’ve made fancy cutout cookies for Valentine’s Day with my baking students. This year, I had a student who is very sensitive to dye, so I started looking for other alternatives.

Freeze dried strawberry powder (or whole freeze dried strawberries) are a great way to get a little bit of happy pink color with no synthetic dyes. I boost my color in these cookies with a tiny amount of beet powder as well.

If you’ve ever wanted to try strawberry powder, these dye free strawberry cookies are a fun way to get started.

The twisting process is genuinely fun, and you get a unique cookie that looks gorgeous on a plate. So ditch your red dye and let’s make these lovelies.

Affiliate disclosure

Strawberry Vanilla Twist Hearts

Dye free cookies on a plate with text overlay

Dye Free Strawberry Cookies ingredients

Butter: You could substitute coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
Powdered sugar: makes for a tender cookie.
Egg yolk: gives the dough some color, adds to the tenderness.
Vanilla paste: for flavor; you could substitute almond extract, which is also delicious.
Flour: all-purpose flour.
Freeze-dried strawberry powder: the real star here. This adds a beautiful pink color and vivid strawberry taste.
Beet powder: a tiny bit to boost the color of the strawberries. These cookies will not taste like beets.

dye free strawberry and vanilla heart twist cookies

naturally colored strawberry vanilla cookies

Tips for working with freeze dried strawberries

freeze dried strawberry and beet powders

I’m using freeze dried strawberry powder I found on Amazon. I know it’s a bit pricey out of the gate, but a little goes a long way. My recipe calls for 7 grams of the powder. At 283 grams in the package, you could make this recipe 40 times, bringing the price per recipe to 50 cents.

Measure in grams: I’ve seen many recipes using freeze dried strawberries, and I find it confusing to see the strawberries measured in one amount, then another amount after you grind them. If you know how many grams you’ll need, you’ll never be confused.

Use a coffee grinder: If you can only find whole freeze dried strawberries, measure out what you need on a gram scale. From there, pop the berries into a coffee grinder and grind them down into a powder.

Sprinkle on your dough, then work in the color. Flatten your dough, then sprinkle on the strawberry powder in a fine layer. Fold the dough back on itself, then gently knead it to incorporate the color. I find that getting the dough flatter to start with helps you from over kneading the dough. Tough cookies are not allowed!

Color boost? You may find in working with the freeze dried strawberries that the color looks pale once you’ve mixed it into the dough. I’ve seen a lot of recipes call for a couple extra drops of pink food coloring to counteract that. Because I wanted to keep my strawberry cookies dye free, I opted to add a tiny bit of beet powder to accomplish the same thing. You choose what’s comfortable to you. Naturally colored baked goods that hit the heat of the oven will NOT have as vibrant color as those with food coloring gels. But there’s a beauty in that all its own. Choosing natural colorings is as much an aesthetic choice as much as it is about health.

Strawberry Vanilla Heart Twist Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Author: Elizabeth Farr
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 12 cookies

Print Recipe

Description

Dye free cookies colored with vivid pink freeze dried strawberries and beets, these pretty twists are as fun to make as they are lovely to share.

Ingredients

Scale

1 stick of butter, at room temperature (113 grams)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)
1 tablespoon freeze dried strawberry powder (7 g)
1/2 tsp beet powder (optional, for extra color)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Make the dough:

Beat the butter with the powdered sugar just until smooth in either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer in a bowl.
Add in the egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
Pour in the flour, then beat in briefly, just until the flour disappears.
Transfer the dough to the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap around the dough, then press everything into one even mass of dough.
Divide the dough in half.
Sprinkle the strawberry and beet powders on top of one half of dough, then fold the dough on top of itself to distribute the color evenly.
Divide the strawberry dough into 12 balls, then divide the plain dough into 12 balls as well.
Chill the balls on a sheet tray in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Roll the twists:

Line one baking sheet with a piece of parchment.
Lightly flour your counter.
Roll a piece of the strawberry dough and a piece of vanilla dough into a rope about 8″ long.
Twist the two ropes of dough together. It’s helpful to roll one over the other with light pressure. If the dough breaks at all, pinch it together and keep going.
When you’ve fully twisted the two ropes together, pinch the ends together to form a circle, then form it into a heart.
Place the heart on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the twisting for the rest of the dough.
Chill the cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake the cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C).
Bake the cookies for 15-16 minutes, rotating the sheet tray 180 degrees halfway through the baking process.
Cool the cookies until the sheet tray is cool, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. Because of their fragile shape, these cookies do not freeze well.

Notes

If you can only find freeze dried whole strawberries, use a coffee grinder to grind them.
You can skip the beet powder, though it makes a more vibrant pink without the addition of food coloring.
Stop the stick: You may notice that the vanilla dough is slightly stickier than the strawberry dough. You’re right! Without the added strawberry powder, it will stick as it gets warm. If the dough feels too sticky, chill the dough for another 5 minutes before rolling more. A sprinkle of flour will also help.
Too much cracking: if you notice the ropes cracking as you’re rolling, they might be too cold. Just pinch the dough together at a break and continue.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Cookies
Cuisine: American