strawberry glaze

These buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies are flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest and topped with a sweet strawberry glaze. These cookies are bursting with fresh fruit flavor, and will be your go-to dessert all spring and summer long!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Strawberry Glaze

butter (8 tablespoons, unsalted, softened)

(50 grams) powdered sugar

lemon

lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

(150 grams) all-purpose flour (weighed

salt

sugar

strawberries

vanilla extract (not vanilla flavoring)

milk (or half and half)

Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

To a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the flour and salt to the bowl and beat into the butter mixture until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sandy and crumbly at first, then will start to come together more. Beat the dough for about 3-5 minutes, until you are able to press it into a ball with your hands.

Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out cookie dough, pressing against the side of the bowl while scooping to level the scoops and pack the dough into the scoop. Scoop the dough ball into the palm of one hand and roll the cookie between both palms to form a round ball.

Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them about an inch and a half apart. Dip the back of a 1/2 cup measuring cup in flour and use it to press the cookies into flat discs about 1/4 inch thick. The flour helps the cookies not stick to the measuring cup.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the tops are no longer glossy. Do not brown the cookies! Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the strawberry glaze. Pulse the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until they are almost a fine powder. You should get about 2 tablespooonsof powder. Transfer the strawberries to a small mixing bowl along with the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and one tablespoon of milk or half and half.

Using a small whisk, mix the ingredients together until smooth. Add more milk if needed until the glaze can be drizzled with a spoon but is not thin enough to run off the sides of the cookies.

Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of glaze onto the completely cooled cookies, one at a time, and smooth out into an even layer with the back of the spoon. Leave a small rim around the perimeter of each cookie. Top the glazed cookies with fresh lemon zest if desired. You can allow the glaze to set for a few minutes, or enjoy the cookies immediately!

This strawberry-glazed Pink Velvet Cake tastes like the BEST wedding cake, delicately sweet, with a soft, tender crumb and a fabulous silky almond buttercream. Plus it's pretty as a (pink) picture! What's not to love?

Strawberry-Glazed Pink Velvet Cake with Almond Buttercream

butter

vanilla (I used clear vanilla)

almond extract

baking soda

baking powder

buttermilk

cake flour

egg whites (from large eggs)

strawberries (5-6 medium-size strawberries)

butter (½ stick)

sugar (maybe a bit more)

vanilla extract vanilla

nonpareils (for garnish, if desired)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch cake pan (with sides that are at least 2 inches tall with baking spray. Line the pan with a circle of parchment paper.

Whisk the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla and almond extract, then whisk until well combined. (It will not be smooth and creamy at this point but rather a bit sandy.)

Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir to combine.

Add approximately ⅓ (doesn’t have to be exact) of the buttermilk and stir to combine. Then add approximately ⅓ of the flour and stir again. Repeat x 2 until all of the buttermilk and flour have been added.

Add egg whites, one at a time and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds after each addition. Add pink food coloring, stirring after each drop until the desired shade of pink is reached. (I used 5-6 drops.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top to an even layer with an offset knife or spatula. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean OR (best way to determine doneness) until an instant thermometer inserted into the center of the cake registers 200-210˚F.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack. (The flat bottom of the cake now becomes the top.)

Slowly brush the cake on the top and sides with the strawberry glaze (recipe below - make it while the cake is baking). Some will drip off but most of it will be absorbed. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the optional buttercream.

If you decide to go with the buttercream, scrape it out onto the center of the cake then spread with an offset spatula or knife. Swirl the buttercream decoratively with the back of a spoon, if desired. Sprinkle with nonpareils, if desired.

For the cake:

11.te : While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine diced strawberries with the1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl or cup (not too small as the mixture will bubble up in the microwave). Stir to combine. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir then microwave for 1 more minute.

Pour the strawberry mixture into a fine-mesh strainer that’s been set over a bowl and allow the strawberry juice to drain into the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and then and press on the solids with the back of a spoon push out all of the juice.

You should end up with about ¼ cup of strawberry juice. If you have a bit more, discard †he excess. If it’s not quite a ¼ cup, add a bit of water to equal ¼ cup.

Add the powdered sugar to the strawberry juice and stir well until lump free. If it is difficult to dissolve the lumps you can microwave the mixture for 20-30 seconds then stir well again.

For the strawberry glaze:

Place the butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and cook on high power for 1 minute or until melted. Remove from the microwave and add the half and half or cream, the vanilla and almond extracts and the powdered sugar.

Whisk until smooth and cream. It should be a nice spreadable consistency. If it’s a little thin you can add a bit more powdered sugar. If it seems a little thick, add a bit more half and half or cream.

For the buttercream: (optional)

A luscious fresh strawberry vanilla frosting that’s perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookie fillings and or when you want a sweet spoon of deliciousness!

The Most Amazing Fresh Strawberry Frosting

mascarpone, softened

confectioners’ sugar

Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the strawberries and granulated sugar. Give it a gentle stir. When the mixture starts to bubble around the edges, turn the heat to low, stirring often. The mixture will start to bubble more and foam up. When it starts to foam, add in the 1/2 teaspoon of butter and stir in.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and, when you run a spatula through it the line mixture stays separated and just barely starts to melt back together. You should end up with about a 1/3 of a cup of strawberry reduction.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool completely. *To speed up the process, add the bowl the fridge for about 30 minutes or so.

Strawberry Reduction

In a bowl, add the mascarpone and butter. With an electric hand mixer, beat until the mixture is creamy and lump-free. Stop the mixer and add in the confectioners’ sugar. Slowly turn the mixer back on and blend in 1 3/4 cups of confectioners’ sugar completely. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Depending on the sweetness of your strawberry reduction you may need to add the remaining sugar.

Stop the mixer and add in the salt, Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste and cooled strawberry reduction. Mix in until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.

Add in 1 tablespoon of cream at a time, mixing in until desired consistency. I tend to go with ~4 tablespoon

Use as desired and store the leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Frosting

So delicious!! Used it as a fruit dip at a girls night in and everyone loved it!

Very good and easy recipe! Made this for my daughter’s birthday cake last month and everybody loved it! So happy i ve found a healthier version, no butter which i usualy dont like in frostings and using fresh strawberry was the best part! So yummy! Thank you!

This recipe is so yummy! I wanted to use it to pipe cupcakes so I added additional mascarpone cheese and about 2 oz of cream cheese and added additional powdered sugar and it came out perfect for piping  Thank you!

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1582161736/q3mvghmpmi5m4w9lafb7.mp4

A luscious fresh strawberry vanilla frosting that’s perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookie fillings and or when you want a sweet spoon of deliciousness

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