Sheet Pan Zucchini Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

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These sheet pan zucchini strawberry shortcake cookies came out of one of those late-July weeks when I had more zucchini than I knew what to do with and a bag of freeze-dried strawberries taking up space in the pantry. Twenty minutes of actual work, one bowl, two sheet pans, and you have two dozen soft drop cookies that genuinely taste like strawberry shortcake. The zucchini disappears completely into the dough. Nobody will know it is there unless you tell them.

The active time is about 20 minutes. The rest is oven time and the glaze setting up, so you can walk away. One thing worth knowing before you start: squeeze the shredded zucchini as dry as you possibly can. I mean really wring it out in a kitchen towel. If you skip that step, the cookies spread too much and the centers stay gummy instead of soft.

The vanilla glaze is simple, just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, and it sets firm enough to stack the cookies with a piece of parchment between layers. That matters when you are trying to send a batch somewhere or pack them in a lunchbox without a mess.

How this recipe actually happened

My neighbor dropped off a grocery bag of zucchini from her garden, the way neighbors do every August, and I had already made two loaves of zucchini bread that week. My youngest had been asking for strawberry shortcake, and I had freeze-dried strawberries in the cabinet but no fresh berries. I figured I would try folding them into a soft drop cookie and see what happened. The first batch I did not crush the strawberries small enough, and a few cookies had hollow spots where big pieces puffed up and then deflated. Second batch, I crushed them finer and it worked exactly right.

My kids ate most of them before the glaze had even fully set, which I am counting as a win.

Why you will love this

• Freeze-dried strawberries give concentrated berry flavor without adding any liquid to the dough, so the texture stays soft and not gummy.
• The zucchini is completely undetectable once baked, which is useful if you are feeding anyone suspicious of vegetables in dessert.
• Two dozen cookies from one batch makes it worth the effort, and they hold up well for a couple of days.
• The glaze sets firm enough to stack and transport, so these work for potlucks or school events without turning into a sticky mess.
• Most of the 45 minutes is hands-off, so you can clean up while the first pan bakes.

Tips for success

• Squeeze the zucchini until it is genuinely dry, not just damp. Wrap the shreds in a clean kitchen towel and twist hard over the sink. Wet zucchini is the main reason these cookies spread flat or stay gummy in the center.
• Crush the freeze-dried strawberries into small crumbles and some fine powder before folding them in. Big whole pieces create air pockets that hollow out as the cookie bakes. A rolling pin and a zip-top bag takes about 30 seconds.
• Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack. The cookies look slightly underdone in the center at 12 minutes and that is correct. They firm up as they cool on the pan, and overbaking makes them dry.
• Wait until the cookies are fully cool before glazing. I learned this the hard way: glaze on a warm cookie slides off and pools on the parchment instead of coating the top.

If your cookies spread or turn out flat

• Flat cookies almost always mean the zucchini was not squeezed dry enough. Even a little extra moisture loosens the dough more than you expect.
• Butter that is too soft or melted will also cause spreading. It should be room temperature, meaning it holds a fingerprint but is not shiny or greasy.
• If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the portioned dough for 20 minutes before baking. Cold dough spreads more slowly and holds its shape better.
• Spooning and leveling the flour rather than scooping directly from the bag keeps the dough from getting too stiff on the other end, which causes cracking on top.

Substitutions

Freeze-dried raspberries or blueberries work in place of the strawberries with no other changes to the recipe. If you cannot find freeze-dried fruit at all, add 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry extract to the dough and accept that the texture and color will be different. For a gluten-free version, a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour substitutes directly for the all-purpose flour. Dairy-free butter works in both the dough and the glaze, and any plain non-dairy milk can replace the whole milk in the glaze.

If you are baking for someone who avoids refined sugar, this particular glaze does not adapt well, but the cookies themselves are good plain or dusted with powdered sugar instead of the drizzle.

Make-ahead and storage

You can portion the dough onto the lined baking sheets, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake straight from the fridge and add one extra minute to the bake time. Glazed cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Once the glaze is fully set, about 15 minutes, you can stack them with parchment between layers without them sticking together.

To freeze, skip the glaze and freeze the baked cookies in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze just before serving. Freezing already-glazed cookies makes the glaze weep when they thaw, so it is worth the extra few minutes to glaze fresh.

Brittany Stage

Sheet Pan Zucchini Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Soft zucchini drop cookies loaded with crushed freeze-dried strawberries and finished with a simple vanilla glaze. They taste like strawberry shortcake in cookie form and are a lovely way to use summer zucchini.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 24 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 118

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup shredded zucchini from about 1 medium zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out well
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar for the dough
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups freeze-dried strawberries lightly crushed into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the glaze
• 3 tbsp whole milk plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract for the glaze

Equipment

• box grater or food processor with grater attachment
• clean kitchen towel or paper towels
• large mixing bowl
• medium mixing bowl
• electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon size)
• 2 rimmed baking sheets
• wire cooling rack

Method

 

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater, then wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over the sink until no more liquid comes out. You want the shreds as dry as possible. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin until they are broken into small crumbles and some fine powder. You do not want big whole pieces, which can create hollow spots in the baked cookie.
3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the squeezed zucchini and the crushed freeze-dried strawberries. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, which is normal.
5. Scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, spacing the mounds about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 11 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and just barely golden. The centers may look slightly underdone, and that is fine. They firm up as they cool.
6. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing. Do not glaze warm cookies or the glaze will slide right off.
7. Make the glaze by whisking together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. It should drizzle off the whisk in a slow ribbon. If it is too thick, add milk half a teaspoon at a time. Spoon or drizzle the glaze over each cooled cookie. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes at room temperature before stacking or storing.

Notes

Squeeze the zucchini very thoroughly. Too much moisture in the dough will make the cookies spread flat and the glaze will not set properly. Freeze-dried strawberries are sold near the dried fruit section in most grocery stores.

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