These Chocolate Strawberry Cookies take everything I love about chocolate-covered strawberries and turn it into one giant bakery-style cookie. Rich chocolate and sweet, slightly tart strawberries just belong together, so naturally I had to see what would happen when I combined them in one of my extra-large cookies.

They start with a rich chocolate cookie dough filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips and pieces of freeze-dried strawberries. Then I tuck a frozen strawberry chocolate truffle right into the middle.

Once they’re baked, I drizzle them with even more chocolate because, at that point, why stop?

The result is a thick, soft chocolate cookie with little bursts of real strawberry and a creamy chocolate-strawberry truffle hiding inside.

Why Freeze-Dried Strawberries Work So Well

For these Chocolate Strawberry Cookies, I use freeze-dried strawberries instead of fresh strawberries because fresh berries add quite a bit of moisture to cookie dough.

Freeze-dried strawberries give me concentrated strawberry flavor without changing the texture of the cookie. I like to roughly chop them instead of turning them into powder so there are little pockets of tart strawberry throughout the chocolate dough. If you’re new to using freeze-dried fruit, King Arthur Baking has a helpful guide to baking with freeze-dried fruit that explains some of the different ways you can use it.

They also add pretty pops of red against the dark chocolate cookie, which makes these especially fun for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or anytime you’re craving chocolate and strawberries.

The Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Center

This might be my favorite part of the whole cookie.

The center is a simple chocolate ganache made with semi-sweet chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla, and strawberry extract. Once the ganache has chilled enough to scoop, I roll it into little balls and freeze them.

Freezing the truffle centers makes them much easier to wrap inside the cookie dough and helps keep that gooey chocolate center where it belongs while the cookies bake.

Strawberry extract can vary quite a bit from one brand to another, so I recommend starting with a little and tasting as you go. I want the center to taste like chocolate and strawberry, not strawberry candy.

Chocolate Strawberry Cookies Recipe

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen extra-large 5-ounce cookies or about 4 dozen regular-sized cookies
Bake Temperature: 350°F (325°F above 4,000 feet)
Bake Time: Approximately 16–18 minutes

Print Recipe

Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Centers

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¾ tsp strawberry extract, or to taste
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Chocolate Strawberry Cookie Dough

3 cups packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup margarine, melted and slightly cooled
5 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2–3 tsp strawberry extract, to taste
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5½–7 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, more if needed
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1½–2 cups freeze-dried strawberries, roughly chopped

For Topping

Additional semi-sweet chocolate chips
Additional freeze-dried strawberry pieces, optional
Melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate, for drizzling
Fresh strawberries for serving, optional

Instructions

Make the strawberry truffle centers. Place the finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.
Heat the heavy cream until hot and steaming, but don’t let it boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 2 minutes.
Gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Let it cool slightly, then stir in the strawberry extract, vanilla, and salt.
Refrigerate the ganache for approximately 30–60 minutes, or until firm enough to scoop.
Scoop the ganache into approximately 2-teaspoon portions and roll into balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes, or until very firm.
Make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, melted margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons strawberry extract. Mix until fully incorporated.
Add the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and 5½ cups flour. Mix until a soft chocolate dough begins to form.
Gradually add additional flour as needed until the dough is soft but no longer sticky. You may not need the full 7 cups. If the dough becomes too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Taste a small amount of dough. If you’d like a stronger strawberry flavor, add the remaining teaspoon of strawberry extract.
Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and roughly chopped freeze-dried strawberries.
Portion enough dough to make approximately a 5-ounce finished cookie. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place one frozen strawberry chocolate truffle in the center.
Bring the dough completely around the truffle and seal it well. Make sure none of the ganache is exposed.
Shape into a thick cookie and press additional chocolate chips and a few pieces of freeze-dried strawberry into the top, if desired.
Bake one test cookie first. Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead.
Bake one extra-large cookie for approximately 16 to 18 minutes. The edges should look set while the center still looks slightly soft.
Let the test cookie rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. After the test cookie has cooled enough to taste, check the strawberry flavor. If you’d like it stronger, mix the remaining teaspoon of strawberry extract into the rest of the dough before baking.
Also check the texture and spread. If the cookie spreads too much, add a little more flour to the remaining dough. If it holds its shape with set edges and a soft center, you’re ready to bake the rest.
Bake the remaining cookies and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Once the cookies have cooled slightly, drizzle the tops with melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

Wendy’s Tips & Notes

Use freeze-dried strawberries, not fresh. Fresh strawberries release too much moisture into the cookie dough. I save the fresh strawberries for serving or making the finished cookies look extra pretty.

Don’t pulverize the strawberries. Roughly chopped pieces give you those little bursts of real strawberry flavor throughout the chocolate cookie.

Keep the truffle centers frozen. Leave them in the freezer until you’re ready to stuff the cookies. They’re much easier to completely enclose when they’re firm.

Start with the lower amount of flour. I start with 5½ cups and add more only until the dough is soft but no longer sticky. If you accidentally add too much and the dough becomes dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Bake one test cookie. Stuffed cookies have a few more variables than ordinary cookies, so don’t skip this step. Your test cookie will tell you whether the dough, strawberry flavor, baking temperature, or baking time needs adjusting.

Don’t overbake them. Chocolate cookies can be difficult to judge by color, so watch the edges instead. The centers should still be soft when they come out of the oven and will continue setting as they cool.

Can I Make Smaller Chocolate Strawberry Cookies?

Absolutely. For smaller cookies, use approximately 2 ounces of dough and a smaller frozen truffle center so you still have enough dough to completely seal the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead. Begin checking the smaller cookies around 12 to 14 minutes.

I still recommend baking one test cookie first. The smaller cookies won’t need nearly as much time as my giant 5-ounce version.

Chocolate Strawberry Cookies for Valentine’s Day

So many people associate chocolate-covered strawberries with Valentine’s Day, so these Chocolate Strawberry Cookies are an easy choice when I want something a little more special than an ordinary Valentine’s cookie.

The freeze-dried strawberries add natural little pops of red throughout the dark chocolate dough, and the chocolate drizzle makes them look special without requiring complicated decorating.

You could serve them with fresh strawberries on the side or package individual giant cookies as Valentine’s treats. Just make sure the chocolate drizzle has completely set before wrapping them.

Of course, there’s no reason to wait until February to make them. Chocolate and strawberries sound pretty good to me any time of year.

Storing and Freezing Chocolate Strawberry Cookies

Once the cookies have cooled completely and the chocolate drizzle has set, store them in an airtight container. If you’re stacking them, place parchment or wax paper between the layers to protect the tops.

I don’t refrigerate my cookies because I find that refrigeration dries them out too quickly. If we aren’t going to eat them within the next few days, I prefer freezing them.

Place the completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag.

When I want one warm again, I place the frozen cookie directly into a cool oven. Then I turn the oven to 350°F and let it warm gradually. A smaller cookie usually needs about 8 minutes, while one of my extra-large cookies needs closer to 12 minutes.

The chocolate drizzle will soften as the cookie warms, but that warm, gooey strawberry truffle center is worth it.

More Tips for the Perfect Cookie

If you’re making one of my giant cookies for the first time, my Tips for the Perfect Cookie guide shares more of what I’ve learned after years of baking, including flour, dough consistency, baking times, altitude adjustments, and getting that soft, chewy center I love.

More Bakery-Style Cookie Recipes

If giant stuffed cookies are your kind of treat, you’ll find plenty more in my Bakery-style Cookie Recipes collection. Some are inspired by candies and desserts, while others are connected to people and family memories that make them especially meaningful to me.

A Chocolate-Covered Strawberry in Cookie Form

I love the extra-large version because there’s plenty of room for that gooey truffle center, but smaller Chocolate Strawberry Cookies are a nice option for parties, cookie trays, or anytime you’re serving a crowd.

These Chocolate Strawberry Cookies have everything I was hoping for when I started playing around with this idea: rich chocolate, tart pieces of real strawberry, melty chocolate chips, and a surprise strawberry chocolate truffle tucked right into the middle.

Basically, it’s a chocolate-covered strawberry in giant cookie form.

I love creating cookies that take a familiar flavor and turn it into something completely different, and this one turned out exactly the way I’d hoped.

Would you rather have a chocolate-covered strawberry or one of these giant Chocolate Strawberry Cookies?

Making every house feel a little more like home.

Tips for the Perfect Cookie: Everything I’ve Learned After Years of Baking