Matcha Strawberry Cookies are soft, chewy sugar cookies made with earthy matcha, sweet freeze-dried strawberries, and a creamy strawberry cheesecake frosting. They combine a bright matcha flavor with bold strawberry sweetness for a café-style cookie that’s easy to make at home. Perfect for matcha lovers!
Recipe Snapshot
✅ Recipe Name: Matcha Strawberry Cookies with Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting
⏲️ Ready In: 20 mins
👥 Serves: 12 cookies
🌏 Cuisine: Japanese Fusion
🍽 Difficulty: Easy
🍕 Recipe Type: Dessert
🥣 Ingredient Highlights: matcha powder, freeze-dried strawberries, cream cheese, white chocolate
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Bakery-style cookies with creamy strawberry frosting, no chill time, perfect level of sweetness
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids' Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2024, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
Table of contents
If you love matcha and strawberry flavors, these cookies will be your new obsession. They’re soft, lightly chewy and packed with bold strawberry flavour thanks to plenty of freeze-dried strawberries baked right into the dough. These strawberry matcha cookies are topped with a silky strawberry cheesecake frosting made with white chocolate for extra richness.
This recipe is also great if you want a café-style cookie that takes minutes to make. No fancy tools needed, just a bowl, a mixer and a cookie scoop. And honestly? They taste amazing even without the frosting, so you can enjoy them as a simple matcha cookie too.
If you’re into strawberry treats, try my Strawberry Matcha Latte, this super simple Korean Strawberry Milk or reader favorite Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi. Or explore more matcha recipes like the decadent Matcha Brownies, easy Matcha Sugar Cookies or this delicious Hawaii-Japanese fusion Matcha Butter Mochi recipe.
Hanelore's Note
These cookies came from my love for matcha and strawberry flavors. No joke, they’re my absolute favorite flavors in the Universe! These matcha strawberry cookies are delicious even without frosting, but the strawberry cheesecake frosting makes them extra special. And because so many readers adore my White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, I used it in this recipe and it works like a charm!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Round-up
Matcha Cookies
- Butter: Use softened butter at room temperature for easier creaming.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar for classic sugar cookies texture.
- Matcha powder: Choose a good quality culinary-grade matcha with a vibrant green color. Sift it using a fine mesh sieve for lump-free results.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: For ease, I recommend using freeze-dried strawberry pieces. Do not swap with fresh strawberries in the dough.
Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting
- White chocolate: For the best flavor, I recommend using good quality white chocolate.
- Cream cheese & butter: Use cold cream cheese and cold butter for a thick, pipeable frosting.
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder: Creates natural pink strawberry icing without food dye.
How to make Matcha Strawberry Cookies
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and salt.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Sift matcha through a fine mesh sieve. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix only until a soft dough forms.
- Gently fold in freeze-dried strawberries.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form evenly sized cookie balls and place onto lined trays. Bake 10–12 minutes until edges set but centers remain soft.
- Once fully cooled, pipe or spread the strawberry cheesecake frosting on top.
- Garnish with fresh strawberries and refrigerate to harden frosting.
Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting (Quick Guide)
This frosting is a strawberry variation of my famous White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s a silky-smooth frosting that pipes beautifully and isn’t too sweet. The white chocolate helps the frosting hold its shape, making it ideal for piping on soft cookies.
- Melt white chocolate and cool slightly.
- Beat cold butter until pale.
- Add melted chocolate, cold cream cheese and freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- Mix just until smooth. Use immediately for the cleanest swirls.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Do not overmix the dough - cookies get tough if the dough is overworked.
- Don’t add extra flour to the dough - the dough may look soft, but it bakes perfectly. If needed, add a little bit of flour to your hands so it doesn’t stick when you shape the cookie balls.
- Use freeze-dried strawberries - Only use dried strawberries in the dough. Fresh strawberries release water and make cookies soggy. They also oxidise and can make the dough change color.
- Use a cookie scoop – The best way to get consistent sized cookies is to use a medium cookie scoop.
- Flatten cookies – For flatter cookies, press down the cookie balls gently with your palm to about half the size.
Substitutes & Variations
- Plain version: enjoy the cookies without icing; they’re delicious on their own.
- Extra strawberry punch: Add more freeze-dried strawberry powder into the frosting.
- White chocolate: Fold white chocolate chips into the dough.
- Tea-time finish: Serve with a strawberry matcha latte or sakura latte for a full café vibe.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, fresh strawberries add moisture and make the cookies spread and turn mushy. Stick to freeze-dried strawberries for the best texture.
Keep frosted cookies refrigerated for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cookies can stay at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
Yes. Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months. Frost after thawing.
Matcha cookies can turn brown after baking for a few reasons. Your matcha may be old or low-quality. Use fresh, vibrant culinary matcha. High oven temperature can also make the matcha oxidise. If your oven runs hot, reduce temperature slightly and bake longer.
Absolutely, these strawberry cookies are delicious and lighter without frosting as well.
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If you’ve tried this recipe out, please don’t forget to rate and comment on this post. I love hearing from you, so feel free to reach out to me on social media as well and tag me in your posts!
Recipe
Easy Matcha Strawberry Cookies Recipe with Cheesecake Frosting
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 medium egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon culinary matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberry pieces
For the strawberry frosting
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips melted
- 3 ½ tablespoons butter cold
- ⅓ cup cream cheese cold
- 1 tablespoon freeze dried strawberry powder
Optional
- Fresh strawberries for decoration
Instructions
Make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the milk and salt until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, matcha powder and baking soda. Sift matcha to prevent lumps.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in the dried strawberry pieces using a spatula, making sure they are evenly distributed.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough and place the cookie balls onto the prepared sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. If you want flatter cookies, gently press the dough balls down with your fingertips.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges look set but the centres are still soft. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Strawberry Frosting
- Follow the full recipe instructions for White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, then mix in freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave again in 15-second intervals. Keep repeating until fully melted. Let cool to room temperature.
- Beat the cold butter in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy.
- Add the cooled melted chocolate, cold cream cheese and strawberry powder. Mix until just combined and smooth. Add to a piping bag and use immediately for best piping consistency.
Assemble the cookies
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, pipe or spread the strawberry cheesecake frosting on top of each cookie.
- Sprinkle more dried strawberry pieces on top or place half a fresh strawberry on top for decoration.
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 120g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
- Use full fat cream cheese, such as Philadelphia original. For US readers, use cream cheese block, not the spread.
- If your butter is really yellow, add a small drop of purple food colouring to cancel out the yellowness.
Nutrition
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer
About Cookies for Kids’ Cancer:
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
How it all started:
When 2-year-old Liam Witt was diagnosed with childhood cancer in 2007, his parents Larry and Gretchen were shocked to learn of the lack of effective treatments for pediatric cancers due to lack of funding. They pledged to support the funding of research for safer, more effective treatments for children battling cancer. With the help of 250 volunteers, his mom Gretchen baked and sold 96,000 cookies, raising more than $400,000 for research. Word spread, and people nationwide began asking, "How can I help?" From that giant cookie bake, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was born.
Fast Facts:
- Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease of children in the U.S.
- More than 40,000 U.S. children are actively battling cancer right now.
- The average age of a child diagnosed with pediatric cancer is 6.
- The combined 12 major groups of pediatric cancers receive 4% of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) federal budget.
- ⅔ pediatric cancer patients will develop long-term side effects, many life-threatening—a result of the treatments that "cured" them.
- Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is committed to funding research for new, improved and less toxic treatment options for kids.
- There are 300,000+ new cases of cancer affecting children worldwide annually. That’s more than 800 new kids affected every day.
Matching
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, who will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2024, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
About The Author
Hanelore is the creator of SugarYums and winner of Netflix show Crazy Delicious. She shares delicious Korean street food, East Asian desserts, and playful fusion recipes that bring global flavours to everyday kitchens. Inspired by the food markets of Seoul and beyond, Han combines tradition with creativity to make cooking feel bold, cozy, and fun!
Erin Parker says
Hanelore, these Matcha Strawberry Cookies completely stopped me in my tracks. The combination of vibrant matcha, sweet freeze dried strawberries, and that dreamy cheesecake frosting is such a bold and creative flavor pairing, and the colors make them look like they belong in a bakery window. I cannot wait to try this trendy twist!
Thank you again for participating in our Sweetest Season!!!