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    Home » Spring

    15+ Delicious Strawberry Desserts

    May 2, 2022 by Amee Leave a Comment

    It's May, which means it's National Strawberry Month! We won't have local berries here in the Midwest until June, but the ones I can find at the grocery store sure are tasty now! To get us all ready for strawberry season, here are 15+ Strawberry Desserts for you to try!

    Image of strawberries with the text "12 Delicious Strawberry Desserts" on top.

    Why are In-Season Strawberries the Best?

    The first rule in the kitchen is to always choose the best ingredients that you can find! Sure, there are strawberries at the grocery store in January, but they don't smell or taste like strawberries. The outside may be a gorgeous red, but the inside is white and flavorless. The worst!

    After being picked, strawberries only ripen on the outside, not on the inside! This means that when they're picked thousands of miles away and shipped to your local grocery store, they were picked before ripening and never had a chance to develop the lovely flavor that you're hoping for!

    In-season, local strawberries, like the ones you can pick yourself from a local farm or buy at your local farmer's market, will be the best strawberries you'll ever taste!

    When are Strawberries In Season?

    Strawberry season varies depending on where you live! Here in the U.S., strawberries start to ripen in late February/early March in places like Florida and California. For me here in the Midwest, this is when I'll start to buy them from the grocery store. Local strawberries don't ripen up here in Michigan until early to mid-June.

    Top view of sliced Strawberry Thyme Blondies with sliced strawberries and thyme sprigs on top.
    Strawberry Thyme Blondies

    How to Choose Strawberries

    Here are a few tips for choosing the best strawberries:

    • Choose clean, dry strawberries that are plump and firm.
    • Strawberries should have a vibrant red color and green, fresh-looking leaves. Good berries will also have a bit of a shine to them.
    • You want to avoid any wrinkled, dented, or bruised berries, and definitely pass on berries that have any mold! 
    • Give them a smell! Good strawberries will smell sweet and delicious. Less smell means less flavor!
    • Buy local whenever possible! If your strawberries were shipped from far away, they were picked before they were ripe, and will not be nearly as flavorful as local berries.
    • If pesticides are of concern to you, then buy organic when it comes to strawberries! Strawberries are #1 on the Dirty Dozen List, which means that they contain the highest levels of pesticides of any fruit or veggie, even after being washed.
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes topped with fresh strawberries.
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

    How to Keep Strawberries Fresh

    Berries can be an expensive commodity (especially lately)! Spending your hard-earned dollars on beautiful berries only to find them mold-covered when you want to eat them is the woooorst. 

    I was raised knowing that in order to keep berries fresh, they need to stay dry, so we never washed berries until we were ready to eat them. BUT now I know that if you wash berries in a diluted vinegar solution, you can extend their freshness:

    • Dunk. Place the berries in a diluted vinegar bath of 1 cup vinegar to 3 cups of water. This will kill any bacteria and/or mold on your berries!
    • Drain. Then rinse the berries so that they don't taste of vinegar.
    • Dry. The berries still need to be completely dry! If you have a salad spinner, you can line it with paper towels and send your berries for a spin. Otherwise, use paper towels and pat/air dry your berries.
    • Store. Your berries are better off being stored in a larger container than the one you bought them in so that they get more air. Place them in a container with paper towels in the bottom and in-between layers of berries. Then leave the lid partially off so the berries will stay dry.
    • Enjoy! Now your berries will be fresh and waiting for you for longer!
    Neapolitan Cake

    How to Freeze Strawberries

    If you want to store your strawberries longer-term: freeze them! To freeze your berries:

    • Rinse and completely dry your strawberries.
    • Remove the stem/leaves from the tops of the berries.
    • Place the strawberries cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place (uncovered) in the freezer until frozen solid, about 24 hours.
    • Remove the strawberries from the baking sheet, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and return to the freezer. Your strawberries will keep in the freezer for several months.
    Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

    Strawberry Dessert Recipes

    So now you know all you need to know about choosing and storing your berries--let's get to eating them! Here are 15+ Strawberry Desserts to keep celebrating strawberries all season long!

    Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
    These Strawberry Shortbread Cookies have fantastic strawberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried strawberries in both the cookies and the strawberry glaze! With these cookies you can have a taste of summer year-round! Recipe can be used to make slice-and-bake shortbread or cut-outs--it's up to you!
    Check out this recipe!
    Top view of heart-shaped Strawberry Shortbread Cookies.
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
    These Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are soft & fluffy vanilla bean cakes with homemade honey-strawberry filling, topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with fresh strawberries on top.
    Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
    These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are cream cheese sugar cookies sandwiched with swirls of strawberry cream cheese frosting!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies on white plate.
    Strawberry Thyme Blondies
    These Strawberry Thyme Blondies are a dream combination oftextures and flavors! The browned-butter blondies are topped with astrawberry-thyme mascarpone mousse that is *almost* too pretty to eat!
    Check out this recipe!
    Top view of sliced Strawberry Thyme Blondies with cut strawberries and sprigs of thyme on top.
    Strawberry Jam Cookies
    These Strawberry Jam Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth vanilla bean thumbprint cookies filled with strawberry jam, then drizzled with vanilla bean glaze! So versatile and delicious, you'll find yourself making them for every occasion!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Jam Cookies on parchment paper with a jar of jam and vanilla beans nearby.
    Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze
    This Strawberry Lavender Pound Cake is so tender thanks to kefir (or buttermilk!), delicately flavored with lavender, and topped with strawberry-vanilla bean glaze! Pound cake perfection!
    Check out this recipe!
    Sliced Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze on a white plate.
    Strawberry Angel Food Cake
    This Strawberry Angel Food Cake is light and fluffy with serious strawberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried berries! Also delicious using blueberries, with the bonus of a showstopping purple color!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Strawberry Angel Food Cake on a plate with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake
    This No Bake Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake is layers of strawberry and vanilla bean cheesecake in a graham cracker crust, topped with strawberry crunch topping! Completely no bake and delicious, you'll want this beauty on repeat in your kitchen!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake on white plate.
    Strawberry Sugar Cookie Cups
    These Strawberry Sugar Cookie Cups are chewy sugar cookie cups filled with strawberry mousse! These little pink gems are sure to please a crowd!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Peach Tart
    A sweet pastry crust filled with strawberry vanilla bean pastry cream and topped with fresh strawberries and peaches. Summer on a plate!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Peach Tart
    Strawberry Shortcake Cream Puffs
    Luscious cream puffs filled with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries, dusted with powdered sugar!
    Check out this recipe!
    strawberry shortcake cream puffs
    Strawberry Sugar
    This Homemade Strawberry Sugar combines sweet strawberries with granulated sugar for the ultimate flavor enhancer! Add it to baked goods, flavor butter, use it to rim cocktail glasses, and more!
    Check out this recipe!
    Glass jar of Strawberry Sugar with cork in top and gift tag on front.
    Strawberry Powdered Sugar Doughnuts
    Tender, baked vanilla bean doughnuts coated in strawberry powdered sugar! A twist on a classic!
    Check out this recipe!
    strawberry powdered sugar donuts
    Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
    This Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake has three layers of tender yellow cake with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries! I think I could eat this every day, all summer long!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Champagne Cake
    Champagne Cake topped with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, and chocolate-covered strawberries!
    Check out this recipe!
    Champagne and Chocolate Strawberries Cake
    Neapolitan Cake
    The classic flavors of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate combine in this Neapolitan Cake! This three-layer beauty is a celebration cake!
    Check out this recipe!
    Neapolitan Cake with graham bunnies on a white cake stand.
    Rosé-Glazed Strawberry Lemon Mascarpone Tart
    A sweet pastry crust filled with a lemon mascarpone filling, topped with rosé-glazed strawberries. 
    Check out this recipe!
    Rosé-Glazed Strawberry Lemon Mascarpone Tart
    Vanilla Cake with Berry Buttercream
    This vanilla cake is amazing--soft, fluffy, and flavorful. With the addition of mixed berry buttercream, it's like a dream!
    Check out this recipe!

    Other Posts You May Like:

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    • 30+ Delicious Easter Desserts
    • 20+ Mother's Day Brunch Ideas
    • 30+ Summer Desserts

    More Spring Dessert Recipes from Scratch

    • Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
    • Strawberry Jam Cookies
    • Strawberry Sugar
    • Lavender Sugar

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