Strawberry Nesquik Cookies

Name: Strawberry Nesquik Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 120 g Butter, softened ((½ cup)); 100 g Caster sugar ((½ cup)); 50 g Brown sugar ((¼ cup)); 1 Medium Egg; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; Pink gel food colouring ((start with a small amount and add more as needed)); 55 g Strawberry Nesquik milkshake powder ((~½ cup)); 200 g Self-raising flour ((~1+⅔ cups)); 100 g White chocolate chips ((⅔ cup))

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These strawberry Nesquik cookies are a fun, nostalgic treat that'll transport you straight back to your childhood. With their vibrant pink colour and sweet strawberry milkshake flavour, kids and adults will love them!

overhead image of strawberry nesquik cookies

Who doesn't love some Nesquik?! I was absolutely crazy about this milkshake growing up in the 90s, and after recently spotting it on sale in my local Tesco, I thought I'd have a go at making some cookies with it. It took a few practice runs but I am SO pleased with how they turned out!

My strawberry Nesquik cookies are soft and chewy with crispy edges, and they're packed with white chocolate chips for extra sweetness and texture. I think they'd make a fun Valentine's Day bake or cute addition to a bake sale, or even just a nice treat for snacking on after work or school. Whatever the occasion, I'm sure you're going to love them! After you have a go at these, make sure to try my Nesquik fudge too!

Ingredients

Ready to get baking? Grab all of these ingredients before you get started:

Butter: These cookies are pretty sweet, so I'd recommend using salted butter to help balance things out. Make sure to soften it before you start so that it's easy to mix- you can do this by leaving it out at room temperature for an hour or two.
Caster sugar: This type of sugar is best for baking as it dissolves more easily into the butter, giving your cookies a better texture. This is also known as superfine sugar.
Brown sugar: Soft light brown sugar gives the cookies and nice chewy texture and a slight hint of caramel flavour. Avoid dark brown sugar for this recipe as the molasses flavour will overpower the strawberry milkshake.
Egg: This is our binder. If you prefer not to use an egg, you can substitute this for a 'flax egg'. Simply mix 1 tablespoon of ground golden flax seeds with 2 tablespoons of cold water, let it sit for 5 minutes until it's thick, then add it when the recipe calls for the egg.
Vanilla: Just a teaspoon. This works really nicely with the Nesquik flavour.
Pink food colouring: This is purely for aesthetics so you can skip it if you prefer. The Nesquik gives the dough a slight pink hue but I wanted a more vibrant colour. I recommend gel food colouring for best results.
Strawberry Nesquik powder: For that delicious strawberry milkshake taste. For a fresher flavour, you can use freeze-dried strawberry pieces (not powder) in addition to or instead of the milkshake powder.
Self-raising flour: Make sure to use self-raising flour for this recipe. It really creates such a lovely texture! If you only have plain or all-purpose flour, add 1+½ teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe separately.
White chocolate chips: These complement the strawberry flavour beautifully. You can chop up a white chocolate bar if you don't have chocolate chips, or use dark or semi-sweet chocolate for more of a contrast.

Cookie Equipment

Baking tray: You'll need one or two large baking trays to make these cookies. They spread quite a bit in the oven so it's best to stick to about 5 per tray.
Baking paper: To prevent sticking.
Mixing bowl: A large one, for mixing all of the ingredients together.
Utensils: A wooden spoon for mixing and a teaspoon for measuring.
Digital kitchen scale: For precise measurements, I recommend using a digital kitchen scale when baking. It'll give you much more consistent results than using imperial measurements, which tend to vary each time.

hand holding up one strawberry nesquik cookie

How to make Strawberry Nesquik Cookies step-by-step

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens) and line a large baking tray or two with baking paper. You can either bake two trays at once (as long as you can fit them on the same oven shelf) or use the same tray and bake in batches.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix 120g of softened butter with 100g of caster sugar and 50g of soft light brown sugar.

Step 3: Once that's smooth, add 1 medium egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a small amount of pink gel food colouring. Mix well until the colour is evenly distributed.

butter and sugar creamed together in a bowl

Step 4: Next, add 200g of self-raising flour and 55g of strawberry Nesquik powder. Mix well then use your hands to press everything together into a ball of dough.

Step 5: Gently press 100g of white chocolate chips into the dough with your hands. Try to make sure they're evenly dispersed.

hands holding a ball of pink cookie dough

Step 6: Divide the dough into 12 pieces (use a scale to ensure they're all an equal weight) and roll into balls. Place the balls onto your lined baking tray, leaving a bit of space between them to allow for spreading. I usually bake 5 per tray.

Step 7: Bake your cookies for 11-12 minutes, until they are firm around the edges and no longer look 'wet' in the middle. While they're still warm, you can add some extra white chocolate chips on top if you like.

Step 8: Let them cool completely on the tray then enjoy!

Top Tips

For a more intense strawberry flavour, you can switch the vanilla extract for strawberry extract, or sprinkle some freeze-dried strawberry pieces into the dough.
These cookies will spread and may look uneven after baking. To make them perfectly round again, use a large round cookie cutter to gently shape them immediately after they come out of the oven.
Swap white chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips if you prefer less sweetness.
Use gel food colouring instead of liquid if you can. This will prevent too much liquid from going into the dough, which can affect the final result.

FAQs

How long do strawberry Nesquik cookies last?

If you keep them in an airtight container, they'll last for up to 5 days at room temperature. You can also store them in the fridge if you want to keep them nice and chewy.

Can I make the dough ahead of time and bake it later?

Yes! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 48 hours before baking. I recommend dividing and rolling it into balls before refrigerating. If you're baking them straight from the fridge, allow an extra minute or two in the oven.

Can I use regular milkshake powder instead of Nesquik?

Yes, most types of strawberry milkshake powder will work in this recipe; however, they will be missing that distinctive Nesquik flavour!

More strawberry desserts:

I hope you like my strawberry Nesquik cookies! If you make them at home, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below. Enjoy!