Strawberry Shortcake Fudge

Name: Strawberry Shortcake Fudge
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 cups white chocolate chips; 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk; 5 tbsp unsalted butter (divided); 1 tsp strawberry extract ((I used LorAnn Gourmet Strawberry bakery emulsion. It can be used interchangeably with extract.)); 2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder; 1 cup mini vanilla wafers; 2-3 drops red food coloring (optional); 10 cookies (1 cup) finely crushed vanilla sandwich cookies ((I used Golden Oreos)); 1 tbsp strawberry flavored gelatin powder; 2-3 drops red food coloring

This Strawberry Shortcake Fudge tastes like the classic layered cake in fudge form. It is so quick easy to make the creamy candy and cookie crumble--homemade is always better than store-bought!

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This quick and easy Strawberry Shortcake Fudge recipe creates a creamy strawberry flavored fudge that sandwiches a layer of vanilla wafers and has a crushed cookie crumble topping. The combination of sweet, fruity, and buttery flavors tastes just like strawberry shortcake, but better because it’s in fudge form!

Easy Strawberry Shortcake Fudge

This easy Strawberry Shortcake Fudge is so quick to make at home with a few ingredients but has the same velvety texture and sweetness of fancy candy store fudge.

This recipe has the same layering concept as the classic cake: a white chocolate-strawberry base fudge sits at the bottom that’s covered by a middle layer of vanilla wafers and then topped with more fruity fudge that sits on top of the cookies.

I love using freeze-dried strawberry powder and natural flavoring for this recipe; it gives this sweet treat a pretty pink color and a beautiful berry flavor without the use of food coloring.

Strawberry Shortcake Fudge tastes similar to my Strawberry Milk (obviously in liquid form!), but when you need a bite in the form of fudge, this is an easy way to get a fast fix!

For more easy Strawberry Shortcake recipes, try my Strawberry Shortcake Truffles or Strawberry Shortcake Trifle.

Why We Love This Strawberry Shortcake Fudge Recipe

Quick and easy to make.
Uses simple ingredients to create a fudge that tastes fancy.
Recipes requires no candy thermometer or candy-making skill.
Tastes like strawberry shortcake in fudge form.
Full of sweet strawberry flavor with a creamy, velvety texture.
Perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, Easter, baby showers, summertime dessert trays, or even pink-themed parties.

Ingredients / Shopping List

White chocolate chips
Sweetened condensed milk
Unsalted butter
Strawberry extract: I used LorAnn Gourmet Strawberry bakery emulsion which can be used interchangeably with extract.
Freeze-dried strawberry powder
Mini vanilla wafers
Red food coloring (optional)
Vanilla sandwich cookies: I used Golden Oreos.
Strawberry flavored gelatin powder

Substitutions and Additions

Cookie Crumble: You can substitute the vanilla sandwich cookies in your crumble mixture with mini vanilla wafers if you do not want to use two different types of cookies for this recipe. Shortbread cookies would also make a great alternative.
Tasty Toppings: Other topping ideas can include chopped nuts, chopped cookies, dried fruits, marshmallows, sprinkles, or other candies (like M & M’s).

Recommended Tools

Rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper
Mixing bowls
Measuring tools
Spatula
8×8-inch baking pan
Saucepan

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How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Fudge

All you need are some simple ingredients, 10 minutes of time, and a bit of patience for the fudge to firm up to make this delicious Strawberry Shortcake Fudge dessert. This pretty pink recipe is so easy when you need a fast fudge fix!

Make the cookie crumble by dividing the crushed vanilla sandwich cookies into 2 separate bowls.
Melt the butter, pour half over one bowl of crushed cookies, and stir to evenly coat all the cookie crumbs.
Add the strawberry-flavored gelatin powder and red food coloring to the remaining melted butter, stir to combine, and pour over the second bowl of crushed cookies.
Stir to evenly coat the crushed cookies with the strawberry flavored butter.
Spread both bowls of the butter-coated crushed cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, gently tossing them together, and bake at 350°F for 8 minutes.
Break up the baked cookie crumbles using a spatula so that it does not cool into one big piece.
Pro Tip: You want the cookies to cool as a crumble.
Allow the cookie crumble to cool on the counter while preparing the fudge mixture.
Combine the white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and strawberry extract in a saucepan.
Pro Tip: You can add 2-3 drops of red food coloring at this time if your brand of strawberry extract is clear or if you prefer your fudge to be a deeper shade of pink.
Melt the chocolate and other ingredients on medium heat, stirring often.
Pro Tip: It’s important to stir often to prevent the chocolate from burning and to ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. This can take 3-5 minutes.
Transfer half of the fudge mixture to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Place the mini vanilla wafers in a single layer over the first half of the fudge in the pan.
Pour the remaining fudge over the top of the mini vanilla wafers, and spread into an even layer.
Sprinkle the baked cookie crumble over the top of the fudge and press the crumble into the top of the fudge to make sure it doesn’t fall off the fudge when sliced.
Chill the strawberry shortcake fudge in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until firm, before cutting into squares.
Serve and enjoy!

Tips

If your brand of strawberry extract is clear, then you may want to add a couple of drops of food coloring to the fudge mixture. You do not need to do this as your freeze-dried strawberry powder will also help to lightly color your fudge pink, but if you want a deeper shade of pink, then you can add the additional food coloring.
Be careful not to add too much liquid from extracts and food coloring because when it’s added to the melted white chocolate, it can cause it to seize up and not melt properly.
You can use a good quality gel food color, and they will lend to better results. Wilton and Americolor are great brands to use. Remember that gel food color is typically more intense in color than the liquid, so just a drop of red should do for a pink color.
I used a good quality chocolate chip (Ghirardelli brand) for this recipe because I find that the generic brands do not melt as well, and the flavor is not as good. You can use white chocolate baking bars, broken into small pieces if you prefer. 3 cups of chips are roughly 20 ounces or 5 (4-ounce) baker’s bars.
To crush your cookies quickly, pulse cookies in the food processor until they are fine crumbs.

Storage Tips

To Store: store your strawberry shortcake fudge in a sealed container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.
To Freeze: wrap it tightly in wax, or parchment paper, then place it into an airtight freezer-safe container. A heavy-duty freezer bag works great because you can squeeze most of the air out of it. You will want to thaw your fudge in the refrigerator for the best texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh or frozen strawberries instead of freeze-dried strawberries in this recipe?

No, you cannot use fresh or frozen strawberries to make this fudge. Using fresh or frozen strawberries will cause the fudge to be watery and it won’t set up properly. Freeze-dried strawberries are the next best thing to fresh strawberries.

How do I make a freeze-dried strawberry powder?

For the freeze-dried strawberry powder, you will just need to place about a ½-⅓ cup of freeze-dried strawberries into a zip-top bag and crush them up until you have a fine powder.
They are very delicate, so it will not take much effort to squeeze the bag with your hands to get a strawberry powder from them that you will use to flavor and help color the fudge mixture.

What will provide the best flavoring for this fudge?

I used the LorAnn brand strawberry bakery emulsion for flavoring. This can be used interchangeably with any strawberry extract. I like to use it because the flavor is excellent, and it is a red-colored extract, so I do not need to add any extra food coloring to my fudge.
This is easily found at big box craft stores like Michaels, JoAnnes, or online. With the addition of the freeze-dried strawberry powder and the LorAnn flavoring, this fudge has a beautiful pink color and amazing strawberry flavor without the use of additional food coloring.