Prepare the Strawberries: Wash, hull, and finely chop your strawberries. Spread them on a plate lined with a paper towel and let them sit for 10 minutes to absorb excess moisture. This step prevents the cookies from becoming soggy. You'll notice the paper towel soaking up pink juice—that's exactly what we want.

Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. The mixture should look uniform and pale, with no lumps of powder visible.

Cream the Butter and Cream Cheese: In a large bowl using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and caster sugar together on medium speed until the mixture turns pale, fluffy, and light—about 3 minutes. It should smell sweet and buttery, and look almost like a thick frosting.

Add the Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest (if using) until fully combined. The batter will look glossy and smooth, with a slight sheen. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.

Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until a soft, sticky dough forms. You should see no streaks of flour, but do not overmix—the dough will look shaggy and a bit tacky. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a spatula, distributing them evenly. The dough will now be speckled with red and feel tender.

Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. This firms up the butter and cream cheese, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. The dough will feel cool and slightly firmer to the touch when ready.

Scoop and Bake: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough (about 40g each) and place them 5cm apart on the trays. Sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar. Bake one tray at a time for 14-16 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centres look just set but still soft. The kitchen will smell intensely of baked strawberries and vanilla.

Cool and Set: Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes—they will be very delicate and soft straight from the oven. The tops will look slightly cracked and the bottoms a deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. The texture firms up beautifully as they cool, leaving a tender, almost scone-like crumb.