Prepare the Cheesecake Filling: In a small bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sifted icing sugar together with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract and optional lemon juice. Line a small tray with parchment paper. Scoop out small, teaspoon-sized portions of the filling (around 10-12g each) and roll them into balls. Place them on the prepared tray and freeze for at least 1 hour until solid. This is a crucial step to make assembly manageable.

Make the Strawberry Powder: Place the freeze-dried strawberries into a blender or spice grinder and pulse until you have a fine powder. Set aside.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and the strawberry powder. This ensures everything is evenly distributed.

Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy. This process, known as creaming, incorporates air into the dough, which is vital for a good cookie texture.

Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in. If using, add the food colouring now and mix briefly.

Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two stages, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.

Chill the Cookie Dough: Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Assemble the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper. Take a portion of cookie dough (about 30-35g or a heaped tablespoon). I find that using an ice cream scoop gives you perfectly uniform cookies, which helps them bake evenly. Flatten the dough into a disc in your palm, place a frozen cheesecake ball in the centre, and carefully wrap the dough around it, sealing the edges completely. Roll it into a smooth ball.

Bake to Perfection: Place the dough balls on the prepared baking trays, leaving at least 5cm of space between them as they will spread. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the tops are set. They might look slightly underdone in the centre, but they will continue to cook on the hot tray.

Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The filling will be very hot, so resist the temptation to bite into one straight away!