Best Coconut Shortbread Cookies Recipes

HAWAIIAN COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar and vanilla, creaming again until smooth and slightly fluffy.
• Sift flour and then measure the 2 cups of flour. Add salt to flour and sift again.
• Gradually add to the creamed butter mixture until you have added all the flour and mixture is smooth. Mix the coconut into the cookie dough.
• Shape into a one and half (1.5) inch diameter roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until it the dough is firm, about 2-4 hours, or for several days until ready to use. May be frozen for later baking.
• Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch slices from the cookie dough roll and place on a very lightly greased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, until a light golden brown at edges, but not browned entirely across the top.
• Cool cookies on sheet just until they are set, easy to remove and have cooled slightly, usually about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove cookies with a spatula and place on the 1 cup of powdered sugar that you have sifted onto a piece of wax paper or similar surface. Cover cookies with powdered sugar on all sides by sifting more sugar over them or "rolling" them in the sugar. After they have cooled and the powdered sugar has "set", you can coat them with more powdered sugar if you would like. Cool completely and then store in an airtight container, for however long you can keep them from being eaten!
• Try these the first time following the recipe as given. The next time, you can play around with adding other ingredients to tweak these to your exact tastes. Some ideas, toasting some of the coconut before adding to the dough, adding finely chopped macadamia nuts, ginger, cardamom or any citrus zest. Key lime zest and macadamias is a great combo, truly a cookie that takes you to tropical islands without the frequent flier miles :).

COCONUT PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH CARAMEL FILLING

Steps:

• To make the shortbread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place coconut on a baking sheet, and toast until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Transfer the coconut to a cutting board, and finely chop. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
• Spread the pecans on the baking pan, and toast until fragrant and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer the pecans to a cutting board, and finely chop. Add to bowl with the coconut.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, flour, and salt; beat to combine. Stir in coconut and pecans.
• Form the dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4-inch-thick. Using a 2 1/4-inch fluted pastry cutter, cut out 68 rounds. Place the rounds, spaced 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate dough 5 to 10 minutes. Using a 3/4-inch round aspic cutter, or the large end of a pastry tip, cut out and discard the centers from 34 cookies, making top halves.
• Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking time. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature until ready to use
• To make the filling: Place the sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Set over medium-high heat, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until dark amber in color, about 5 minutes. Use a pastry brush, dipped in water, to wash down sides of pan to prevent crystallization as the mixture boils. Remove saucepan from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cream and butter. Transfer to a medium bowl, and let cool.
• To assemble the cookies: Spoon or pipe about 1/2 teaspoon caramel in the center of each of the bottom halves, and sandwich both halves together. Drizzle remaining caramel over the tops of the cookies. Let the caramel set at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.

SLICE & BAKE COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Stir in coconut., Using a sheet of waxed paper, shape dough into a 12x3x1-in. rectangle. Wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 300°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are light golden, 18-20 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

COCONUT-PECAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and pecans. Divide dough into two portions. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. On a floured surface, roll each portion to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 1-in. round cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Meanwhile, for filling, bring sugar and water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add corn syrup; cook until syrup turns golden, about 5 minutes (do not stir). Gradually stir in cream and butter., Spread filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies, a scant 1/2 teaspoon on each; cover with remaining cookies. Let stand until set, about 2 hours.

GLUTEN-FREE COCONUT FLOUR SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
• Mix all the ingredients, by hand or mixer, until a well-blended, cohesive dough forms; this will take about 2 minutes at medium-low speed in a stand mixer.
• Drop the cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet (a teaspoon cookie scoop works well here), leaving 1 inch between them; these cookies won't spread much when they bake.
• Use a fork to flatten each cookie to about 1/4 inch thick, making a cross-hatch design.
• Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, until just browned on the bottom. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.

COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until coconut is light golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Beat in flour in 2 additions. Stir in toasted coconut. Gather dough together; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk; wrap each in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured work surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutters, cut dough into rounds. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out additional cookies. Repeat procedure with remaining dough disk until all of dough is used.
• Bake cookies until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.)
• *Available at natural foods stores and some supermarkets.

HAWAIIAN COCONUT MACADAMIA SHORTBREAD COINS (COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
• Add powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally.
• Beat in the 1 cup macadamia nuts and the coconut.
• Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour (dough will be sticky).
• Using lightly floured hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet; flatten balls slightly.
• Lightly press additional chopped macadamia nuts onto the tops of cookies.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
• To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, confectioners' sugar, and cornstarch together in a bowl. Blend in butter, vanilla extract, allspice, and cardamom with your hands until dough comes together. Wrap and chill dough for 1 hour.
• Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Pour coconut onto a shallow plate. Roll cookie balls in coconut and place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Combine chocolate, vegetable oil, and almond extract in a small, deep microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Dip half of each cookie diagonally into the melted chocolate and shake off excess. Return to the baking sheets and refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 10 minutes.

CARAMEL COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the shortbread by combining the butter and sugar and beating until fluffy with a mixer. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour and salt, mixing just until incorporated. Press into a 9 x 13-in pan and use a fork to prick the dough at 1-inch intervals. Bake until golden around the edges, 18-22 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, make the caramel by melting the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning (seriously!!). 3. Use a candy themometer to heat the caramel to 240 degrees (soft ball stage). This will take a total of 10 to 15 minutes to boil and then get to 240- so settle in for some stirring (take it from me- don't try to do anything else, just turn the tunes up and stir away...). Once the themometer reaches 240, turn the heat down slightly to keep the caramel at the 240 stage for 2 full minutes (keeping the caramel at the soft ball stage ensures you will have soft candy and not hard caramel that will break apart). 4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 5. Place the coconut in a large bowl and pour 2/3 of the caramel over the coconut; mix together thoroughly. Pour the remaining caramel into a parchment-lined 7 x 11 pan to cool and cut into squares. These can be dipped in chocolate or wrapped in wax paper to make caramel candies. 6. Spread the caramel-coconut mixture over the shortbread layer. 7. Melt the chocolate and spread over the caramel layer. If you want to make the chocolate decorative, run a knife through the chocolate at 1-inch intervals width-wise, then again length-wise. This creates the marbled effect you see in the photos. 8. Let cool completely (overnight is best) before cutting into small squares (I did 8 x 6) and freeze or store in airtight containers.

TOASTED COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by 1/2 cup coconut and beat just to blend.
• Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle each piece of dough with half of the cinnamon, then fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Start to form into a log (this will give a subtle cinnamon swirl-like effect - if this idea stresses you out, you can also just add the cinnamon with the flour and coconut in step 2).
• Using your hands (just like you're playing with clay), form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don't worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Chill until firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you've got 'em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in unsweetened coconut.
• Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Dip each round on one side into sanding sugar (no need to egg wash, the sugar should just stick). Arrange on prepared baking sheet, sugar-side up, about 1 inch apart (they won't spread much). Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
• Cookie dough can be made 1 week ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.

HAWAIIAN COCONUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar and vanilla, creaming again until smooth and slightly fluffy.
• Sift flour and then measure the 2 cups of flour. Add salt to flour and sift again.
• Gradually add to the creamed butter mixture until you have added all the flour and mixture is smooth. Mix the coconut into the cookie dough.
• Shape into a one and half (1.5) inch diameter roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until it the dough is firm, about 2-4 hours, or for several days until ready to use. May be frozen for later baking.
• Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch slices from the cookie dough roll and place on a very lightly greased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, until a light golden brown at edges, but not browned entirely across the top.
• Cool cookies on sheet just until they are set, easy to remove and have cooled slightly, usually about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove cookies with a spatula and place on the 1 cup of powdered sugar that you have sifted onto a piece of wax paper or similar surface. Cover cookies with powdered sugar on all sides by sifting more sugar over them or "rolling" them in the sugar. After they have cooled and the powdered sugar has "set", you can coat them with more powdered sugar if you would like. Cool completely and then store in an airtight container, for however long you can keep them from being eaten!
• Try these the first time following the recipe as given. The next time, you can play around with adding other ingredients to tweak these to your exact tastes. Some ideas, toasting some of the coconut before adding to the dough, adding finely chopped macadamia nuts, ginger, cardamom or any citrus zest. Key lime zest and macadamias is a great combo, truly a cookie that takes you to tropical islands without the frequent flier miles :).