Coconut Sugar Cookies

COCONUT SUGAR COOKIES

3/27/2018

I'm getting the finishing touches done on my baking for Easter this year, it feels so good to be a little bit ahead of the game! We've had so much cold and snow, and dreary cloudy rain - and baking and decorating these sweet springtime cookies just made me happy!

Who doesn't love a big, thick, soft and chewy sugar cookie? And I had a fair share of willing taste-testers for both the cookie dough and baked cookies fresh from the oven. My kiddos LOVE sugar cookies, but there is just something a little bit special about these. For the uninitiated, they had a hard time putting their finger on exactly what the little something was that made these cookies taste just so darn good. They know I always use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in my sugar cookies, but just a spoonful of pure coconut extract make these cookies too good to put down! Even the odd ones that don't love coconut LOVE these cookies - frosted and decorated, or just simple and plain, snitched from the baking sheet while they were still warm from the oven. Tender, full of flavor, with a perfectly sugar-crackled exterior.

Coconut Sugar Cookies

It's all about the coconut flavor - there is no shredded or flaked coconut in these. And it really does make these special!

These sugar cookies are GINORMOUS, and have just the lightest tender crust on the outside, but melt-in-your-mouth tender cookie inside. These cookies puff while they're baking, and I've tried a couple of different techniques to make the perfect baked cookie.

First attempt - I left the cookie dough balls rounded and just let them bake - they puffed up like mountains and weren't completely baked through. Next attempt - I flattened with my palm & fingers - this worked, but they weren't uniformly pretty. Next, I tried taking them out of the oven a few minutes early and smooshing down gently with a glass (kinda like a SWIG sugar cookie) and then baking for a couple extra minutes - this worked the best so far. But I consistently had the best results flattening the round sugar-rolled cookie dough balls with a flat-bottomed glass just before putting them in the oven and baking them for exactly 12 minutes and then letting them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Perfect cookies every time!

These sweet little treats are wonderful plain and simple, right from the oven. But for Easter or a special springtime occasion, how cute are these drizzled with some colorful white chocolate and sprinkled with springtime confetti sprinkles?

Our little ones loved helping drizzle and sprinkle these with me, so they are as excited as I am to pull these out of the freezer and serve for our Easter brunch and dinner. So easy to make, so easy to bake, so much fun to decorate - but even better to eat! Sunshine on my shoulders and a Coconut Sugar Cookie make me happy! Hope you enjoy these too!

Coconut Sugar Cookies

COCONUT SUGAR COOKIES

Soft and chewy Coconut Sugar Cookies – with both vanilla and a surprising light coconut flavor – our favorite for Easter and spring celebrations! Drizzled with white chocolate & sprinkled for celebrating

Coconut Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour (sifted & spooned into measuring cup)
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup sugar (for rolling cookies)
4 oz. white/vanilla melting wafers
Springtime Sprinkles

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Set butter and eggs out to come to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it is light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each until well combined. Add vanilla extract and coconut extract and blend well.
Add half of the flour mixture at a time, blending on a low speed JUST until blended – do not overbeat!
Cover the dough and chill overnight. Chilling for at least 6-8 hours is mandatory!
The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
Scoop and roll the dough into balls, about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough each. The warmth of your hands will allow the balls to roll up nicely. Roll each individual cookie dough ball in sugar, placing 2 inches apart on your prepared baking pans.
Dip the bottom a smooth-bottom glass in the sugar and gently press down on each cookie ball, flattening each to about 1/2-inch thick.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. The cookies will look very soft, puffy and under-baked, but they will continue baking on the baking sheet after you remove from the oven. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cookies are completely cool, melt the white chocolate wafers in a small bowl according to package instructions. Carefully pour the melted chocolate into a small plastic bottle and drizzle over half of each cookie. Add sprinkles while you go - as quickly as possible, before the melted chocolate starts to set up.
Store cookies in covered container at room temperature, with parchment paper between the layers. COOKING SCHOOL HINT: A slice of white bread kept in the container will keep your cookies soft!

YIELD: about 30 cookies

NOTE: These cookies also freeze well – layer in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper.

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