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Daydreaming of swinging in a hammock on a Caribbean beach dotted with swaying palm trees? These Crispy Coconut Lime Cookies are the next best thing!
Delicious sweet and tart, these tropical sugar cookies that are made with shredded coconut, cream cheese, butter, lime juice and zest, and coconut extract. They’re perfect for gift-giving or munching on any time of day.
Why We Love This Coconut Lime Cookie Recipe
Just like the lyrics ‘Put ‘da lime in the coconut’ in Harry Nilsson’s Coconut song, lime and coconut just go together naturally!
In this recipe, the tropical flavours meet in a classic sugar cookie that’s like sunshine on a plate. Here’s why we love it and you will too!
- They’re fun to make and feature ingredients you may not normally see in everyday cookies.
- Irresistibly creamy, the sweet coconut aroma and flavour is as rich as a piña colada under the tropical sun.
- Much like champurradas, the famous sesame seed cookie of Guatemala, these Latin American sugar cookies are thin and crispy. They’re super versatile and perfect with coffee and cocoa or with savoury cheeses and nuts.
- They freeze beautifully.
Ingredients
Flour: White flour makes up the base of these cookies.
Baking powder and baking soda: These are leaveners that help make the cookies rise.
Salt: Salt is used for intensifying flavour and for adding texture to the dough.
Shredded sweetened coconut: Sweetened coconut flakes add both texture and coconut flavour.
Granulated sugar: White sugar helps make the cookies crispy and add sweetness.
Cream cheese: This adds richness and helps make the cookies moist.
Butter: Butter gives flavour and helps make the cookies crispy.
Vegetable oil: A little extra fat helps hold the cookies together.
Egg: An egg helps the cookies rise, keeps them together, and adds moisture to the dough.
Lime Zest and Juice: Adds citrusy freshness.
Milk: A splash of milk makes the cookies tender and soft.
Coconut extract: Coconut extract is for an extra boost of coconut flavouring. If you don’t have coconut extract, you can substitute a coconut rum like Malibu Coconut Rum Liqueur for even more tropical flavour.
Step by Step Instructions
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine, then add chopped coconut and stir again.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese until combined.
3. Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly. Add cooled melted butter to sugar and cream cheese and mix to combine.
4. Add milk, oil, egg, lime juice, and coconut extract to the sugar mixture and mix to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Scoop the dough onto the tray.
8. With the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, flatten the cookie dough.
*NOTE: The thicker the cookie, the chewier it will be.
9. Bake until the edges just turn golden brown.
How to Serve These Sugar Cookies
- Make a basket of cookies to give away to your friends or family. You can include Chocolate Eggnog Cookies, Champurradas – Guatemalan Sesame Seed Cookies, and Healthy No-Bake Energy Balls.
- Serve these cookies after dinner. Some ideas that would go well with them are: Perfect 15-Minute Grilled Halibut with Peach Salsa, Beer Pizza Dough with Brie, Basil and Prosciutto, Hilachas – Guatemalan Shredded Beef Stew, or Grilled Steak in Beer Marinade with Salsa Fresca.
Key Lime Cookies and Other Variations
- Make these cookies with key limes and zest instead of limes. Or go for lemons instead of lime.
- Remove the coconut flakes and extract and add an herb like rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or basil instead.
- Make these cookies thick instead of thin so they’re chewy instead of crispy.
- Take out the lime and coconut and use vanilla for a more classic taste.
- Add macadamia nuts for crunchy and fun cookies.
- Toss in some white chocolate chips for a creamy, melty texture.
FAQs
How do you make lime coconut sandwich cookies?
You can use two of these cookies and a cream cheese filling to make them into cookie sandwiches.
Can you make coconut lime cookies gluten-free?
Yes, you can make these cookies gluten-free by removing the all-purpose flour and using almond flour instead.
What kind of frosting can you use with coconut lime cookies?
You can make frosting with powdered sugar, lime juice, and heavy whipping cream and spread it over the cookies. Don’t forget to sprinkle the tops with lime zest!
Crispy Coconut Lime Cookies
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Mat
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup finely shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg large
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine, then add coconut and combine.
- In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese until combined.
- Add cooled melted butter to sugar and cream cheese and mix to combine.
- Add milk, oil, egg, lime juice, and coconut extract to the sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, place about 1½ tbsp of dough on a cookie tray, about 3½ inches apart.
- With the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, flatten the cookie dough to about ¼ inch.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes or until the edges just turn golden brown.
Notes
- Be sure to leave plenty of space between the cookies. They'll spread quite a bit to about 3 inches in diameter.
- The thicker the cookie, the softer and chewier it will be.
Nutrition
Other Tropical and Coconut Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Mango Piña Colada Popsicles
- Kiwi and Coconut Milk Chia Pudding (Vegan & GF)
- Light Mango Coconut Panna Cotta
- Tahitian Fish Coconut Salad
Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.
View more posts by Michele Peterson Read more
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wcjr
This recipe makes a delicious cookie. We love the crispy sticky result. The combo of coconut and lime is awesome.
Maybe it should be baked/refrigerated in two batches. The first half of the refrigerated dough spooned out nice and firm – made for perfect cookies. The second half of the dough became warm and soft and spooned out a bit messy. However, nobody complained and all were eaten up happily.
BTW: Don’t preheat the oven as stated in step 1 – there is a 1 hour refrig time before baking.
Michele Peterson
Thanks for the tips!