Cherry Coconut Cookies (Easy Christmas Recipe)

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• The cookies are easy to make. There is no need to roll dough and or use any cutters to make them.
• They require simple ingredients and fairly quick to make.
• The buttery cookie dough makes delicious cookies.
• The combination of red and green cherries in the cookies make it a great recipe for perfect Christmas cookies.
• You can make these cookies as treats for the holiday season. They make great idea for cookie exchange and cookie gift boxes too.
• You can enjoy the cookies both as a holiday favorite or a sweet treat on any other day. They make great treats for cherry lovers.

Like these easy coconut cookies? Here are my other delicious recipes you might want to check out:

• Coconut Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze Topping
• Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar
• Snowflake Sugar Cookies
• 3-Ingredients Shortbread Cookies
• Coconut Candy Recipe (A Quick and Easy Treat)

📋Ingredients

• All purpose flour + baking powder + salt - combine and sift before adding into the cookie dough to break any lumps.
• Cornstarch (corn flour) - to be combined with the flour mixture above and sifted to break any lumps.
• Grated coconut (fresh, unsweetened) - if you are using frozen grated coconut, make sure to thaw it to room temperature before using.
• Butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add a small extra pinch of salt in the recipe.
• Granulated sugar (caster sugar) - fine sugar works best for these cookies. Coarse white sugar will leave undissolved sugar specks on the cookie surface after baking.
• Chopped glace cherries (red and green) + extra for deco - can be purchased from the baking isles in your local supermarkets.
• Vanilla extract - adds a lovely flavor and aroma to the cookies.

🧾Substitution and Variations

• Vanilla extract can be replaced with almond extract if preferred.
• The recipe calls for unsweetened grated coconut. If you don't have the unsweetened version, you can still use the sweetened one. All you need to do is reduce the amount of sugar in the cookies to 100g instead of 150g as mentioned in the recipe card below.
• Fresh grated coconut can also be replaced with coconut flakes. Dry roast the flakes until they appear dry and turn lightly browned. Let the flakes cool down and process them in the same way as the grated coconut.

Preparing the coconut

1. Start by dry roasting the freshly grated coconut. To dry roast, simply put the coconut into a pan and roast it over low heat.
2. Stir constantly to ensure the coconut is evenly roasted.
3. The coconut is ready when it starts turning slightly brown and feels light as you stir and mix it in the pan.
4. Remove the coconut to a dry plate and let it cool down. Once cold, place the coconut into a food processor and pulse until it is fine. Transfer into a large bowl and leave aside.

Mixing the cookie dough

1. Start by creaming the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer over medium speed. Beat only until both are well combined. Do not overbeat.
2. Add the egg and vanilla into the sugar and butter mixture, and beat again until the traces of the egg are no longer visible.
3. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder and sift these dry ingredients into the creamed mixture with a spatula until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut and cherries. This will help the cherry cubes separate and not stick to each other.
5. Add the coconut - cherries mixture into the cookie dough.
6. Mix them in with a spatula until well combined. It is best to not use the cake mixer when mixing in the cherries to avoid breaking the cherry pieces further.

Shaping and baking the cookies

1. Scoop the dough into 1 tablespoon size.
2. Roll dough into round balls (small balls) by hand and place the cookie dough balls slightly apart on a cookie sheet or parchment paper lined baking tray or baking sheets.
3. To shape the cookies, press the cookie balls down with a fork vertically. At this point, don't flatten the cookie too much.
4. Lift the fork, and press it down onto the cookie, this time, horizontally. Reinforce the vertical lines again, making sure not to press the cookie down too much. Dip the fork in some flour to avoid it from sticking to the cookie dough.
5. Press 2 small cherry cubes (one red and one green) in the center of each cookie. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven (175 degrees Celsius) for 12 minutes until the sides turn golden brown.
6. Let the cookies rest in the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

💡Expert Tips

Why is it important not to cream butter and sugar too long?

• Unlike cakes, where butter and sugar must be creamed until light and fluffy, it is contrary for cookies. When creaming butter and sugar for cookies, it is best to not over-cream them. Suffice if both are mixed together until they are well combined.
• Over beating will result in your cookies spreading too much during baking, so this is something worth taking note of, not only for these cherry coconut cookies but also for other cookies in general.

How to avoid the chopped glace cherries from clumping together?

• Since the glace cherries are sticky, it is hard to separate them after chopping, so you often end up with clumped chopped cherries. Mixing them directly into the cookie dough will not separate them and you will end up with unevenly distributed cherries in the cookies.
• The best way to deal with this is to mix the chopped cherries with the processed coconut. Use your fingers or a spoon to break the cherry clumps as you mix them in with the coconut. This way, you get to separate the cherry pieces and when you add them to the cookie dough, they will not clump together.

💭FAQs