Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies
Looking for a tasty lemon-flavored dessert? These Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies are packed with flavor…and they’re absolutely delicious!
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What is it about citrus flavors in the spring? As soon as the weather begins to warm up, I start craving orange + lemon + lime flavors. Same goes for other seasons, too. Autumn? Yup, pumpkin spice. Christmas? I want gingerbread everything.
Now don’t get me wrong. If you offered me a slice of this Chocolate Chocolate Cake on a spring day, I would gladly make it disappear without any witnesses. But deep down, my taste buds are screaming for lemon and lime desserts. Maybe it’s just my body craving Vitamin C after the winter. Maybe I just want a tasty sugar cookie. Who knows?
Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies
These Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies were a recent creation as I was really in the mood for some sort of lemon dessert. A good lemon glazed pound cake came to mind, but I just wanted some sugar cookies. A little bit of toying around in the kitchen yielded a batch of these cookies. Let me tell ya – these cookies? They’re going on the list of my all-time favorites!
It takes some serious self-restraint to be able to eat just one of these cookies. Trust me. I managed to do it, but I’m still not quite sure how. The cookies themselves are a little bit crispy on the edges and a little bit chewy in the center – basically the perfect sugar cookie! But then you add in the tropical flavors from the lemon and coconut, and you’ve got something amazing.
I know coconut can be somewhat of a polarizing flavor. In the case of these cookies, the lemon flavor is more pronounced than the coconut. There is absolutely still a coconut undertone in there, but lemon is the primary flavor. And I think the shredded coconut contributes to the chewy texture in these cookies. Can I say again how delicious these cookies are were!?
One batch of this dough will make about 2 dozen cookies. It’s a big batch. Just take some to friends or neighbors. Or keep them all for yourself – I won’t tell anyone!
How to Store Leftover Cookies
To store extras of these Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies, just place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to a week. The texture will change slightly over time, but the cookies are still delicious. If you’ve got more cookies than you can eat in a week, then just toss ’em into a freezer bag. They’ll freeze up to 3 months – just let them thaw at room temperature.
Coarse Sugar
Once the dough was shaped into balls, I rolled each one in coarse sugar. I do this with all of my sugar cookies, and I think the extra bit of crunch from the coarse sugar adds a lot. For this step, I used a coarse sparkling sugar, but you could also use demerara or turbinado sugar. You’re just looking for something coarser than granulated or confectioner’s sugar.
If you like citrus-flavored desserts, and you’re hunting for a tasty sugar cookie…then this Lemon Coconut Cookies recipe is it! Happy baking!
Did you make a batch of these cookies at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest ~2 large lemons
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ½-¾ cup coarse sugar sanding, demerara or turbinado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set pans aside.
- Using a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir until well combined. Set bowl aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~4 minutes on medium speed).
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and shredded coconut; mix on low speed until well combined. (Tip: Don’t forget to scrape down sides and bottom of the mixing bowl!)
- Add the flour mixture; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Place the coarse sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls in the coarse sugar and then place onto the prepared baking pans. Repeat process with remaining dough. (Tip: Leave ~2” between balls of dough.)
- Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until edges of the cookies just begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove pans from oven and let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had lemon coconut sugar cookies before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
These are absolutely fantastic cookies, Ramya – I highly recommend baking a batch!!
I could do some serious damage to a batch of these!!! Like you, I too have been craving lemon everything! Just yesterday I saw Ruby from the GBBO post a lemon drizzle loaf and today you post these! I am drooling over these and the fact that this recipe of yours makes a bunch means more for me to enjoy right?! Cannot wait to try these cookies- i. Fact, if you have any leftovers, I can jump in my car and head there to “help” you out with those leftovers! 🙂
Oh, you and me both, Shashi! We’ve made these cookies probably 3 or 4 times since I settled on this recipe. I highly recommend it! And while we don’t have any of these cookies left right now, I’m always looking for an excuse to make more. Come on up!
These look so good David. I love citrus flavours especially lemon. And how pretty do they look?! I am a coconut fan too tho much to my surprise a lot of people are not. They are missing out :=)
I’m with ya on the coconut thing, Sherry. I had no idea it was such a polarizing flavor. Either way, I love it – and these cookies? They’re fantastic!!
To me, limes have always been about summer (mojitos!), oranges – about winter, and lemons about both winter and spring. More about spring as its refreshing and light aroma gives me a really springy vibe, especially in baking. Perhaps, I should have a few of this cookies and pretend it’s not snowing right now here in Nova Scotia 🙂
You make a good point, Ben. I do think of lemons in the spring, and limes are more summer-y. (Probably because of summer cocktails like you point out!) These cookies have a great spring vibe. If you make a batch, it’ll probably make the snow outside melt. (At least one can hope, right??)
Your description of craving citrus flavors in the spring resonates with me completely! There’s something about the fresh, tangy taste of lemon and lime that just screams springtime.
Lemon-flavored baked goods go hand-in-hand with the early warm days of spring! These cookies are fantastic, and we’ve made probably 3-4 batches of them now. Leftovers aren’t a problem – haha! Thanks, Raymund!
These lemon coconut sugar cookies look amazing! So tangy, sweet and chewy… I need to make these ASAP!
You definitely need to make a batch of these cookies ASAP, Michelle! We’ve made several batches ourselves, and they’re always a huge hit. Happy baking!
Lemon desserts are my favourite, even over chocolate! So, no doubt about it that these lemon coconut sugar cookies are totally calling my name. A few of these and a tall glass of milk and I’m set. Perfect weekend baking project right there!
I’m with ya, Dawn! Sometimes I’ll go for a good chocolate dessert, but more often that not I’ll lean towards citrus. These cookies are delicious! We’ve made these several times for various gatherings – they’re fantastic!!
If we weren’t both married, I’d propose to you over these cookies! They look perfect and I love lemon. And I want someone to make them for me for the rest of my life!
Hahahah! Wow, that’s quite the compliment, Jeff. 🙂
The texture of these cookies is literally making my mouth water and you can’t go wrong with the combination of lemon and coconut!
The texture of these cookies is one of the best parts, Marissa! They are slightly crispy, but still chewy thanks to the coconut. SO GOOD! 🙂