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Coconut Crack Cookies | Soft and Chewy

May 13, 2020 by Milk and Pop

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The combination of butter, cream cheese and coconut should be illegal. Before baking, beware: these coconut cookies are totally addictive and will forever damage your self-control.

I have a thing with coconut. It’s one of my favorite foods, and my brain goes all crazy when I have it along with sugar. It’s like a huge spike of happiness followed by the most amazing satisfaction. My feelings with butter and cream cheese are very similar, so one day I thought: why not bake something with those ingredients?

Better yet, why not bake something with coconut, butter, cream cheese and then ADD SUGAR to it? To make everything just perfect, why not make it bite size, so I could eat it like freaking popcorn?

I’m my worst enemy.

  • stacks of coconut cookies with a cup of coffee on the background
  • fresh baked cookies over cooling rack

How to make coconut cookies

One-bowl coconut crack cookies. This recipe is as simple (and addictive) as it sounds.

What do you need to check before beginning this recipe: that your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, or they won’t combine as easily as they should with the other ingredients.

You can mix all ingredients by hand, or you can use a food processor to make it quicker.

If you want them taller, refrigerate dough for one hour before baking. If you want them to spread more, just bake it right away. I don’t see any difference in flavor doing so, so it’s your choice!

If you want your cookies to be soft and chewy, don’t over bake them! Take them out of your oven when the edges look just golden. If you prefer a harder, crispy cookie, bake them until their top is lightly golden. I always choose the first option.

Homemade coconut extract

Throughout my life, I found some great store-bought coconut extracts as I found some terrible ones, that made my recipe taste just… oddly wrong. Has that also happened to you?

After discovering how simple it is to make homemade coconut extract, I never bought it again. All you need is coconut and some distilled alcohol: rum works great for this one, but you can use vodka as well. For coconut, you can use it both fresh or dried shredded coconut, the alcohol will work fine with any of them.

Place 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup of rum or vodka into a jar, close it with its lid and store in your cabinet (or any dark spot) and leave it maturing for at least one week. Give it one good shake a day to speed up the process.

Once you think it is coconutty enough, strain the extract and discard the shredded coconut. I store my extract in a closed jar in the fridge.

  • cookie dough on bowl
  • close up on shaped dough
  • dough shaped on baking sheet

Ingredients Substitutions

Talking about ingredients, this is an eggless coconut cookie recipe, so if you were looking for the best ever coconut cookie recipe with no eggs, you just found it.

These coconut cookies are made without brown sugar: I tried using it, but got better results with plain granulated/caster sugar. You can, however, substitute granulated/caster sugar for the same amount of brown sugar, if you prefer. You can also try to substitute granulated sugar for coconut sugar – this one I never tried.

I skipped the baking powder (you don’t need this here), and also the coconut oil: butter just makes these cookies taste better, and gives a better texture to it. If you opt to substitute butter for coconut oil, do so at your own risk. When I tried, I used the same amount and got crispier and not as tasteful cookies – but it works.

Storing and Freezing your Coconut Crack Cookies

fresh baked cookies on cooling rack seen from above

After your cookies are cooled, store (what’s left) them into an air-tight jar (as far from your eyes as possible). They keep (for more than one day if you hide the jar from yourself) up from 1 to 2 weeks if stored right.

Can you freeze your cookies? Yes you can, but if so, I think it’s best to freeze the dough shaped than to do it with already baked cookies. Shape the dough into balls, and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 1 hour before transferring the balls to an air-thigh bag/container. Store in your freezer for 3 to 4 months. You may have to bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer than unfrozen dough.

My coconut crack cookies are chewy and very, very buttery. The texture that shredded coconut gives to this cookie is just amazing, and if you opted to add a bit of coconut extract, this extra coconut punch makes the flavors even dreamier. Now, what are you still doing here?

  • a black cup full of coffee with a coconut cookie on its edge, and loots of coconut cookies on the background
  • 4 stacks of coconut cookies

If you’re into cookies, but not as much into coconut, try my quick chocolate chip cookies and get an amazing and eggless classic! Or maybe you’re a chocolate fanatic: these fudgy double chocolate cookies were made for you.

I want to try every recipe out there. Help me keep doing it by supporting and following me on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. It takes only a few seconds and I’ll be so happy to see you’re really enjoying my recipes!

Continue to Content
Yield: 33 small cookies

Coconut Crack Cookies

fresh baked coconut crack cookies

The combination of butter, cream cheese and coconut should be illegal. Before baking, beware: these coconut cookies are totally addictive and will forever damage your self-control.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 23 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
  • 4 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup 1/4 unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven, rack in the middle, to 350°F.
  2. In a food processor, add room temperature butter and cream cheese, sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened shredded coconut and coconut extract if you’re using it, and pulsate until ingredients are combined and dough is formed.
  3. If you’re doing without a food processor, combine butter and cream cheese with the help of a fork or pastry cutter. Add the sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened shredded coconut and coconut extract and mix until dough is formed.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  5. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and, with your hands, shape it into a ball and place into a baking sheet, each one about 1 inch apart. Repeat until there’s no dough left.
  6. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until edges are just golden.
  7. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before placing them on a cooling rack.
  8. Enjoy while it lasts.

Notes

Store them in an air-tight jar after cooled. They keep up from 1 to 2 weeks if stored right.

Freezing: Shape the dough into balls, and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 1 hour before transferring the balls to an air-thigh bag/container. Store in your freezer for 3 to 4 months. You may have to bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer than unfrozen dough.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

33

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 53Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @milkandpop on Instagram and hashtag it #milkandpop

© Milk and Pop
Cuisine: American / Category: Baked Goods

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Hi there! I’m Tati, coffee lover, self-taught baker and food photographer. Here at Milk and Pop you’ll find breakfast and brunch recipes that work.

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