Lemon Coconut Cookies

your new fav spring-time sweet treat

These cookies would love to be on your Easter table this Sunday! They are the perfect end to a yummy (but most likely heavy) meal, with punchy lemon and shredded coconut. They are perfectly sweet and bright, with a luscious lemon cream cheese frosting that you’ll want to put on everything. Make them - your family will thank you.

Ingredients

Cookies

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened - always Country Crock plant butter!

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar

• ¼ cup plant-based milk

• 1 tsp coconut extract

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour

• ⅓ cup shredded coconut (I use sweetened)

• 1 ¼ tsp cornstarch

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

Frosting

• ½ cup, or 4 oz. cream cheese (I used VioLife)

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

Make the cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pan(s) with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, add your softened butter and both sugars. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until extremely light and fluffy, really incorporating air into the mixture - at least 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl and beaters down periodically.

3. Add the milk and coconut extract and mix until incorporated.

4. Add the lemon zest, flour, cornstarch, baking soda and powder, and salt to the bowl and mix. You’ll want to mix this a bit with a spoon or spatula to incorporate the flour a bit before using your mixer, so the flour doesn’t explode everywhere! Mix on low speed until just combined. Add the shredded coconut and fold in with a spatula until evenly incorporated.

5. Using a large ice cream scoop, roughly ¼ cup, scoop your cookie dough and roll into large rounds. This amount yielded 9 cookies for me! You can make these cookies as small or large as you’d like; I found this size to be perfect.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes on the middle oven rack. When you remove them from the oven, they will have spread slightly and will have risen in the middle with a nice domed shape. Immediately out of the oven, lift the pan about 2-3 inches off the counter and then drop it, and repeat this a few times. This will cause the cookies to slightly deflate and give you a nice soft, chewy texture. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

   

   that zest! that coconut! that frosting!

Make the frosting & assemble

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add your cream cheese and whip for about one minute.

2. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and pulse a few times to slightly incorporate. Then mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Frost the cooled cookies and top with coconut shreds or lemon zest. Enjoy!

Notes

• I prefer to use a stand or hand mixer for this recipe to really get both the dough and frosting really whipped and fluffy. If you don’t have a stand or hand mixer, you can still make this recipe with a whisk, but it will definitely give you an intense arm workout. I believe in you and can’t wait to see your cookie-making muscles.

• I use sweetened coconut shreds for these cookies, and really for any coconut dessert I’m making. If you’re wanting to take the sweetness down a bit, or are just not able to get your hands on any sweetened shreds for some reason, you can use the unsweetened! These are usually in the baking aisle somewhere near the chocolate chips typically.

• I like having coconut sugar on hand and think it adds a little depth of flavor in these cookies, but feel free to use brown sugar if you don’t have it on hand or don’t feel like buying a whole package. Use the same measurement (2 T) of brown sugar if subbing.

• I typically make these cookies right away, but you can also chill the dough if you need to - I would just suggest scooping the dough prior to chilling instead of trying to scoop hardened dough.