These Saint Nicholas Day coconut cookies are the perfect last-minute bake. The dough really takes just 10 minutes to mix. Thanks to the coconut they come out tender and soft, and they make the whole house smell wonderful. You will love this recipe for its speed.
Forget complicated holiday baking that takes hours. Any beginner can make these little stars, and they truly shine on a festive table. Ready to bake a batch?
How do you make these coconut cookies the right way?
Quickly cream the softened butter with the sugar, egg, coconut and flour. Let the dough firm up briefly in the fridge. Cut out stars and bake them for a very short time, just until golden.
At a Glance
- Prep time: 10 min (plus 30 min chilling the dough)
- Baking time: 10–12 min
- Servings: about 30 cookies
- Difficulty: Easy
- Calories: about 55 kcal per cookie
- Trend: Quick
Ingredients
(US cups, with grams in brackets)
- 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 10 g vanilla sugar, 1 packet)
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, whole egg, vanilla and sifted powdered sugar.
- Whisk or beat briefly with a mixer into a smooth cream.
- Add the shredded coconut and mix.
- In a separate bowl, stir the flour with the baking powder. Add this mixture to the coconut mixture.
- Quickly work it by hand into a compact, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. It will be easier to work with.
- Heat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3/16 inch (4–5 mm).
- Cut out stars or other holiday shapes.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet with small gaps between them.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes.
- Watch them closely! Coconut dough browns quickly. As soon as the edges start to turn lightly golden, they are done. They should stay pale.
- After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
- Dust them generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips for Perfect Coconut Christmas Cookies
- Watch the baking: This is the most important step. If you bake them too long (for example 20 minutes), the coconut turns bitter and the cookies come out hard and dry. They should stay pale.
- Chilling the dough: Do not skip the chilling. Butter dough with coconut is soft after mixing. Once it has firmed up in the fridge, it rolls and cuts out perfectly.
Easy Variations
- Sandwich cookies: After baking, join two stars with a thin layer of red currant or raspberry jam.
- Chocolate tips: Dip the cooled stars halfway into melted dark or white chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why are my cookies hard? You probably baked them too long. At 340°F (170°C), they need only 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
Can I make the dough ahead? Yes, you can keep the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for 2–3 days before baking.
How long do they keep? In an airtight tin they keep for up to two weeks. Coconut cookies need a few days of resting to soften.
These cookies are tender and melt on the tongue. Store them in a tin in a cool place, where they soften nicely.
The recipe is based on a version by Fatto in Casa da Alba, adapted by the We Cook With Love team.
Enjoy! Try more recipes from our kitchen.
RATE THIS RECIPE
Add We Cook With Love to your preferred sources on Google
How does it work?
1. Tap the Add to Google button.
2. A Google window opens. Tap the blue Add button in it:
Done. The window closes and you stay on the recipe. Google will then show our recipes more often in search.
If you are not signed in to Google on your phone, the window will ask you to sign in first.
