These Pineapple Coconut Cookies combine delicious tropical flavors in a soft cookie topped with a cream cheese glaze. It’s like you’re transporting yourself to a tropical island paradise, all in the comfort of your home with these refreshing, and fun cookies!
These pineapple coconut cookies such a fun cookie for the summer months and loaded with the nutty flavor of coconut and tangy pineapple flavor.
Why make these cookies
- Tropical Flavors – these cookies have fresh fruit flavors that really hit the spot in the summer time! The flavors of pineapple and coconut are such a great match!
- Soft Texture – The cookies have a slightly cakey crumb, they’re very soft, with less of a chewy texture, and more of a cakey texture.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Pineapple Coconut Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- unsalted butter – I use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you are using salted butter cut the added salt in half.
- granulated sugar – We use granulated sugar to keep the cookies sweet, and keep their texture fluffy
- crushed pineapple – You’ll drain out the liquid and pat the pineapple dry to remove some of the extra moisture.
- one egg – not two, because we don’t want more added moisture
- vanilla extract – for flavor
- all purpose flour – The base of our cookie dough, giving them a nice structure, and soft texture
- baking soda – Gives the perfect amount of lift, and keeps the cookies soft
- salt – Balances out the sweetness and adds flavor
- shredded coconut – Use sweetened shredded coconut and pulse it in a food processor or blender for a couple minutes so the pieces are smaller
- cream cheese – Adds a nice tangy flavor to the cookies
- butter – just a little for smoothness and flavor in the glaze
- powdered sugar – Sweetens the cream cheese glaze
- lemon juice – adds a nice tangy and fresh flavor to the glaze, you can use pineapple juice instead if desired
How to make Pineapple and Coconut Cookies
Step 1: Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream them together for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the crushed pineapple, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Step 2: Add in the dry ingredients. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix together until you have a nice sticky dough. Add in the coconut and fold it into the mixture. Chill the dough. Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, up to 3 or 4 days.
Step 3: Bake the cookies. Scoop out portions of the cookie dough, about 1 to 1.5 TBS in size. Roll each ball into granulated sugar. Place them onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart, and bake until the tops puff up and the bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool.
Step 4: Top with Glaze. Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, butter, and lemon juice (can substitute with leftover pineapple juice from the can). Mix until a thick enough texture to hold its shape, but thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle the icing on each cookie, or carefully dip the top of each cookie into the icing. Sprinkle with coconut or lemon if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Coconut Extract – Add 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of coconut extract to the recipe with the vanilla extract for an even stronger coconut flavor.
- Drain Pineapple Well – Drain the liquid out from the can of crushed pineapple. Pat the pineapple dry with a few pieces of paper towels to remove extra moisture, so the cookies are not too soft, and hold their shape.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover cookies in in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Because of the cream cheese glaze we want to keep the cookies in the fridge. If you top them a traditional glaze you can keep them at room temperature.
These cookies are such a fun, fresh cookie flavor that I just know you’ll love! They’re soft, and cakey and have such a nice, light, sweet, tropical flavor in every bite!
More Cookie Recipes
If you make these Pineapple Coconut Cookies please leave a comment and 🌟 rating letting me know what you think! If you post the photo on Instagram, please tag me – I’d love to see what you’re making!
Pineapple Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
For the Pineapple Coconut Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup crushed pineapple (drain out the liquid, and pat dry a couple times with a paper towel)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled, or weighed)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (pulse a few times in a blender or food processor to make smaller pieces)
- granulated sugar (for rolling)
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 oz cream cheese (softened, 1/2 package)
- 2 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBS lemon juice (can use pineapple juice from crushed pineapple can if desired)
Instructions
For the Pineapple Coconut Cookies:
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until it starts to lighten in color. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add in the crushed pineapple, egg, and vanilla extract, and stir until combined. 1 large egg, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add in the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until you have a nice soft, sticky cookie dough. 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- Add in the coconut and fold it into the cookie dough to mix it evenly into the dough. 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Cover the dough and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to a few days.
- When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 1 to 1.5 TBS sized portions. Roll them into balls and roll them into a small bowl of granulated sugar. Place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart from each other. granulated sugar
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms and sides of the cookies are lightly golden, and the cookies are puffy.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. 4 oz cream cheese, 2 TBS unsalted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar and lemon juice, and whisk the ingredients together. Add in a little more powdered sugar, or lemon juice as needed to get the right texture for a glaze that is thick enough to hold to a cookie, but thin enough to drizzle. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBS lemon juice
- Drizzle the glaze on the cookies as desired, or carefully dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze.
- Top with lemon zest, or additional shredded coconut if desired.
Notes
- Coconut Extract – Add 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of coconut extract to the recipe with the vanilla extract for an even stronger coconut flavor.
- Drain Pineapple Well – Drain the liquid out from the can of crushed pineapple. Pat the pineapple dry with a few pieces of paper towels to remove extra moisture, so the cookies are not too soft, and hold their shape.
Nutrition
These pineapple coconut cookies were first posted on August 1, 2010. The photos and blog post were updated for clarity on May 27, 2024.
six sisters says
I love these cookies. We loved having you come to our “Strut Your Stuff Saturday.” We hope you’ll be back again soon! -The Sisters
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
How pretty! And yummy too. 🙂
Alyssa says
These cookies look really good!! I really like the glaze on top. I would love if you would share this and any other posts at Showcase Your Talent Thursday http://whatscookinglove.blogspot.com/2012/05/showcase-your-talent-thursday-5.html. I hope to see you there!
Seaweed & Raine says
Oh My Goodness!!! I love both pineapple and coconut. Bring it on! I just bookmarked these to make in the not-too-far distant future. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Jenn says
These sound yummy!
Ellen says
I made these and they are delicious. I shared some with the sisters we visited as a presidency and Sis. Hawkins said they might be the tastiest cookies she has ever had. 🙂
Ellen says
ask and you shall receive 😉