Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies

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Sweet and chewy, with bits of coconut and tangy lemon zest, these Lemon Coconut Cookies are quite possibly the most perfect spring or summer cookie recipe!

Why I love this recipe

This cookie recipe? Is a ROCK. STAR. One bowl. No rolling out cookie dough. No cookie cutters. You don’t even have to chill the dough. Just stir, scoop and bake!

Tangy bits of lemon zest give a wonderful lemon flavor while sweet and chewy coconut gives a little tropical twist, all in the absolute perfect sugar cookie base. Ready to get baking?

Want more tasty lemon flavor? Serve with triple lemon poke cake, lemon cheesecake mousse, or yummy lemon bars!

Ingredients

There are two ingredients in this dough that I haven’t used in many cookie recipes: cream of tartar and powdered sugar.

The cream of tartar is a stabilizer and acts like a leavening agent. Powdered sugar adds some tenderness and since it has a little cornstarch added to it, it helps the lemon-coconut cookies from spreading too much.

• butter
• vegetable oil
• granulated white sugar
• powdered sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• lemon extract
• baking soda
• cream of tartar
• all-purpose flour
• fresh lemon zest
• shredded sweetened coconut

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets or a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Cream together butter, oil, and both sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Add eggs to the butter mixture and mix well on medium speed.
4. Add vanilla and lemon extract, followed by baking soda and cream of tartar.
5. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well between cups and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Stir in the shredded coconut and lemon zest.
7. Use a cookie scoop (mine holds about 2 tablespoons of dough) to portion out the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are just barely golden brown.

Tip: I used a medium cookie scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons of dough. If you use a large cookie scoop for large cookies you may have to extend the baking time a minute or two. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use two spoons to scoop the dough and slide it onto the cookie baking sheets.

Just look at these beauties … golden brown around the crisp edges, still light in color, coconut and lemon zest baked inside.

Like most sugar cookies, these Lemon Coconut Sugar Cookies are amazing eaten warm right from the oven, but even better if you let the flavors meld together for a day or so.

Just look at that soft, chewy center!

Storage

Allow the soft lemon cookies to cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Freeze cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!