In cookie recipes, it’s difficult to find the balance of enough liquid flavor without ruining the cookie’s texture and spreadability. However, these soft coconut lime cookies nail it! Using 1/4 cup of lime juice, a little coconut extract, and plenty of sweetened shredded coconut, the cookies are flavorful with just enough spread. Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking, then finish the cookies with tangy lime glaze.
Coconut Lime Cookies Details
- Flavor: These coconut lime cookies have a refreshing summery flavor that hits the spot if you crave a unique cookie when the weather warms up. Don’t skip the glaze because it adds flavor—it also sets after a couple hours so the cookies are convenient to stack, store, and/or transport.
- Texture: These are soft cookies with a slightly cakey crumb. They are not nearly as cake-like as blueberry muffin cookies though.
- Helpful Tools: This is a pretty simple cookie recipe that requires an electric mixer. If you have a food processor, pulse the coconut a few times to break the shreds down before mixing into the cookie dough. I recommend this in our coconut macaroons and coconut cake recipes, too. Smaller pieces of coconut keep the cookie dough balls tight and compact and leave a more desirable texture. If you don’t have a food processor, just give the coconut a quick chop with a sharp knife. You can use bottled lime juice or squeeze fresh limes at home using a citrus juicer. Here is a wonderful juicer if you don’t have one and need a recommendation. And finally, make sure you have a zester.
- Time: Chilling the cookie dough for at least 1.5 hours in the refrigerator is a non-negotiable. These coconut lime cookies contain excess liquid (lime juice), so the dough is very soft and sticky. The colder and firmer the cookie dough, the less they’ll over-spread. As a bonus, giving the dough time in the refrigerator before baking allows the flavors to develop and settle.
One reader, Nancy, commented: “These were not on my radar, but I had coconut and several limes left over from the holidays, so I decided to give them a try, and I am so glad I did. They are delicious. If you are looking for a new cookie, make these. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Serenity, commented: “These delicious cookies are the very definition of summer! Sweet cookie and tart topping make a great combo. Excellent cookies! ★★★★★”
Video Tutorial: How to Make Coconut Lime Cookies
Key Flavor Ingredients in Coconut Lime Cookies
- Lime Juice & Zest: You can use regular limes or key limes. I haven’t tested these coconut lime cookies without citrus. For a coconut lemon cookie, feel free to swap the lime juice and zest with lemon juice/zest. There’s a bit more citrus flavor in today’s cookies than the lemon ginger cookies. (This recipe also yields more.)
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: I strongly recommend using sweetened shredded coconut because it’s moister than unsweetened and that makes a big difference in the cookie’s flavor, moisture, and texture. Knowing the texture and flavor will change, you can use unsweetened coconut flakes if that’s all you have.
- Coconut Extract: Like in this chocolate coconut cupcakes recipe, I found the coconut flavor lacking in these cookies without a little coconut extract. The cookies are still great without it, but if you can find coconut extract, use it. It’s pretty common in most major grocery stores.
Some step-by-step photos to help guide you through the recipe:
Recipe Testing: What Works and What Doesn’t
After I mastered the base recipe with enough lime juice and coconut flavor, I wanted to experiment with different finishing touches. These include rolling the cookie dough balls in confectioners’ sugar, leaving them plain, and rolling in granulated sugar. When I first envisioned the cookies, I wanted a crinkle cookie similar to my lemon crinkle cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies. However, as you’ll read below, I found their flavor lacking without the glaze.
Each of the following cookies were made with the same cookie dough.
- Top Left – Butter Too Warm: Before I could even start taste testing with different finishing touches, I sabotaged my efforts by accidentally starting with too soft/too warm butter. Remember that room temperature butter is still quite solid and cool to the touch.
- Top Right – Rolled in Confectioners’ Sugar: I loved these! But wanted more lime flavor from a glaze.
- Bottom Left – Plain: I baked the cookie dough balls completely plain without rolling in granulated sugar. I also skipped the lime glaze. The cookies were tasty, but they definitely benefit from both of the following finishes.
- Bottom Right – Rolled in Granulated Sugar + Added Lime Glaze: These were the clear winner. Taste testers could not stop snacking on them (even when the cookies were 3 days old!). Thanks to the lime glaze, the lime flavor was strong. Rolling in granulated sugar was the perfect amount of sweetness AND it gave the edges a little bit of texture.
If you need more cookie inspiration, today’s cookies join 25+ others on my Summer Cookie Recipes collection page.
And remember baking is a science and I’m happy to share my best baking tips and test recipe variations so you don’t have to!
Print
Glazed Coconut Lime Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 50 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These coconut lime cookies have a refreshing summery flavor that hits the spot when the weather warms up. Don’t skip the glaze because it adds flavor; it also sets after a couple hours so the cookies are convenient to stack, store, and/or transport. Set aside enough time to chill the cookie dough in step 4.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (100g) sweetened shredded coconut*
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh or bottled lime juice (regular or key lime), at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons lime zest (regular or key lime)*
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Lime Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar (or more, as needed)
- 2 Tablespoons (23ml) fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Optional but recommended: Pulse the coconut shreds in a food processor or chop them up with a sharp knife so they are finer. Smaller pieces make a more desirable texture in the baked cookies. Set aside for step 3.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg, lime juice, lime zest, and coconut extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and beat in the coconut. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Dough is thick, creamy, and sticky.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1.5 hours (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite firm.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Pour remaining sugar into a large bowl. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1 Tablespoon of dough per cookie. Roll each in granulated sugar. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until very lightly browned on the sides.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together. If desired, add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more juice to thin out. The thicker the glaze, the whiter (and less translucent) it will be. Drizzle on cooled cookies and feel free to garnish each with more shredded coconut and/or lime zest. Icing will set after about 1 hour, so these are convenient to store and transport.
- Cookies without glaze stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies with glaze stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cookie dough balls without coating in sugar freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw for 30 minutes, coat each in sugar, then bake. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked cookies, with or without glaze, freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: I strongly recommend using sweetened shredded coconut because it’s moister than unsweetened and that makes a big difference in the cookie’s flavor, moisture, and texture. Knowing the texture and flavor will change, you can use unsweetened coconut flakes if that’s all you have. Give them a rough chop or pulse in the food processor as instructed in step 1.
- Cornstarch: If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out. It helps maintain a thicker, softer cookie but test batches without it were still intact and delicious.
- Limes: You can use regular limes or key limes. Since they’re so tiny, you need at least 7-8 key limes for this amount of juice (in the dough and glaze) and zest. If using regular limes, you need about 3. Feel free to use lemon juice/zest instead of lime. I haven’t tested this recipe without citrus. If you want a plain coconut cookie, try these coconut macadamia nut cookies, skip the nuts, and add 1 teaspoon coconut extract when you beat in the vanilla extract.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally, I came back to the recipe because I think the flour in this is higher than most cookie recipe I tried? Seems like no one had a problem with this in the comment section but my cookies didn’t spread at all when I baked them in the oven.
Accidentally incorporated all the sugar into the butter. Do I have to start over?
Hi Cori! The cookies will be sweeter and may spread more with extra sugar in the dough.
Made the cookies for a meeting. The group raved great reviews. Easy to make and love to eat.
I was skeptical since I am not a coconut lover. They were fantastic!! I made them gluten free with King Arthur all purpose flour and topped them with shredded coconut and lime zest. One of the cookie lovers in my home added them to a bowl of ice cream and said it leveled them up even more.
These are a big hit everywhere I take them. Thank you for making me look like a baking rock star. Question for Sally and other bakers – has anyone tried to make this recipe a bar cookie (9×13 pan)? I am planning to experiment with this tomorrow and wanted to see if anyone had tips.
We haven’t tested these cookies as bars, KB. Let us know if you do! So glad you love them.
Hi can you please share the brand of ‘sweetened shredded coconut’? I can only find ‘sweetened shredded coconut flakes’. Is that the same thing??
Hi Morgan, we often use Baker’s brand sweetened shredded coconut, but store brands are just fine!
Simply delicious, and got rave reviews. I could have eaten the entire bowl of glaze quite happily. Definitely going in my cookie baking rotation.
These are quite possibly the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. This recipe is perfect! And that glaze – just the perfect amount of tart. Perfection!
Got given a bunch of limes by my friend, so was looking for recipes and gave this one a go. I couldn’t find sweetened shredded coconut, but did my best with sweetened coconut flakes (pulsed in the food processor as recommended). The result probably wasn’t as fine, but they still taste great — kept wanting to eat another one. Ended up making a second batch tonight later. 🙂
I am not a big coconut fan but was intrigued by this recipe (and looking for a way to use up some leftover coconut). It turned out wonderful and my family loved them too! (Processing the coconut was genius – great texture and taste without it being overpowering). Thank you for sharing!
Can this recipe be halved? Made it before and cookies were amazing but don’t need 50 this time around.
Best,
Cesca
Hi Cesca, Yes you can cut it in half.
I’m assuming since I can’t cut an egg in half I would still use 1?
To use half of an egg, crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half.
Can I use fresh shredded coconut?
Quick question – are we supposed to use lime zest anywhere in this recipe? Thanks!!!
Hi Dina, yes, you add the lime juice and zest in step 3.
Thank you! Clearly my reading comprehension could use some work. :);)
Terrific recipe! I bought limes from Costco for other recipes and still had a lot of limes leftover and found this recipe – perfect! Love the flavor – love the texture. Instead of dipping the cookies in glaze, I used a spoon to drizzle glaze over the cookies in a zigzag pattern. Very tasty!
I bake often for friends, neighbors, and others in the community. I decided I needed to expand my repertoire to include a summery treat. I’ve made these several times and have had numerous 5 star reviews and requests for more. It is well worth the effort of zesting the limes. The recipe is easy to follow. I will keep making these.
Love this receipe. Like all Sally’s recipes they turn out just like her picture, I prefer not to do the glaze but the flavours of coconut and lime are really strong and delicious.
I knew I would be a sucker for these cookies since lime and coconut are two of my favorite flavors and they did not disappoint!! I even accidentally put an extra 1/2 cup sugar in the dough bc I didn’t read ahead to see that it should have been reserved to roll the cookies in. But they still turned out amazing!! One of my favorite cookies I’ve ever had!!
These are delicious! I can never get enough lime into my diet – I love it! And these work great. I did not have coconut extract so I used 1/2 tsp of lime extract and 1/2 tsp of vanilla and I thought they tasted great. Next time I’m going to try 1 tsp of lime extract and 1/2 vanilla, which hopefully will not be too much more liquid. Thank you, Sally and friends!
These delicious cookies are the very definition of summer! Sweet cookie, tart topping make a great combo. Excellent cookies!
Nutrition info?
We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Is there a substitute for coconut for someone who has an allergy to coconut?
Hi Donna! Coconut is a main ingredient in these cookies, and we aren’t sure what could be a good replacement. Instead, we would use our lemon crinkle cookies recipe, where you can substitute lime for the lemon, for a lime cookie.
I’ve made these a few times and they always come out wonderful. They are a perfect summer cookie. We keep them in the fridge to enjoy them chilled. Delicious!
Wow Sally…I’ve made a lot of cookies in my life, and I have always thought that I could make some really great cookies…but holy cow, these cookies turned out to be one of the best I’ve made to date! They were absolutely beautiful as well. I added broken pecans & a tablespoon of coconut creamer (Trader Joe’s)…cooled the dough for a couple of hours and they baked like a champ! The zest in the glaze screams summertime…an amazing cookie recipe, thanks for passing it along…it’s my favorite!….for now! ; )
This is a great cookie! Just remember to put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up!
If we do not have coconut extract, will this still be good if add a little extra coconut?
Hi Jay, you can leave the coconut extract out if needed—the cookies will still taste delicious. No need to add any extra coconut, as that may make it harder for the cookies to stay together.
YUMMM!
These are so delicious. I made a big batch before my baby came and froze them and I am very glad I did. 🙂
These cookies are outstanding! Everyone loved them. Will definitely make them again and again.
This is a delicious cookie. I don’t think the lime or coconut flavors are particularly strong but I like the taste and texture. Will definitely keep this recipe.
These were SOOOOOOOOO good! I did not use sweetened coconut, and they were definitely sweet enough, and not dry.
Same! I also used unsweetened and not dry and are amazingly good.