Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies

Toasted coconut and cream cheese make these cookies from Vanilla Sugar over the top delicious. They are soft and creamy and a very different take on your every day cookie. They made so many I took them into work and shared them with my coworkers. Everyone loved them and my friend Keisha even said that these cookies made her want to bake and she never bakes! :)

Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies

From Vanilla Sugar

Makes about 45 cookies

Printable Version

Ingredients

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking sode

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled until room temperature

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla extract)

2 1/2 cups toasted coconut

Directions

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (I didn't have any so used tin foil with the shiny side up and that worked fine). Spread coconut evenly on baking sheet.

Once oven is preheated place coconut in oven. Bake for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes for even toasting. Remove from oven when the coconut is light brown. Do not allow them to burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (about 20 minutes) before adding to the dough.

Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside. With an electric mixer or by hand mix butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugars and beat until throughly combined. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients at low speed until combined. Stir in cooled coconut. 

Chill the dough overnight.

When ready to bake cookies preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reline cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough (roughly 1 tablespoon) onto cookie sheets.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and bottoms are brown. Do NOT over bake. These cookies should NOT be golden brown or they will burn as they cool.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets until you are able to lift them with a spatula without them breaking. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

Note: **Vanilla Sugar recommends adding a whole pecan on top to add a little extra crunch.