Island Sunshine in Cookie Form
Treat yourself to a tropical getaway with my simple island cookies! These lime-flavored cookies are loaded with chewy toasted coconut, pops of white chocolate chunks, and a nice crunch from macadamia nuts. They’re like a tropical twist on white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies! This recipe is easy, with no chilling and just 15 minutes of prep work. The cookies have a soft, tender texture, thanks to cake flour. Cake flour also makes these cookies a bit cakey, which may surprise you! If you know me, you know I typically like my cookies chewy and leave the cakiness to my cakes; however, the slightly cakey texture works beautifully with all of the add-ins here, so I’ll allow it 😉 These are a perfect summer cookie; they’re light, slightly tart, and perfectly sweet, and they spend only a few minutes in the oven. Make a batch and kick back while warm breezes rustle palm leaves and slow waves softly break around you…ahh!
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients that give these island cookies their unique texture and flavor:
Egg + egg yolk. The extra yolk adds richness and tenderness to the cookies. You can discard the leftover egg white, or you can use it to make coconut macaroons.Cake flour. I have instructions for how to substitute all-purpose flour in the notes below if you’d like to use that instead. Toasted coconut. Toasting the coconut first gives it a beautiful nutty flavor that works SO well in these island cookies. I have a separate post on how to toast coconut that you can check out if you’ve never made this before.White chocolate. While you could use white chocolate chips, I prefer a chopped high quality white chocolate bar instead. Lime zest + juice. Like with my lemon cookies, we’ll be creaming the zest with the sugar and butter to release the oils and bring out the flavor.
SAM’S TIP: Make sure to zest the lime before squeezing it and avoid the white papery layer beneath the skin as much possible; this part (the pith) is bitter and doesn’t have the proper flavor profile. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Island Cookies
SAM’S TIP: If you’d like, you can save some white chocolate chunks and toasted coconut for topping your island cookies after they come out of the oven. I do this with most of my cookies for a bakery-style look. If you like these island cookies, give my coconut cookies a try! Enjoy! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook