Fa-la-la-la-llama! These Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies are soft, spiced cut-outs made with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and a hint of cardamom and orange zest. Each little llama gets a fluffy “wool” coat of orange icing and shredded coconut, sweetened, unsweetened, or toasted (choose your own adventure!). They’re goofy, festive, and guaranteed to make someone smile, whether they land in a holiday cookie box or get decorated with the kids. No llama cutter? This gingerbread dough happily shape-shifts into sheep, reindeer, snowflakes, or whatever’s in your cutter drawer.
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I first developed these darling little Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies between wildfire evacuations during the month of December. I'd hoped to post them as a holiday recipe, but life and mother nature had other plans. Even during the joyous holiday season, winter can sometimes be a dark place. However, these Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies have the ability to brighten even the darkest days.
More Baking the Goods holiday cookie recipes
Fun cookie therapy
Baking cookies is obviously a quick way to turn any frown upside down. Whether you bake a batch of classic comfort Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt, my soft and wintery Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies. Or some adorably festive Reindeer Animal Cookies, there is therapy hidden in the process. While making these goofy little Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies I found myself giggling over their oddly shaped bodies and wild coconut fur. After hours of entertainment, I can safely say these cute little Llama Cookies are undeniable smile inducers. Just look at these fluffy little dudes and try not to crack a smile.
You can taste the happiness too. These llama-shaped cookies
with textural sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut (your call!)
set against rich molasses
and gingery
, cinnamon
spice are packed with flavors that will warm you up and get you grinning.
Cozy, warming ingredients
- Cinnamon, ginger and cardamom combine in a comforting spice trio that gives these cookies their warming characteristics.
- Molasses adds rich flavor depth to Gingerbread Llama Cookies.
- Brown sugar balances the rich spices with a rounded sweetness.
- Orange zest brings some brightness to these spicy cookies.
- Vanilla smooths out the spicy-sweet edges and adds depth..
- Shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, gives the llamas their fluffy wool coat and chewy texture. More on that below!
Mixing the Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookie Dough
The gingerbread dough comes together easily in a stand mixer. Once mixed, divide that dough into a couple of dough disks. The dough needs firm up in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling and shaping.
Roll & shape the gingerbread dough into fa-la-llamas
Rolling and shaping the gingerbread llama cookies is easy. But there are a few key tips to keep in mind to make your life a little easier.
- Roll the gingerbread cookie dough into ¼" thickness. If the dough is too thin the cookies will be harder to decorate. So err on the side of thicker cookies, which also means slightly softer cookies.
- Dip the cookie cutter in flour to keep the dough from sticking in the smaller details of the cookie cutter.
- Cut the llama cookies closely so you get as many cookies as possible from each sheet of dough.
- Gather the scraps and re-roll the dough, then repeat the process until you've used every scrap of dough. We don't want to waste a single llama cookie opportunity.
Where to find llama cookie cutters
In this day and age, you can pretty much find anything on the internet. Amazon has a few styles of llama cookie cutters available. But definitely check your local craft, kitchen or holiday stores too.
Icing options for decorating Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies
You have 2 options here. The first few times I made these decorative gingerbread cookies, I decorated them with Royal Icing, meticulously piping on detailed faces. But you can make it easier on yourself if you don't have time for all of that.
Choose your own coconut adventure
Sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut both work here, so use whatever’s in your pantry. Sweetened coconut is softer and fluffier, with a little extra sweetness. Unsweetened is a bit drier and lets the warm gingerbread spices shine. Want a cozier look? Toast the coconut until golden for a nutty flavor and llamas with a sun-kissed, caramel-colored coat. For snowy white llamas, skip the toasting.
Option 1: Royal Icing
Use this method if you want to get into the fine details like piping on sweet little faces, complete with long llama eyelashes. Made with powdered sugar, juice from an orange and egg whites, Royal Icing creates a smooth icing that pipes on perfectly for decorative details. Royal Icing dries in a firm, eggshell finish. It's a classic for decorating cookies. First outline the bodies of the llamas, then flood the icing within the lines and dip them into the coconut flocking. Once that sets, artfully pipe on the faces.
Option 2: Simple Icing
The simple icing is much quicker option. Just whisk together the powdered sugar with the juice of an orange until it steadily runs off of a whisk or spoon in a smooth, consistent ribbon. Simply dip the llama cookies in the simple icing, then dip the iced part of each cookie into the coconut for a full, fluffy coat.. No fussing over the faces, but the cookies are still absolutely adorable.
It's funny how during hardships it's the small things like a simple smile and a safe place to sit and savor a warm mug
of coffee
with a few Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies bring the most joy. It sincerely puts life into perspective and makes you realize just how important food, sharing and community truly are.
If you or someone you know is struggling with current events, loss, illness or simply just having a tough time, these Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies might be right for you. These little flockers really can lift surprisingly heavy moods. I can personally attest to this.
This Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies recipe can shape-shift into any cookie cutter shape you'd like!
Yes, the Coconut Flocked Gingerbread Llama Cookies are quite possibly the cutest cookies on earth. However, you can get creative with whatever cookie cutters you have on hand. Feel free to flock some gingerbread bears, reindeer, moose, Yetis or Sasquatch, snowflakes, Santas or stars. You name it, you can Gingerbread Coconut Cookie it!
Recipe
Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies
- Total Time: 2+ hours
- Yield: 4 dozen small llama cookies 1x
Description
Fa-la-la-la-llama! These Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies are soft, spiced cut-outs made with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and a hint of cardamom and orange zest. Each little llama gets a fluffy “wool” coat of orange icing and shredded coconut, sweetened, unsweetened, or toasted (choose your own adventure!). They’re goofy, festive, and guaranteed to make someone smile, whether they land in a holiday cookie box or get decorated with the kids. No llama cutter? This gingerbread dough happily shape-shifts into sheep, reindeer, snowflakes, or whatever’s in your cutter drawer.
Ingredients
GINGERBREAD COCONUT LLAMA COOKIES
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 medium orange, zested and juiced (reserve the juice for the icing)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
ORANGE ICING & COCONUT
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from the reserved orange) plus more as needed
- 1 large egg white (for royal icing only)
- 1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted if you like
Instructions
Make the cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cardamom, and orange zest. (Adding the zest to the dry ingredients keeps it from clumping in the dough.) Save the orange for the icing.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times, until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses, mixing just until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a smooth disk about 1½ inches thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk to ¼ inch thick. Dip your cutters in flour and cut out the cookies, then re-roll the scraps and cut again until you've used all the dough. Repeat with the second disk. Place the cookies close together on a lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
- While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Arrange the chilled cookies on the sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size, until slightly firm to the touch but still soft in the center. Cool for a few minutes on the sheets, then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
DECORATING THE LLAMA COOKIES
Decorate the llamas
Option 1: Royal icing (piped "wool" and faces)
- Place the coconut in a shallow bowl.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the egg white and 2 tablespoons of the reserved orange juice until smooth and glossy, and the icing flows from the whisk in a smooth ribbon. If it's too thick, add more orange juice 1 teaspoon at a time. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Outline each llama's body, leaving the legs, neck, and face bare, then fill in the outline with icing.
- While the icing is still wet, gently press the iced side into the coconut so it sticks. Repeat until all the llamas are flocked, then go back and pipe on faces with the remaining icing, if you like.
- Let the cookies set on a wire rack for at least a few hours before serving.
Option 2: Simple dip icing (quicker)
- Make the icing as in Option 1, leaving out the egg white.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the icing and let the excess drip off, leaving a thin coat. While the icing is still wet, dip the iced part of the cookie into the coconut so it's fully covered.
- Let the cookies set on a wire rack for at least a few hours before serving.
Notes
Make ahead: Freeze the cut cookies on a lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They'll keep for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Storage: Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Choose your own coconut adventure: Sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut both work, so use whichever you like. For a toasty twist, spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast it at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden. Let it cool completely before using.
About the egg white: Royal icing uses a raw egg white. If you're concerned about food safety, use a pasteurized egg white, or swap in 2 teaspoons meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons water. Or skip the egg white entirely with the simple dip icing in Option 2.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Decorating Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Cookies
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