These Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies are soft, tender cut-out sugar cookies flavored with cardamom, orange zest, and a touch of almond. Each one is dipped in an orange-cardamom glaze, then coated in shredded coconut and sparkling sugar for a snowy, sparkly finish, perfect for holiday cookie boxes and cookie exchanges. They look fancy but are simple to make, and the dough can be frozen ahead. No snowflake cutter? Use stars, trees, or any holiday shape you love
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Everybody has their holiday traditions. Trimming the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Making fried potato latkes from scratch. Getting dressed in your Christmas best and heading out for a celebratory night of Nutcrackers and nog. Or just settling in for a pajama-clad holiday movie marathon.
Baking holiday cookies is a beloved tradition
I may not be known for my enthusiastic holiday spirit but baking holiday cookies is one tradition that I hold near and dear to my heart. It's a whole production. I prep all of my cookie doughs, chill, roll, cut and freeze. Then use every baking sheet from here to the North Pole to bake them all off while watching Scrooged
on repeat.
I recruit my husband and friends to help with the tedious task of decorating because I am utterly exhausted at that point. We drink spiked spiced cider
and watch Die Hard
and Christmas Vacation
while decorating my classic Christmas Movie Cookies. Some years we make Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies, and giggle at our absurd creations.
I pass the task of drawing the faces on the Gingerbread Coconut Llama Cookies over to Dayn while I add their fluffy coconut
coat. It's a blast and I cherish those creative and relaxing moments together. But after a day of applying royal icing, my hands start to cramp up and I need something easy to make.
More holiday cookie recipes from Baking the Goods
These cookies look fancy, but are very simple to make
The Snowflake Cookies are glitzed up and look just as fancy as their royally iced brethren. However, they get all glammed in a fraction of the time it takes to pipe frosted corn cobs. These aren't your run-of-the-mill shortbread cookies or dime-a-dozen sugar cookies. The sugar cookie base is laden with spicy cardamom
based on my super popular Big Pink Cookies recipe.
Key ingredients
- Cardamom scents the dough with a distinct warmth that pairs perfectly with the coconut topping. Making an appearance in both the cookies and glaze here for extra winter warmth.
- Vanilla extract flavors the cardamom cookies with that classic sugar cookie nostalgia.
- Almond extract paired with vanilla, adds an intriguing flavor that gives the sugar cookies even more dimension and personality.
- Orange zest brightens up the spiced cardamom flavor in the cookie dough.
- Orange juice is used in the simple glaze, giving the topping a note of fresh citrus.
- Shredded coconut flocks these snowflake cookies with festive flair! Adding tons of flavor, texture and personality. I prefer to use unsweetened shredded coconut but you can flock with whatever you feel.
- Sparkling sugar gets blended in with the coconut topping, creating a sparkling sprinkle of glitz and glam.
The ideal dough for those holiday cookie cutters
Because this Cardamom Sugar Cookie dough is so pliable, it rolls smooth and easy. But, it's also a super stable cookie dough. Which makes it the perfect sugar cookie dough for shaping and cutting cookies. This dream dough cuts with crisp, sharp edges that hold up to the heat of the oven.
Freeze the cut cookie dough shapes before baking
Think of the freeze stage as a cookie shape insurance policy. Baking these Cardamom Sugar Cookies from frozen helps the cookies maintain their sharp edges as they bake with minimal spread. Place the cookies close together on a lined baking sheet to freeze. Just 30+ minutes in the freezer is long enough to firm up the cookies before baking. The timing works out great if you freeze the cookies while you clean up your mess and prep the glaze.
Cut sugar cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months
Once the cut sugar cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer proof bag or container. When sealed tightly, they can be stored in the freezer up to 3 months. Then when you are ready, bake them straight from frozen. It may require a couple extra minutes of bake time, so be sure to keep an eye on the cookies as they bake.
How to decorate cookies with coconut & sparkling sugar
In keeping with the easy theme, these sugar cookies use a simple decorating technique. A quick glaze is made by whisking together powdered sugar, juice of an orange, a splash of vanilla or almond extract and a dash of cardamom. The snowflake cookies are simply dipped in the glaze, then they take a plunge into a mix of shredded coconut and sparkling sugar. That's it! So easy.
Have fun the with recipe by swapping in playful shapes for snowflakes
While the snowflake shape is winter classic, don't be afraid to stir-up your creative side. Every year I like to give my holiday cookies a new spirit. By simply swapping the cookie cutters you can transform these wintry snowflake cookies into fluffy yetis or yaks, wooly sheep or llamas, snowy trees or even mysterious Sasquatch cookies with toasted coconut. Bring some whimsy and silliness to those holiday cookies!
These Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies have sugar, spice and everything nice
Made with sugar, spice and everything nice, these Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies are a winter wonder of a sugar cookie. The soft, spiced cookie base bakes up tender but holds its shape, so every snowflake keeps its points. Each one is dipped in orange-cardamom glaze and topped with chewy, naturally sweet shredded coconut, bejeweled with crunchy sparkling sugar. They look like they took all day, but they’re just as easy to make as they are pretty to look at. Truly a gift.
Santa knows if you’ve been bad or good, so sweeten the deal with a batch of these on Christmas Eve. They’re sure to get you on the nice list.
This post was made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Follow Bob’s Red Mill on Instagram and Facebook or check out bobsredmill.com to shop their impressive lineup of whole grains and much more.
Thank you for supporting me and the brands that I love! ❤️
PrintRecipe
Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on the size 1x
Description
Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies are sure to get you on the nice list with a soft & spiced wintery cookie base, topped with chewy, naturally sweet shredded coconut bejeweled with crunchy sparkling sugar.
Ingredients
CARDAMOM SNOWFLAKE COOKIES
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 medium orange, zested & juiced - reserve the juice for glaze
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
ORANGE CARDAMOM GLAZE & COCONUT TOPPING
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 3 tablespoons reserved orange juice
- 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
- ½ cup sparkling sugar
Instructions
Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, orange zest, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, letting each blend in completely before adding the next. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and scrape down the bowl. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled. It will come together once you add the dry ingredients.)
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, then beat on medium until smooth. The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight, until firm enough to roll.
- On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough to ¼" thick and cut out snowflakes in various sizes. Place the cookies closely on parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze for at least 30+ minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place cookies on lined baking sheets at least 1" apart. (Bake smaller cookies together and larger cookies together on separate baking sheets as larger cookies may take longer to bake.)
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size, until the edges just begin to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze and topping
- While the cookies cool, sift the powdered sugar and cardamom into a bowl. Whisk in the reserved orange juice and extract until the glaze is smooth and falls from the whisk in a ribbon. If it’s too thick, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- In a shallow dish, stir together the coconut and sparkling sugar.
- Dip the top of each cooled cookie in the glaze, let the excess drip off, then dip it into the coconut mixture. Set on a wire rack until the glaze is firm, at least 1 hour.
Notes
Make ahead: Once the cut cookies are frozen firm, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the bake time and keeping an eye on them as they bake.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Jenny says
This recipe is incredible!! Hands down the best sugar cookies I've ever made. The cardamom adds a unique depth and flavor. I received rave reviews from everyone on these cookies. They are a bit involved but you can save time by making the dough a day ahead, cutting them into shapes and freezing the cut out cookies until you're ready to bake.
Becky Sue says
Hi Jenny! I am so happy to hear you enjoy the Cardamom Coconut Snowflake Cookies recipe! It's a favorite around here too! Smart move by making the dough ahead of time. 😉 Thanks for sharing and happy baking!