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
Units
CARDAMOM SNOWFLAKE COOKIES
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 medium orange (- zested & juiced (reserve the juice for glaze))
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) (- at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (- at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
COCONUT ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar (- sifted)
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 3 tablespoons reserved orange juice
- 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (- unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup sparkling sugar
Instructions
CARDAMOM SNOWFLAKE COOKIES
- Whisk together the flour, orange zest, baking powder, salt, and cardamom in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The mixture should be light and fluffy and the sugar should be fully incorporated into the butter.
- Crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low, slowly add to the sugar mixture one egg at a time, allow each egg to blend in completely before adding the next. Cream in the vanilla and almond extract (*hint, the mixture may seem to curdle when you add the almond extract. Don't worry, it will recede once the dry ingredients are mixed in). Scrape the sides of the bowl down.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat on medium until a smooth consistency is achieved. The dough will be soft and sticky at this point.
- Gather the dough into a disk and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour up to overnight, the dough needs to firm up so it's easier to to roll out.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to 1/4“ thickness on floured counter top. Cut the rolled dough into snowflakes in varied sized - place cookies on a lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
- 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 12-15 minutes (depending on size) until the edges start to brown slightly. Remove from oven and cool on cooling racks.
COCONUT ICING
- While the cookies cool, prepare the icing by sifting the powdered sugar and cardamom together. Then whisk 3 tablespoons of the reserved orange juice and vanilla extract until it's smooth and creamy and the glaze runs off of the whisk in a smooth ribbon. If the glaze is too thick, add a little bit of water 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If it's too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar.
- Mix the coconut and sparkling sugar together in a shallow dish.
- Dip the cooled cookies in the glaze, then dip in the coconut mix and allow to set on a cooling rack. So easy!
Notes
Save time by mixing the dough ahead of time and freezing the them until you're ready to bake.
Once the cut sugar cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer proof bag or container. When sealed tightly, they an be stored in the freezer up to 3 months. When you are ready, bake them straight from frozen. It may require a couple extra minutes of bake time, so be sure you are keep an eye on the cookies as they bake.