Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies are sweet, citrus flavored cookies that are perfect for the holidays. Lemon shortbread cookies are coated in a lemon glaze and rolled in shredded coconut.
These lemon coconut snowball cookies look fancy and festive with very little work. Perfect for your next holiday cookie tray.
The base of these cookies are a simple shortbread cookie. By adding just a few extra ingredients, you’ve got a quick and easy cookie for the holidays!
There are no eggs and no leaveners in these cookies, so the ingredient list fairly short. The base of all shortbread cookies consists of butter, flour, and sugar. For these cookies I also add some vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt to amp up the flavor.
These buttery shortbread cookies are rolled in shredded coconut, adding chewy texture and giving them the look of a snowball.
Lemon zest and juice
Lemon zest and juiceWhen I make a lemon recipe, I try to use the entire lemon if at all possible. For these cookies, I use the lemon zest in the dough and then the lemon juice in the icing.
I recommend using a lemon for the fresh citrus flavor, but you can substitute both with lemon extract if needed.
1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract
3 tablespoons of lemon juice = 3/4 teaspoon of lemon extract
Tips for baking cookies
Tips for baking cookiesRoom temperature ingredients will help your cookies have a consistent, creamy, and even dough.
Properly measuring flour is an issue I see frequently. If you have issues with your cookies not spreading, or turning out extra thick and tall, you probably measured too much flour into your cookie dough.
To properly measure flour, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, then level off with a knife. By scooping flour directly from a container with your measuring cup, you’re compacting the dough into the cup. This can add up to 25% more flour to your dough.
Using parchment paper helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan will guarantee your cookies spread more than they should, so I always suggest parchment paper (or a reusable baking mat) instead.
Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
Lemon Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Lemon Icing
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
Lemon Cookies
- In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add lemon zest and vanilla and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, sift (or whisk) together flour and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Shape into a disc and cover in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap. Using a small two teaspoon scoop (or your hands), form 1 inch balls of dough and place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies begin to lightly brown. Remove from baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing, about 30 minutes.
Lemon Icing
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine lemon juice and powdered sugar for the icing. Stir until sugar is completely incorporated and icing is smooth. Pour shredded coconut in a separate bowl.
- Dip tops of cookies into icing, tapping off excess before dipping into the shredded coconut. Allow to harden before storing, about one hour.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Your cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, you can place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
- You can keep raw cookie dough in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cookie dough balls and baked cookies freeze well, up to 3 months in a sealed plastic container or freezer bag. Allow frozen dough to thaw for up to 10 minutes on the baking sheet before baking, or add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- I recommend using a lemon for the fresh citrus flavor, but you can substitute both with lemon extract if needed.
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice = 3/4 teaspoon of lemon extract
Nutrition
More holiday cookie recipes
- Heidesand – German Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies
- Christmas Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Zimtsterne – German Cinnamon Star Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Dutch Cocoa Cookies
[…] is one of my favorite ingredients, especially in baked goods. See my Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars or Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies if you’re a lemon lover like me. This pie is one of my new summer favorites. […]