For these Coconut Shortbread Cookies, buttery shortbread dough is made from scratch, baked until crisp, then half-dipped in dark chocolate and toasted coconut for a delicious treat.

Shortbread has always been in my top 3 favorite cookies. Its simplicity lets the butter flavor truly shine, and the crunch of shortbread is irresistible.

Coconut Shortbread Cookies - On a Wire Rack with Chocolate Half Dip

Shortbread is perfect plain, but it takes to other flavors very well too.

My absolute favorite Shortbread Cookie Recipe lets the natural dairy sweetness truly shine, and is more about the round swirl shape and texture (they look like the ones you buy in blue tins at Christmas).

When I want to go flavored, this Lavender Shortbread is one of my favorite renditions, or even shortbread with orange zest.

Then when I want to go the chocolate route, that’s where today’s post comes in.

For this recipe, shortbread is dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with toasted coconut for a very classic flavor combination.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread - On a Wire Rack with Chocolate Half Dip

They’re great to make for yourself, or even to make for family, friends, neighbors, or loved ones who are far away. They ship and store very well, making them a great edible gift.

One thing I want to say about this recipe is it’s very important to toast the coconut if you add it.

Raw coconut and toasted coconut are two completely different ingredients. Raw coconut has a chewy, tough texture to it, where toasted coconut has a very light crunch and a natural caramelized sweetness. It’s perfect with this buttery shortbread as the base.


How to Make Coconut Shortbread Cookies:

To get started, make your simple shortbread dough by creaming together butter and sugar and adding salt and almond extract. Add flour to make a crumbly dough:

Crumbly Shortbread Cookie Dough in Mixing Bowl

As always with shortbread, the dough will look like a crumbly pile of rubble, but you should be able to press it into a smooth rectangle pretty easily:

Rectangle of Shortbread Dough in Plastic Wrap

Let the shortbread chill for an hour or two, and in the meantime make your toasted coconut in the oven. You just bake it until it turns a gorgeous golden brown color:

Toasted Coconut on a Sheet Pan with Turner

Roll your shortbread dough out on a floured surface and cut out your desired cookie shapes. This time I couldn’t decide between circles and cookie spoons, so I made both!

Shortbread Cut Out Cookies in Circle and Spoon Shapes

Once the cookies have baked, let them cool completely and dip in melted chocolate:

Dipping Half of Cookie Into Melted Chocolate

Then sprinkle the cookies with the toasted coconut before the chocolate hardens:

Sprinkling Toasted Coconut Onto Shortbread

Let the chocolate firm at room temperature or accelerate the process by putting the cookies in the fridge.

Coconut Shortbread Cookies with Toasted Coconut on Wire Rack

The cookies will keep for a couple weeks at room temperature in an airtight container. Enjoy!

More Cookies You’ll Love:

Coconut Shortbread Cookies On a Wire Rack with Chocolate Half Dip

Coconut Shortbread Cookies

Servings: 18
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Buttery shortbread is baked until crisp, then half-dipped in dark chocolate and toasted coconut for a delicious treat!
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Ingredients

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 7.5 oz by weight all purpose flour (1.5 cups measured)
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips melted

Instructions 

  • Either in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, whip the butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds to spread it around the bowl.
  • With the mixer still on medium, add the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together for 30-60 seconds on medium, until the two have been combined.
  • Briefly mix in the sea salt and almond extract.
  • Add the flour all at once and take care to only mix the flour with the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. The dough will be crumbly and that’s fine.
  • Dump the crumbly shortbread out onto a big piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a rectangle. It should clump together smoothly.
  • Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, but two is better if you have the time.
  • After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Once preheated, place the coconut on a sheet pan and place it in the oven, giving the coconut a stir every 5 minutes or so. The coconut can take between 5 and 15 minutes to take on color, and it’s ready to be removed from the oven when it’s a golden brown color.
  • Lightly flour your countertop and roll the chilled shortbread out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and place the cutouts on a baking sheet.
  • Bake the cookies for 13-17 minutes, depending on how brown you like your shortbread. My husband likes soft shortbread with no color (13 minutes), and I like the shortbread golden brown and crisp (17 minutes).
  • Let the cookies cool completely, then dip half the cookie in the chocolate and sprinkle it with the toasted coconut. Let the chocolate harden and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 158mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 235IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 0.9mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post updated in August 2018 with updated photos, writing, and tips. Originally published July 2013.