Blackberry Coconut Cookies
Thick and chewy coconut cookies topped with tangy coconut cream cheese frosting and bright blackberry filling, and garnished with toasted coconut. These two summer flavors were meant to be together!
Ingredients
Blackberry Filling
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (plus an optional additional few tbsp to taste depending on the sweetness of the berries)
- ½ tbsp lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon worth)
- ½ tbsp lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
Coconut Cookies
- 2 oz cream cheese (1/4 cup)
- 6 oz room temperature salted butter (3/4 cup) *If using unsalted butter add an additional heaping 1/4 tsp of salt
- 10.5 oz granulated sugar (1.5 cups)
- 1 egg plus 1 yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp coconut extract
- 14.8 oz all purpose flour (3.5 cups measured correctly, see notes)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Toasted Coconut
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 cup)
- 3 oz salted butter (6 tbsp)
- 4.25 oz confectioner's sugar (1 cup)
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- fine salt (to taste) (optional)
Instructions
Blackberry Filling
- Place blackberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the berries have broken down. Mash and stir with a wooden spatula as you go.
- Once berries have broken down, taste to see if additional sugar needs to be added. Add 1-2 additional tablespoons if desired.
- In a small bowl, stir cornstarch and water together until completely combined.
- Add cornstarch slurry to the berries while stirring, and continue to stir.
- Bring mixture to a low simmer while stirring frequently. Be sure to fully scrape the bottom and sides of your pan as you go. Continue to cook until the filling has thickened.
- Remove filling from heat. Place in the fridge to chill.
Coconut Sugar Cookie
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit, and line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large sized bowl using an electric mixer until well combined. Scrape down the bowl, and repeat.
- Add in granulated sugar, and continue creaming ingredients together until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg and the yolk, and beat until incorporated. Add in extracts and mix them in as well, once again scraping the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- With the mixer on a low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture, and allow dough to come together until just a few dry ingredient streaks are remaining.
- Add in the shredded coconut and mix on a low speed just until combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix a few more seconds.
- Using a 1/3 cup size cookie scoop, place no more than 8 cookies per tray. Press down the tops of the dough balls and flatten the sides to create a tall hockey puck shape. This will help the cookies bake more flat.
- Bake each tray for 12-15 minutes rotating halfway through. Bake until the bottom edges of the cookie are just beginning to turn golden brown, and the center is no longer shiny and doughy.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting/assembling. (Keep oven on for toasted coconut!)
Toasted Coconut
- Preheat (or keep) the oven at 350℉
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread the shredded coconut in an even layer.
- Bake for 2-3 minutes, or until the edges of the coconut have begun to brown.
- Stir the coconut, and bake for an additional few minutes until the coconut has achieved the desired level of toasteness.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- *Note: This is a softer cream cheese frosting. It is pipeable and will work fine for the cookies if chilled and not overmixed/soupy. If you prefer a sweeter/stiffer cream cheese frosting, you can add in more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.
- Beat room temperature butter in a mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add cream cheese into the mixing bowl with your butter, and beat until thoroughly combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as you go.
- Mix in the coconut extract and mix briefly.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides here and there to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Beat until just combined. Do not over mix or it will become soupy.
- Add more powdered sugar to taste at this point if you'd like your frosting stiffer or sweeter. Chill in the fridge until assembly.
Assembly
- Once all components are fully cooled, fit a piping bag with a #32 piping tip and fill with the cream cheese frosting.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!