Soft Lemon Coconut Cookies

Lemon coconut cookies are simple drop cookies.  They are pillowy, soft and thick and filled with lemon zest and sweet coconut.  You will love this quick and easy recipe as no chill time is needed.

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From lemon white chocolate cake, to crispy coconut cookies, lemon snack cake and coconut patties, we might have a thing with coconut and lemon in the two sugar bugs house! Not to mention I have a coconut cake every year for my birthday.

With decades of cookie baking in my back pocket, I have learned a thing or two about baking cookies!  As a busy baker myself, I am always looking for ways to make the best ever cookies that I can make quickly. So I have another no chill cookie recipe for you. They also share the soft and chewy texture of my blueberry white chocolate cookies and coconut sugar cookies and are super easy to put together.

🍋 why you will love this drop cookie recipe

• A quick and easy cookie dough.
• Sweet coconut pairs perfectly with tart lemon, giving a bit of a tropical vibe.
• The cookies have a thick, pillowy soft and chewy texture.
• No chill time is needed so no waiting for the cookie dough to firm up in the refrigerator.

💭 how do I know when my cookies are done?

For these lemon coconut cookies, the edges will be set and the center will look barely dry. Cookies continue to bake once they are removed from the oven so for a soft and chewy cookie, you want to remove it before it looks done.

Please remember that a "perfect" cookie texture is different for everyone! If you like a slightly raw cookie middle, bake a minute or two less. If you prefer a crunchy cookie, bake a minute or two more. Your oven is different than mine, so that can make the bake time vary as well. With a new cookie recipe, I always start checking my cookies 1-2 minutes before the recommended bake time.

🛒 ingredients and substitutions

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

• Butter ~ If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt. The butter should be room temperature, which is colder than you think! 65°F is the temperature you should be aiming for. I use my Thermapen to quickly check the butter temperature.
• Granulated sugar ~ these lemon and coconut cookies are more similar to a drop sugar cookie, so they only use white sugar.
• Kosher salt ~ to balance the flavors and sweetness. If you only have table salt, use half the amount.
• Eggs ~ 2 large eggs are needed, room temperature is best, so pull them out of the refrigerator when you pull out the butter.
• Vanilla ~ pure vanilla extract is my preference, it adds flavor.
• Baking soda ~ just a little to help the cookies rise.
• All-purpose flour ~ for structure. If you don't use a kitchen scale {this is the scale I use and love}, use the spoon and level method to ensure you don't have too much flour. {Fluff the flour in the container, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife}.
• Lemon Zest ~ two large size lemons should give you what you need. The zest is what brings the burst of lemon flavor to the cookie dough.
• Lemon juice ~ zest the lemons first, then juice them.
• Flaked sweetened coconut ~ sweetened coconut flakes can be found in the baking aisle.

Pro tip ~ to quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm tap water for 5-10 minutes.

🥣 how to make these easy drop cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

Zest the lemons and work the 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the granulated sugar with your clean fingers.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, beat the unsalted butter, lemon zest granulated sugar and kosher salt until combined and lighter in color. Scrape up and down the bowl.

Add the eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and beat on medium until combined. The acidity of the lemon juice will cause the mixture to look curdled. Stop and scrape the bowl about 30 seconds into mixing and it should come together better.

Now add the baking soda and beat on medium until incorporated. Then add the all-purpose flour and mix on low until some streaks of flour remain.

Add the sweetened coconut flakes and stir in with a spatula.

Use a cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (41-42g per cookie) and place on the prepared baking pans. I put 9 cookies on each pan. If you would like a flatter finished cookie, use the heel of your hand or a flat bottom cup to flatten the dough to about ¼ inch.

Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the center of the cookies look slightly dry. I personally love the slightly more rustic look without flattening these cookies {the cookies on the left have been flattened, while the row on the right has not}.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for 3-5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.

💬 frequently asked questions

do I need to grease the cookie sheet?

No, please don’t!  Greasing the cookie sheet can cause cookies to spread and have less rise than desired.  I recommend parchment sheets or silicone baking mats for your cookie pans.

why are my cookies dry?

Too much flour, over mixing and over baking are the three biggest culprits in a dry cookie. I am a big believer in using a kitchen scale to weigh my ingredients, which means you have the correct amount of flour.

To avoid over mixing the cookie dough, mix in the flour until a few streaks remain. Then mix in the coconut with a spatula until the dough comes together.

As for over baking, this is probably the number one mistake I see people make when baking cookies. The cookies should have set edges, but still look a little soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.

do I need to chill my cookie dough?

No, not for this lemon coconut cookie recipe. I know you don't want to wait for cookie dough to chill, so this recipe was created so it can go straight in the oven.

Some recipes do require chilling, so be sure to follow the instructions for the cookie recipe you are making.

👩🏻‍🍳 tips for the best homemade cookies

• Be sure your butter is at the correct temperature, which is room temperature for this recipe. That means you should be able to make an indent with your finger, but the butter shouldn't be shiny and your finger shouldn't sink into the butter. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen it will take 1-2 hours.
• Zest the lemons first and then squeeze them for the fresh juice.  This is my favorite zesting tool and lemon or lime squeezer.
• I'm a broken record on flour, but using a kitchen scale is going to get you the correct amount. Too much flour can lead to a dry cookie.  I use this OXO scale, but if you are looking for a more economical option this Escali digital scale is also a great one.
• Use a cookie scoop for uniformly sized cookies. A size 30 scoop is my favorite.
• Lighter colored pans help cookies to bake more gently, which equals a softer cookie.
• I'm a big fan of parchment paper for baking. It helps the lemon coconut cookies bake more evenly, helps to keep the cookies from spreading and sticking and makes for easy clean up. King Arthur makes some great precut parchment sheets.
• Don't over bake the cookies. In my opinion, this is the number one mistake home baker's make. To keep the cookies soft and chewy we want the centers slightly underdone. They will continue cooking as they cool and the centers will firm up.

🫙 how to store

Lemon coconut cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these Soft Lemon Coconut Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

🍋 🥥 more lemon or coconut recipes

• Lemon Raspberry Bars
• Mom's Lemon Bars
• Almond Cookie Bars {with Coconut}
• Lemon Bar Cookies

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

📖 recipe

Soft Lemon Coconut Cookies

recipe created and tested by:

Tasia Harper

Lemon coconut cookies are simple drop cookies.  They are pillowy soft and thick and filled with lemon zest and sweet coconut.  You will love this quick and easy recipe as no chill time is needed.

5 from 3 votes

I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.

Print Recipe rate this recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Bake Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 190 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Please note

When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 250g
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon zest about 2 large lemons
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 30mL
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
• ▢ 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes 120g

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
• Zest the lemons and work the 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the granulated sugar (1 ¼ cups/250g) with your clean fingers.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, beat the unsalted butter (1 cup/226g), lemon zest (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar (1 ¼ cups/250g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) on low - medium-low until combined, then medium (speed 4 on a KitchenAid) for 2 minutes until lighter and combined. Scrape up and down the bowl.
• Add the eggs (2 large), vanilla (1 teaspoon) and lemon juice (2 tablespoons) and beat on medium until combined, about 1 minute. The mixture will get very curdled due to the acidity of the lemon juice, stop and scrape the bowl about 30 seconds into mixing and it should come together better.
• Now add the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and beat on medium until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• Then add the all-purpose flour (3 cups/375g) and mix on low (stir on a KitchenAid) until some streaks of flour remain. Add the sweetened coconut flakes (1 cup/120g) and stir in with a spatula.
• Use a cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (41-42g per cookie) and place on the prepared baking pans. I put 9 cookies on each pan. If you would like a flatter finished cookie, use the heel of your hand or a flat bottom cup to flatten the dough to about ¼ inch. I personally love the slightly more rustic look without flattening these cookies.
• Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the center of the cookies look slightly dry. (I bake one pan at a time). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for 3-5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt.

If you only have table salt, use half the amount.

Lemon coconut cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 70mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12g

The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.

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