These were my mother’s FAVORITE cookie. I made them 4 or 5 times a year while she was living. Now I don’t – I love them- but they are kind of nostalgic for me to make – so I need a good reason. Like Christmas!
They are a shortbread style of cookie- yet very light- although the cream cheese and butter icing bring them back down to earth. If I was celebrating Christmas in warmer climes- I would definitely make this cookie- they go very well in summer!
Lemon Coconut Dainties.
ingredients:
3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped coconut
method:
Cream together the butter and sugar, add egg yolk and mix until they are light and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon extract and mix well, once again.
Add flour- one cup at a time, incorporating it into the wet ingredients, then add coconut. Your dough will be on the dry side, kind of like a pastry dough.
Make into balls(walnut-sized) and flatten with two fingers. You can place them close on a tray- they won’t get much bigger.
When working with short doughs it is a good idea to use parchment paper to keep the bottoms from getting too brown.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Check often to make sure they don’t get too brown.
I got almost 3 dozen cookies.You want them to look pretty pale.
Cream Cheese frosting:
1/2 stick butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 cup 10x (confectioner’s sugar)
1-2 TBS milk
Soften butter and cheese, using mixer beat them together and add sugar- a little at a time- until mixture is stiff. Add milk until it becomes spreadable.
Ice cookies and add a little sprinkle of red, green and white.
Lemon coconut dainties- dressed for the holidays!
And-
Anise and citrus pizzeles, Christmas cake pops, ginger cut outs, ribbon cookies and brownie bites!
Heidi, that all looks so festive!! Lemon Coconut Dainties, what an appropriate name, they certainly look very dainty! And they sound delicious! 🙂
Thanks, Celia!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of cookies I would make if Christmas was in summer. This is definitely one of them- and maybe the pizzeles and the brownies. It is such a different mind set- I’m thinking hot chocolate and cookies, here- but if I lived in Australia it would be tea- preferably iced tea with my biscuits!
Ahem!
I am a very good reason to make them!
Yes you are. But I forget how very muchyou like them- and I figure you can make them just as easily as I can- so I don’t. Hmm- you could make them for me!
Hmm, these look really good and I think I may have to make them!
Hmm, dainty and delicious there Heidi 🙂
They wouldn’t be the same… I can see how good they look from here 😉
Made these today, Heidi. I was hoping for more lemon flavor so I put a little lemon zest in the frosting to give it a lemon lift. Definitely a keeper!
Kim- I posted the recipe as my mother made them. I usually add lemon juice to the frosting rather than milk and decorate the tops with lemon zest! But I love lemon- so I didn’t want to mess with it for others.
Joanna- they do look good- and they would be better if you could taste them as well as see them!
Brydie- These are truly a great summertime treat!
Elizabeth- make them- I’m sure your family would like them!