These Coconut Cream Pie Thumbprint Cookies are crisp and buttery with tropical toasted coconut flavor! They’re two treats in one!
Buttery Tropical Coconut Cream Pie Thumbprint Cookies
I always say, there’s nothing better than a thumbprint cookie. It’s two treats in one!
The possibilities with this classic cookie are endless. You can opt for a buttery thumbprint filled with jam, a chocolate thumbprint filled with peanut butter or thumbprints filled with Hershey kisses.
With today’s recipe, we’ve got a crisp, buttery, coconutty thumbprint filled with a super smooth coconut flavored cream cheese frosting for over the top tropical flavor!
What is a thumbprint cookie?
A thumbprint cookie is named for the way it is prepared. You roll the cookie dough into balls and then you press your thumb into the center and press down gently to make a small well so that you can fill it with something sweet.
My favorite thumbprint cookie recipe has always been from Land O Lakes, so I just tweaked it a bit by adding some coconut extract to the dough and coating the dough balls with some egg wash before rolling in some unsweetened toasted coconut.
I roll my dough into 1 1/4-inch balls which will give you roughly 30 cookies and then I use my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe from here at the BHK to fill my cookies.
Coconut Cream Pie Thumbprint Cookie Ingredients
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• coconut extract
• all-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• egg
• unsweetened shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
• unsalted butter
• cream cheese
• coconut extract
• confectioners’ sugar
If you’re a coconut lover, I bet you’ll really love these. The coconut extract in the cookie dough and the frosting give these that over the top coconut flavor. Hoping you give the recipe a try. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Coconut Cream Pie Thumbprint Cookies
I use McCormick’s coconut extract for this recipe. I can find it at my local Walmart.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in your fridge.
When you make your thumbprint in your dough ball the edges may crack a bit, but that’s ok.
Wait for your cookies to totally cool before filling with the coconut cream cheese frosting.
More Cookie Recipes to Enjoy
Coconut Cream Pie Thumbprint Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 large egg, beaten with one tablespoon water for egg wash
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread coconut on sheet in even layer. Toast in oven until lightly browned, tossing as needed, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until combined. Add both extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Shape the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Dip each ball in the egg wash and then roll in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball with your thumb. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let the cookies stand on the tray for 2-3 minutes before remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut extract. Gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar until well combined. Pipe some frosting into the center of each cooled thumbprint cookie. Sprinkle with extra toasted coconut. Store cookies in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
Notes
Love these! Coconut Cream is my favourite pie, so bringing those flavours to cookies is brilliant :) And so cute, too!
Ooh Mary Ann these have me squealing with excitement! I love all things coconut and these look so delicious! Can’t wait to try these!
Hope you enjoy them Katherine! Coconut has always been a favorite of mine!
Not only are these cookies beautiful, Mary Ann, they look addictively delicious! These are definitely happening this summer!
Thanks Marissa. Hope you enjoy them!
I love this recipe, Mary Ann! I love coconut cream pie, so I can’t imagine a better way to make kind of a hand-held version of all the best from that pie! Yum!
Thanks so much Laura! I’m a huge coconut fan!
So much YES to these cookies, Mare!!!!! I absolutely LOVE anything coconut and who could possibly say no to a thumbprint cookie!? I love that these cookies combine two of my favorite things in ONE! I can already tell from just looking at your photos that I’m going to eat a few dozen too many of these cookies! Oh well, YOLO, right!?
Yes! Eat all the cookies while we can!!