These coconut lime cookies are a delicious copycat version of Swig Coconut Lime Cookies. You get all the sweet flavors of sugar cookies and coconut buttercream frosting that's so popular with the Swig version, but they're fresh from the oven!
Is there ever a bad time for frosted sugar cookies? No. The answer is no. We have a few different sugar cookie recipes that we love to make, and they all involve frosting! Those sweet, chewy cookies are perfect with any kind of rich frosting or icing, and no one ever passes by the tray without grabbing one.
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Why You’ll Love Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies
- Soft and Chewy: They are soft and chewy - just the way sugar cookies should be!
- Sweet Tropical Flavor: The thick buttercream frosting is loaded with coconut flavor.
- Unexpected: The coconut frosting is an unexpected flavor that will pleasantly surprise your family and friends.
- Perfect for Parties: Whether you pair them with milk or margaritas, these tropical-flavored cookies are perfect for kids' or adults' parties.
Ingredients
- Butter: Butter gives them a rich buttery flavor and makes the frosting super creamy.
- Milk and Heavy Cream: Milk and heavy cream add moisture and extra protein, creating softer, chewier cookies.
- Coconut Extract and Shreds: The extract and shreds add tons of coconut flavor to the buttercream frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: The base ingredient for the buttercream frosting, it adds all the sweetness we love.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Coconut Rum: Try adding rum extract to the cookie dough for a tropical twist.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add more, and their crunchiness works well with the softness of the cookies.
- Lime Extract: Add lime extract to the cookie dough for even more tropical flavor.
How To Make Coconut Lime Cookies
1: Cream the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
2: Combine the dry ingredients. Then, alternate mixing them and the milk and cream into the egg mixture until the dough is formed. Chill.
3: Scoop out the chilled dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and gently press them down to ¾ inches thick.
4: Bake the cookies until they are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
5: Cream the butter and coconut extract. Then, add the chopped coconut and mix well.
6: Slowly add the powdered sugar. Thin with heavy cream if necessary.
7: Frost the cookies and garnish with lime. Enjoy!
Hint
Chop the coconut shreds as fine as possible so your frosting remains as smooth and creamy as possible.
Storage
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or on the counter and enjoy.
Refrigerating the cookies isn't recommended, as it will dry them out.
What To Serve With Copycat Coconut Lime Swig Cookies
You can make these cookies part of a larger dessert spread at parties with other sweet treats like custard puffs, copycat Crumbl salted caramel cheesecake cookies, frosted sugar cookie bars, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and any other desserts you like.
The sweet coconut flavor of these cookies' frosting also makes them a nice dessert after a meal like these flank steak tacos, hobo casserole, or beef teriyaki.
Tips
- Bring your butter to room temperature. Remove it a couple of hours before you are ready to make your dough. This helps everything mix easily and prevents overmixing. If you are looking for a faster way to bring your butter to room temperature. You can slice it into pieces and let it set out for 15 minutes. Don't ever use melted butter.
- Refrigerate your dough for at least an hour - longer is okay. The key is to make the butter cold again and melt more slowly in the oven, reducing the spread and promoting thick cookies.
- Be sure to leave plenty of room between your cookies so they bake evenly. I like to use silicone mats to help keep them from spreading.
- Cool your them completely before frosting them. Even warm cookies will make the frosting melt.
Recipe FAQs
Buttercream frosting has to be refrigerated for extended storage, but it's good at room temperature for about three days. This is because of the sheer amount of powdered sugar in the frosting. The sugar acts as a natural stabilizer and preservative, making the butter and cream in the frosting safe to store at room temperature for a short time.
Unless the cookies have cream cheese frosting or the recipe specifically calls for refrigerating them, NEVER store your cookies in the refrigerator. The cold air dries them out and makes them taste bland.
First, be sure your butter is fully softened. Firm butter results in grainy frosting. Second, thoroughly whip your butter before adding the powdered sugar. Five minutes is a good rule of thumb. Finally, add the sugar in one cup at a time and whip for at least a minute after each addition.
More Cookie Recipes
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Coconut Lime Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4½-5 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
Coconut Frosting
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 3 tsp coconut extract
- 4-4½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ cup coconut shreds chopped
- 4 limes
Instructions
- Cream together butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a separate bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Alternate adding flour mixture, milk, and heavy cream. Mix until the dough sticks to the whisk, forming large clumps.
- Cover the bowl with a tight layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat over to 350℉—line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop the dough into ¼ cup balls, placing them on the cookie sheet, leaving about 2½ inches between each cookie. Gently press each one down until they are about ¾ inches thick.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn a slight golden brown color. Let each cookie cool completely before frosting.
Coconut Frosting
- Cream together butter and coconut extract. Next add in the chopped coconut and mix well.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar. If the frosting is to think add in heavy cream one tbsp at a time until you get the desired consistancy.
- Frost each cookie using with a knife or a piping bag with a round tip.
- Garnish with a lime and enjoy!
Notes
- Bring your butter to room temperature. Remove it a couple of hours before you are ready to make your dough. This helps everything mix easily and prevents overmixing. If you are looking for a faster way to bring your butter to room temperature. You can slice it into pieces and let it set out for 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate your dough for at least an hour - longer is okay. The key is to make the butter cold again and melt more slowly in the oven, reducing the spread and promoting thick cookies.
- Be sure to leave plenty of room between your cookies so they bake evenly. I like to use silicone mats to help keep them from spreading.
- Cool your them completely before frosting them. Even warm cookies will make the frosting melt.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
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