Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 4, 2013
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon table salt 1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm⅓ cup vegetable oil 1 large egg 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon lime juice
Before You Begin
The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and gently as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place 1½ cups sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and lime juice; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
- Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons of sugar remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
- Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Makes 2 dozen cookiesIngredients
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling
2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling
2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/319 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces/298 grams) sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling
2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For optimal chew, we adjusted the fat in our sugar cookie recipe until it hit a ratio of approximately 1 part saturated fat (butter) to 3 parts unsaturated fat (vegetable oil). Instead of creaming the fat and sugar, we whisked them together. We used extra flour and baking powder for structure and lift, and extra sugar and salt kept the sugar cookies from being too dry. Cream cheese enriched the dough’s flavor without adding too much liquid and baking soda kept our sugar cookies flat and crackly.
Before You Begin
The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and gently as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place 1½ cups sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and lime juice; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
- Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons of sugar remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
- Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
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