On the sixth day of holiday baking, my true love brought to me a microplaner to zest lemons. These lemon coconut cookies may look Plain Jane, but once you bite into one you will realize they are anything but. They have a complex depth of flavour. So tender, they just melt in your mouth. Betcha can’t eat just one!
This recipe comes from the May 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine. Gosh every time I even have to type that name I feel bitter. I am still mourning the loss of that wonderful publication. I have moved from denial to anger on the grief hierarchy, so I guess that’s progress but I am still a long way off from acceptance. I am still hoping for a rebirth!
I have adapted the recipe slightly. The original called for sifting icing sugar on the finished cookies but I found that really took away from the delicate flavour of the lemon and coconut. The recipe also calls for lemon zest and lemon extract. I am not a lemon extract fan. It’s scent reminds me of Lemon Pledge. However, I have tried it with and without, and in this cookie it adds a zing of flavour that is not overpowering.
It’s a simple slice and bake cookie dough, which I love when I am really strapped for time (like Day 6 of my baking adventure). They keep well in the freezer for several weeks.
Roll the dough into logs, slice and bake.
Just reading the recipe makes my mouth water!
I would really love to bake these, however… those volume measurements :(.
I haven’t the faintest idea how much a cup of butter is! And from what I read on TFL, two cups of flour can be anything from 180 to 300 grams…
Hi Jaydot,
A cup of butter is 8 ounces (224 grams). When I make these cookies I use all purpose flour and the way I measure, 1 cup weighs 150 grams. Hope this helps.
Thank you for telling us the weight you use for flour. Interestingly King Arthur Flour used 120 grams for AP Flour so I would have been off 25%!
Hi Louise, in regard to weight of flour, it really depends on the brand and the country. I know in Canada, Robin Hood flour (our main brand here) weighs about 140 grams. I test all my recipes and record the exact weight I use in each one.
Ooh, great, thank you!
I think I can wing it with the rest of the ingredients (though if you happen to know how much a cup of coconut weighs…)
One cup of coconut weighs 90 grams
Thanks again!
I’d like to try this, but I don’t see any baking powder or baking Soda listed. Is this correct?
Yes that is correct. Hope you enjoy them. Happy holidays.
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Hi Cindy,
I love anything with lemon in it—but I’m not a fan of coconut. If I leave it out, what can I substitute?
Hi Cindy,
I think you could leave the coconut out and not put anything else in and the texture would still be fine. What might be really great is adding about 1/3 of a cup of poppy seeds. They would give a really great crunch. Lemon poppyseed is a classic loaf cake combo and should make a great cookie too. Let me know how they turn out!
Thanks for the tip, Cindy! I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂