Tropical Shortbread Cookies

Published: Jan 29, 2023 by Helen S Fletcher · This post may contain affiliate links · 47 Comments

These heart shaped Tropical Shortbread Cookies are the perfect way to say "I Love You" on Valentines day. While cut out cookies can be a challenge, my post on Cut Out Cookies Using the Wax Paper Technique makes is so much easier.

No flour all over, no trying to scrape the cookie off the counter, just perfect cut out cookies every time without the drama. The cookies don't spread and they cut out cleanly with sharp edges.

Tropical Shortbreads half dipped in chocolate on a lattice platter in front of a purple background

These easy to make delightfully, thin, cookies are flavored with toasted macadamia nuts and coconut and half dipped in a milk chocolate glaze. Not into cut out cookies? That's fine, these can be easily shaped into logs, refrigerated and cut into rounds to speed things along.

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Baking gets better when you subscribe to receive this PDF on getting the most out of baking including information on equipment, ingredients and baking equipment.

Easy Decorated Shortbread Cookies and Painted Cookies are a couple of other great shortbread cookies. Whichever way you make them, they're a great addition to your cookie collection.

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Why This Recipe Works
Recipe Ingredients
Substitutions
Step by Step Instructions
Recipe FAQS
Storage and Freezing
Expert Tips
Other Scrumptious Cookies
Tropical Shortbread Cookies

Why This Recipe Works

The nuts and flour are ground together so the flour absorbs any oil that is released from the nuts. If the nuts are ground alone, they can easily turn to nut butter.
Toasting the nuts and the coconut brings much more flavor to the cookies. Watch each of them carefully and stir once or twice while toasting. Each of them go from golden to burned easily.
Make sure the nuts are cooled completely before processing them with the flour.
Having the butter softened but not melty ensures it, will cream smoothly.
This is a European recipe and they often beat their butter and flavorings together adding the sugar later.
Rolling the cookies between wax paper avoids the use of additional flour in the cookies. Please see my post Cut Out Cookies Using the Wax Paper Technique for the how and whys of using this paper and technique which allows you to pick up the paper, place it on a baking sheet and freeze it for easy removal when baking.
Combining the chocolate with the vegetable shortening is a way to quick temper the chocolate so it doesn't streak which happens when the cocoa butter in the chocolate comes to the top. It doesn't effect the taste, just the looks.

Recipe Ingredients

The ingredients for the Tropical Shortbread Cookies are are macadamia nuts, flour, coconut, powdered sugar, butter,salt and vanilla

BACK ROW: All Purpose flour, toasted coconut, unsalted butter.

MIDDLE ROW: Toasted macadamia nuts, vanilla powdered sugar, butter.

FRONT ROW: Salt

Ingredients for the chocolate glaze include a bowl of milk chocolate and a bowl of shortening

Milk Chocolate, Vegetable Shortening

Macadamia Nuts can be hard to find sometimes. They can usually be found in the snack aisle of grocery stores.
Sweetened Coconut is used in this recipe.
Unsalted Butter, especially the European Butter with its higher butter fat content is the butter of choice.
Powdered Sugar is used to impart a melt-in-your-mouth texture to the cookies. Granulated sugar makes a crisper cookie.
Milk chocolate chips or bar chocolate can be used. Chop the bar chocolate before melting.
Shortening such as Crisco is used to quick temper the chocolate so it doesn't streak when set.

Substitutions

Any nut of your choice can be substituted for the macadamias. Toast them as called for in the instructions.
Coconut oil can be substituted for the vegetable shortening. Food grade cocoa butter is another option.

Be sure to see the recipe card for the full ingredient list and instructions.

Step by Step Instructions

To Make the Cookies - please see Cut Out Cookies Using the Wax Paper Technique

The long strands of coconut are crushed between your hands.

Step 1. If the toasted strands of coconut are long, crush them between your hands when cool.

Two piles of coconut, one crushed and one with longer strand, uncrushed

Step 2. It is important to crush the coconut so the edges of the cut out cookies will be clean.

Step 3. Place the toasted macadamia nuts and the flour in the bowl of a food processor.

Nuts and flour ground to a powder together in the processor bowl

Step 4. Process until the nuts are finely ground and one with the flour.

The butter and vanilla are in a mixing bowl.

Step 5. Place the softened butter and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer.

The butter and vanilla in the mixing bowl has been creamed until light.

Step 6. Cream until very light in color.

The remaining ingredients, flour/nut mixture,powdered sugar, macadamia nuts, and salt are added to the mixing bowl.

Step 7. Add the flour/nut mixture, coconut, powdered sugar, and salt.

The completed dough in the bowl of the mixer

Step 8. The dough completely mixed. It should not be a cohesive ball.

The dough is on the marble and flattened into a round.

Step 9. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a few times to bring it together.

Step 10. Divide the dough in half.

Step 11. If making the round cookies, roll each half into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until hard. Slice thinly and place on parchment lined paper about an inch apart.

Half of the dough rolled between two pieces of wax paper.

Step 12. If making the hearts, roll each half of the dough between wax paper to about ⅛" thick. Please see my post Cut Out Cookies Using the Wax Paper Technique for the whys and hows of this technique. Do not attempt to roll this directly on a work area.

Picking up the wax paper with the dough between the paper.

Step 13. From time to time pick up the wax paper and flip it over to smooth out the wrinkles underneath. Not only will they crease the bottom of the cookies, the dough may stall and not roll out any further.

The wax paper on the bottom is wrinkled.

Step 14. Carefully pull back the paper, replace it over the dough and smooth out the wrinkles on the paper. Roll over the dough to remove the wrinkles on the dough.

Heart shaped cookies cut out of the dough closely together.

Step 15. Remove the top piece of paper, keeping the dough on the bottom piece. Cut the cookies out as close together as possible. Place the paper, with the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until hard.

Tray of cut out hearts ready to go into the oven.

Step 16. Using a pancake turner or off- set spatula, lift the cookies off the waxed paper and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. This will be very easy because they are hard. Re-roll the scraps and roll out as before. Bake the cookies from the refrigerated or frozen state.

Dipping the Cookies

The milk chocolate and shortening in a bowl to be microwaved for the glaze.

Step 1. Place the milk chocolate and shortening, coconut oil or cocoa butter in a bowl. Microwave at half power for about 2 minutes. Stir to blend completely. Alternatively, place the bowl over simmering water and stir to melt. Do not get the chocolate overly hot.

The melted chocolate has been poured into a narrow glass to facilitate dipping.

Step 2. Pour the melted chocolate into a short, narrow glass to facilitate dipping the cookies. If the glass or bowl is too shallow the cookies won't be able to be half dipped. Test a cookie to make sure the glaze is not too runny or thick. It should cover the cookie completely.

The heart shaped cookie is half dipped into the chocolate glaze.

Step 3. A Cookie is half dipped into the chocolate.

The excess glaze is dripping off the cookie back into the glass.

Step 4. Allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the glass for a few seconds.

The back of the cookie is being lightly wiped on the rim of the glass to remove chocolate that would puddle around the bottom of the cookie.

Step 5. To keep any remaining excess chocolate from puddling around the bottom of the cookie while it is setting up, lightly wipe it against the side of the glass.

Step 6. Place the cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to set up.

Recipe FAQS

Should I chill shortbread dough before baking?

After shaping the cookies, chill the dough in the refrigerator or freeze it until it is hard. This firms up the butter and helps keep them from spreading too much.

Can the dough for Shortbreads be over-mixed

Yes it can. Over-mixing can cause the dough to become tough. Mix the ingredients on low just to combine them. The dough should not ball up. Pour it onto a work surface and knead it a few times to bring it together.

What is the main difference between shortbread and sugar cookies

There are several differences. Butter cookies generally have a higher ratio of sugar to butter and often have eggs in them. They are also baked at a higher temperature.

Shortbread cookies have a higher fat content and often use powdered sugar for a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Storage and Freezing

The cookies can be cut out and frozen prior to baking for several months if put in an airtight container. Just place them on parchment lined trays and bake as directed. Dip them after baking.
They can be stored, after the chocolate glaze has set, in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment rounds for up to 5 days.

Expert Tips

Always work the dough cold. A few minutes in the refrigerator or freezer will make a world of difference when transferring the cookies from the paper to a baking sheet that is lined with parchment.
Make sure the butter is softened so the other ingredients can blend quickly into it.
The dough should be mixed on low and only until it is in large crumbs to keep it tender.
Use wax paper to roll the dough, especially because it is thin when rolled out. Never try to roll it out on a counter top with flour. That is a sure way to ruin the cookie.

Extreme closeup of several Tropical Shortbread Cookies

Other Scrumptious Cookies

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