Tropical Shortbread Cookies

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

4.89 from 9 votes

These Tropical Shortbread Cookies are the perfect way to say "I love you" to that someone special. 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 cookies cut out cookies every time without the drama. The cookies don't spread and cut out cleanly with sharp edges.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut cookies, macadamia cookies, shortbread cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 55kcal

Author: Helen S Fletcher

Ingredients

Tropical Shortbread Cookies

1 cup coconut (60 grams or 2 ounces)
½ cup macadamia nuts (60 grams or 2 ounces)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour (210 grams or 6 ounces)
⅓ cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon, (45 grams or 1 ½ ounces)
⅓ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ sticks butter (140 grams, 5 ounces or 10 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces milk chocolate chips (170 grams)
1 ½ tablespoons shortening

Instructions

Tropical Shortbread Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the coconut on a baking sheet and toast for about 4 to 5 minutes until deep golden brown. When cool, crush the coconut between your hands to make it smaller.
If the macadamia nuts are not toasted, place them on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes if they are whole. They should be medium brown and fragrant. If the nuts are in pieces, toast them for less time. Cool completely before continuing.
Place the nuts and the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Process to grind nuts until they are indistinguishable.
Add the powdered sugar and salt, pulse several times to mix.
Beat the butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the remaining ingredients, including the coconut, and beat just until combined. It should not make a cohesive ball.
Turn the dough out and knead together several times and flatten into a round.

To Make round Cookies

The dough should be firm enough to shape into logs. If it is too soft, refrigerate it briefly to firm it up. Do not let it get hard, or it will be difficult to shape.
If making rolls, divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll each piece into a log about 1 ¼" to 1 ½" in diameter.
When ready to bake, slice ¼" thick and place on baking sheets about 1" apart. Chill or freeze until hard before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies start to brown around the edge.
Cool before dipping.

To Make Cut Out Cookies

To roll the cookies out, please see Cutout Cookies using Wax Paper Technique for in depth instructions.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions. Place one piece in the middle of a large piece of waxed paper. Place another piece of wax paper on top and flatten with the palm of your hand.
Roll out to about ⅜". You want these to be thin.
When the bottom piece of paper starts wrinkling, remove the top piece of the paper, replace it on the dough and flip it over so the underside of the dough is now on top. Remove that paper carefully, replace it, smooth out any wrinkles, then continue rolling. If the wrinkles are not smoothed out, deep creases will mar the underside of the cookies. In addition, the dough may stall and refuse to roll out any further.
Cut out shapes as desired, keeping them as close together as possible. Place the cookies on the waxed paper on a baking sheet and freeze until hard.
Remove the cookies with a pancake turner or offset spatula.
Gather the scraps and re-roll to make more cookies.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until coloring around the edges.
Cool completely before dipping.

Dipping the Cookies

Combine the chocolate and shortening. Place over hot water to melt, or microwave at half power until melted. Stir well. Do not whisk as it is too easy to incorporate air bubbles, which you definitely do not want.
Place the glaze in a narrow container as it will be easier to dip the cookies. Half dip each cookie and set on parchment or waxed paper. Allow to set for several hours.
After the glaze is set, the cookies can be stored at room temperature.
If you are in a hurry, refrigerate them briefly. This may dull the glaze somewhat.
They can be stored at room temperature for several days. Place them in an airtight tin with wax paper or parchment circles between them.

Notes

It is important to mix the dough on low speed and only until it is mostly together to keep the cookies as tender as possible.
The dough should always be cold when rolling it out. Not hard, but cold.
After cutting out, make sure the cookies are refrigerated or frozen rock hard before transferring them to parchment lined baking sheets. Bake them frozen if possible.
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 why's of using this paper in particular and a technique which allows you to pick up the paper, place it on a baking sheet and freeze it for easy removal when baking.
Never roll the dough on a flour-dusted work surface. The cookies are thin, making them very difficult to keep cold enough to transfer to baking sheets without getting them out of shape.
I used a 2" heart shaped cookie, but any size will do, as will any shape.
Make sure the nuts are completely cold when they are ground with the flour, so the flour absorbs any oil released from the nuts. If the nuts are ground alone, they can easily turn to nut butter.
Toasting the nuts and 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.
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 affect the taste, just the looks.

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