Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies

These easy Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies look like tiny snowballs and are sweet, but not too sweet, and just lemony enough!

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There are summer people and there are winter people.  I am definitely a winter person.  So hearing that a big snowstorm was about to dump a possible 6-10 inches (or more) of snow on us made me extremely happy!  Even if we don't end up with a white Christmas, getting snow around Christmas always makes the holiday season seem more special.

I think we all could use some extra special holiday magic this year.  I've been trying my best to keep up with holiday traditions and have been working on quite the baking list this year.  Ahead of this week's snowstorm, I made my first round of porch drop-offs including vinyl orders I filled, Christmas presents, and cookie packages.

Unfortunately, that batch of cookie recipients is going to miss out on a couple new cookie recipes, including these Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies - a totally appropriate cookie to enjoy during a snowstorm!  But this recipe is so easy to make, that they can make their own batch of cookies that they won't have to share!

Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies

These cookies are similar to Russian Tea Cakes in that they're both made with a butter, powdered sugar, and flour cookie dough.  But that's where the similarity stops.

Unlike Russian Tea Cakes, these cookies have a bright lemony flavor and get cooled completely before they're dipped in icing and topped with shredded coconut to make them look like tiny snowballs.

I've gone through a lot of butter this Christmas! And like a lot of the cookie recipes I've made, these cookies start with two sticks of softened butter.  Mix it up until it's creamy.

Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it's fully incorporated into the butter mixture. It should be smooth and creamy.

Then, you can start adding in that lemon flavor. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and mix in the flour and salt.

The dough should start to stick together and once it does, you can stop mixing and start forming your cookies.

Roll the cookie dough into small balls and place them on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are set, but not brown, and the bottom of the cookies are golden brown.  Let the cookies cool completely.  Then, you can whip up an easy icing.

The icing is two ingredients - powdered sugar and milk. Most icings have vanilla extract in them, but I really wanted the lemon and coconut flavors to shine through.

When the cookies are completely cool, dip the tops of them into the icing. Then, immediately dip them into a bowl of shredded coconut. Lightly press the coconut into the icing and set the cookies back onto the wire rack to let the icing harden.

Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies

Jessica

These easy Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies look like tiny snowballs and are sweet, but not too sweet, and just lemony enough!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 24

Ingredients

  

For the cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 small lemon juiced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the icing and coconut:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Instructions

 

For the cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Then, gradually mix in the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time.
• Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Gradually add the flour. Mix until dough starts to come together.
• Shape the dough into small balls and place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are set on top and golden brown on the bottom.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack and prepare the icing.

For the icing:

• Mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until a thin icing is achieved.
• When the cookies are completely cool, dip the tops of them in the icing.
• Add the shredded coconut to another small bowl and dip the iced cookies immediately into the shredded coconut.
• Set the cookies aside until the icing hardens. Then, store cookies in a cookie tin.

Keyword christmas, christmas recipes, coconut, cookies, holiday desserts, holiday recipes, lemon

These cookies have quickly become a new favorite of mine!  Despite the powdered sugar and shredded coconut, they're not overwhelmingly sweet.  Plus, they have a tangy lemon flavor to them that perfectly balances out the sweetness.

Did you make this Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!