This post was created as in partnership with Imperial Sugar. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
These Pina Colada Cookies taste like our favorite tropical beverage in cookie form with real pineapple and coconut in every bite and homemade pina colada frosting spread on top! Add a maraschino cherry to complete the design and you can almost imagine yourself sitting poolside while enjoying one of these gourmet cookies!
Table of Contents
Are you ready for a tropical treat that will transport your taste buds to a warm, sandy beach? Look no further than our soft and chewy Piña Colada Cookies! With crushed pineapple and shredded coconut in a soft sugar cookie dough that is based off of my Swig Sugar Cookies and our crazy popular Virgin Piña Coladas, these pina colada cookies are like a taste of paradise.
And don’t forget about the pina colada frosting! It’s loaded with even more pineapple, coconut, and rum extract, which is my secret ingredient for giving it a subtle, boozy flavor that’s perfect for anyone who loves the taste of the islands while keeping things family friendly.
For the finishing touch, the cookies are topped with a sprinkle of snowy white shredded coconut and a maraschino cherry. Whether you’re looking to impress your guests at a pool party or just want to treat yourself, these cookies are sure to transport you to a tropical paradise with every bite.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Butter & oil – Using both types of fats helps achieve a slightly denser cookie than if you were to just use butter. This is especially important in this recipe as the extra moisture from the crushed pineapple can result in a more cakey texture without the oil.
- Sugar – You’ll need both granulated sugar and powdered sugar for the sugar cookie base and powdered sugar for the frosting.
- Eggs – These help bind the cookies so they are chewy.
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut extract – A little goes a long way. We want these cookies to taste like coconut, not sunscreen, so be careful about adding too much of this ingredient.
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Salt
- Shredded sweetened coconut – This goes into the cookie dough itself and is also sprinkled on top for additional texture and flavor.
- Crushed pineapple – You could use fresh pineapple that you crush yourself, but it’s so much easier to just open a can.
- Rum extract – Technically optional, but it adds wonderful flavor and dimension to the pina colada frosting.
- Maraschino cherries – Mostly just for decoration, but we do love the burst of sweet cherry flavor with each cookie.
How to Make Frosted Pina Colada Cookies
- Cream wet ingredients. Beat butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and coconut extracts and beat again, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, mixing on low speed at first, then increasing to medium speed just until combined.
- Adding flavoring. Mix in the shredded coconut and part of the crushed pineapple from a small can (no need to drain the juice). Don’t overmix – everything should just be evenly dispersed throughout the cookie dough.
- Roll into balls. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough into evenly sized balls. Roll the dough into balls between the palms of your hands and space them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Flatten slightly. Spray bottom of a glass or measuring cup with cooking spray then dip in granulated sugar. Gently press each cookie to flatten them out slightly.
- Bake until set. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges of cookies start to turn slightly golden brown. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Beat butter until creamy and smooth using an electric mixer, then add half of powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until it starts to come together, then add the remaining powdered sugar, coconut extract, vanilla extract, rum extract, and 3 tablespoons of crushed pineapple. Increase speed and beat until creamy and light.
- Frost and decorate. Frost the completely cooled cookies with a generous swirl of frosting. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and top with a maraschino cherry before serving.
Recipe FAQ’s
Whenever you add fresh or canned fruit to frosting it can result in the mixture looking curdled, similar in texture to ricotta cheese instead of a silky smooth buttercream like you might be used to.
It will still taste just fine and you might hardly notice it once you frost the cookies and sprinkle additional coconut on top. But to fix this, you can drain or squeeze the pineapple well first, increase the amount of powdered sugar, or reduce the amount of pineapple altogether.
If you want to change up the flavor a bit, try my guava frosting or even just a classic vanilla buttercream frosting. Both would pair well with the pina colada cookie base.
Absolutely! The cookies are delicious all on their own, although the pina colada flavors will be more subtle than the version with the frosting.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
You can store any uneaten cookies in a single layer in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3-4 days. You can also chill the cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week and serve them cold.
If you want to stack them, I recommend letting the frosting set up for an hour or two until it crusts slightly, then gently arrange them with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the cookies.
These cookies also freeze well for up to 2 months. Just store them in an airtight container and thaw at room temperature for a couple hours before enjoying.
More Cookie Recipes
- Boston Cream Pie Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Ranger Cookies
- Frosted Swig Sugar Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Pina Colada Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 5 1/2 cups (776g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple divided
Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons crushed pineapple (from can above)
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 24 maraschino cherries
- Additional shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until creamy and light.1 cup salted butter, ¾ cup vegetable oil, 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
- Add eggs, vanilla, and coconut extract. Beat until combined, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl.2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined.5 ½ cups (776g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add coconut and 5 tablespoons of crushed pineapple. Mix until combined.¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut, 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough into evenly sized balls. Roll dough into balls and space them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Spray the bottom of a glass or measuring cup with cooking spray then dip in granulated sugar. Gently press each cookie to flatten them out slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges of cookies start to turn slightly golden brown. Do not overbake. Cool completely.
- To make frosting, beat butter until creamy and smooth using an electric mixer.1 cup salted butter
- Add half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until it starts to come together.4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- Add remaining powdered sugar, coconut extract, vanilla extract, rum extract, and 3 tablespoons crushed pineapple. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase speed and beat until creamy and light.3 Tablespoons crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon rum extract
- Frost cooled cookies with a generous swirl of frosting. Sprinkle shredded coconut and top with a maraschino cherry before serving.Additional shredded sweetened coconut, 24 maraschino cherries
There are no measurements!
Hi! There are measurements on the Imperial Sugar’s site. There is a link at the end of the post that will take you to the full recipe with ingredients and full directions.