Coconut Frosted Sugar Cookies with Fresh Strawberry Hearts

The most perfect Swig-style sugar cookie, topped with coconut-flavored cream cheese frosting and a strawberry heart. These soft sugar cookies are ideal for Valentine’s Day—or any day you want a tender, flavorful treat.

These cookies are easy to make, soft, and quick: no chilling required and no rolling out—just scoop, smash with a sugared glass, and bake. Finish with a light coconut cream cheese frosting and top each cookie with a sliced strawberry arranged like a heart. The contrast of tangy cream cheese, bright coconut, and fresh strawberry makes each bite taste like a tiny fruit pizza.

These cookies stay soft when removed from the oven while the centers are still slightly shiny and the edges are just set. If you accidentally overbake them, spread the frosting on warm-ish cookies and let them rest an hour or two—the frosting returns moisture and softens the cookies again.

One of the best things about this recipe is how forgiving it is. The dough is a bit drier than other sugar-cookie doughs, which makes it perfect for shaping into uniform balls. Use about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie (or any size as long as they’re consistent), line them a couple inches apart on an ungreased sheet, dip the bottom of a glass in sugar, and gently flatten each ball to just under 1/2 inch thickness.

How to make coconut-frosted Swig-style sugar cookies

Use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie for evenly sized cookies. Adjust bake time for larger or smaller cookies.

Line dough balls a couple inches apart on a baking sheet.

Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar before flattening each dough ball to give the cookie a light sugary exterior.

Smash gently until slightly less than 1/2 inch thick.

Bake until the edges are set and the tops still have a tiny shine—about 6–7 minutes in a 350°F oven. Removing them at this stage keeps the cookies soft for days.

Whip the frosting—butter and cream cheese—until smooth, add coconut extract and a pinch of salt, then blend in powdered sugar until glossy and spreadable. Try not to eat it all by spoon.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the vegetable oil, white sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and egg. Beat until fluffy, at least 2 minutes.
4. Add the flour to the bowl but don’t mix it in yet. Make a well in the center and stir in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt with a small spoon. Then beat the flour mixture in until just combined. The dough will be on the drier side.
5. Form the dough into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons each (or any uniform size). Place them on an ungreased baking sheet.
6. Combine 1/4 cup sugar with a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Wet your fingers, rub them on the bottom of a glass, dip the glass into the sugar, and gently press each dough ball to flatten to just under 1/2 inch thick.
7. Bake 6–7 minutes until the edges are set and the tops are still slightly shiny. Remove before they brown.
8. Let the cookies cool on the pan a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Make the frosting: beat the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth, at least 1 minute. Add coconut extract and salt.
10. Add the powdered sugar and beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
11. Frost each cookie and top with a strawberry heart made from a sliced strawberry.

Notes

I used reduced-fat cream cheese in the frosting and still loved the flavor. The coconut extract really brightens the cream cheese and creates a distinctive, tasty frosting.

Nutrition (per cookie)

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 170 kcal | Carbohydrates: 24 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 8 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Sugar: 15 g

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