Pina Colada Cookies
Teresa’s Bake Shop – Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2014
Okay, sit back in your chair and let this sink in. Pina Colada Cookies. That’s right. P-I-N-A C-O-L-A-D-A C-O-O-K-I-E-S!!! These sensational Christmas cookies are LOADED with candied cherries, crushed pineapple, almonds, coconut, and vanilla chips. Plus, they have extra coconut flavor due to the coconut extract in the dough. Pina Colada Cookies are soft, have a lovely, chewy texture, and are filled with delicious fruit that tastes divine.
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I was trying to come up with some ideas for Christmas cookies a few weeks ago. I kept looking at the candied cherries I had purchased and wondering what I could do with them. I was going to use them in my basic Sugar cookie recipe. Then one day it dawned on me—add some pineapple and coconut and go for Pina Colada Cookies. Then I decided to toss in some almonds and vanilla chips for a little more flavor and crunchy goodness. I was very pleased with how these cookies turned out.
I am happy to say I am almost finished with my Christmas cookie baking for this year. I have one more cookie to make and I’m done. I’ve made around 5,000 cookies in the past couple of weeks and I’m whooped. I remade several favorite recipes from the past and added several brand new ones including this one. I probably have more chocolate and more peanut butter recipes that I can ever recall making. I also have plenty of Christmas cookies with fruit. And, of course, I had to make Lemon Squares again for my younger son. He’s helped so much with my conversion of the blog to a new hosting service. Lemon Squares have always been his favorite cookie.
I love baking Christmas cookies each year for friends and family. However, it’s really tiring being on your feet for 8-10 hours per day, day-in, day-out. Just bagging the cookies, putting them through the heat sealer, adding labels, and then stuffing them in zip lock bags for the freezer takes about 4 hours per day for each kind of cookie. Some of the cookies with icing take closer to 12-14 hours, all totaled.
I’m not complaining. I’m just tired and I’ll be glad to get back to “normal” again and have my house in order! I’m also really glad to have the cookies done before Thanksgiving this year. That’s NEVER happened in the 36 or so years we’ve been doing this. After Thanksgiving is over we’re going to pull all the cookies out of our freezers and start the assembly line production of filling the 100 or so popcorn tins, buckets and trays laden with our goodies.
Back to Pina Colada Cookies. If you’re looking for a fabulous and festive cookie to take to your holiday parties, then I can highly recommend Pina Colada Cookies. They pack a powerful punch and will surely satisfy any sweet craving you or your family may have over the holidays. Enjoy.
Pina Colada Cookies are sensational.
These cookies are festive and elegant and a wonderful idea for holiday baking.
Every bite will have you drooling.
Pina Colada Cookies are filled with candied cherries, crushed pineapple, coconut, almonds and vanilla chips providing spectacular flavor.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Place canola oil, softened butter, sugar, powdered sugar, eggs, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, coconut extract and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Beat ingredients with an electric mixer until well combined.
Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add vanilla chips, sliced almonds, coconut, quartered candied cherries, and very well-drained crushed pineapple.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Roll mixture into balls and place on sprayed cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 for about 15-18 minutes, or until done.
Pina Colada Cookies are wonderful cookies to bake for Christmas Cookie exchanges.
These cookies are great for tailgating parties, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, and even Valentine’s Day!
If you enjoy the flavors of pina coladas, you’ll love these cookies!
Here’s the recipe.
PINA COLADA COOKIES
(My own concoction)
Pina Colada Cookies
Equipment
- 4 18x26" cookie sheet pans
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sharp knife to chop cherries
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup canola oil or use avocado or coconut oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup crushed pineapple well-drained, patted dry (one 20-oz. can)
- 1 cup premiere vanilla baking chips
- 1 cup candied cherries chopped
- 1 cup almonds sliced
- 1 cup coconut
Instructions
- Cream butter, oil and sugars, extracts, eggs, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add flour, crushed pineapple, vanilla chips, candied cherries, almonds and coconut.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until very well combined.
- Roll dough into balls and place on greased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes.
- Rotate cookie sheets on racks every six minutes during baking time.
- Cool completely.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6-7 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup well-drained crushed pineapple (patted dry) (one 20-oz. can)
- 1 cup Nestle’s premiere vanilla baking chips
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 1 cup Fisher sliced almonds
- 1 cup coconut
- Cream butter, oil and sugars, extracts, eggs, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt until smooth.
- Add flour, crushed pineapple, vanilla chips, maraschino cherries, almonds and coconut.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Roll dough into balls and place on greased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes.
Your family will love Pina Colada Cookies.
Every bite of Pina Colada Cookies will make you drool!
Seriously, these cookies are absolutely heavenly.
If you want to win the prize at your next Christmas Cookie Exchange, bring a batch of Pina Colada Cookies!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Pineapple Bars with Coconut Drizzle
Pina Colada Cookies
Equipment
- 4 18×26" cookie sheet pans
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 sharp knife to chop cherries
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup canola oil or use avocado or coconut oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. coconut extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup crushed pineapple well-drained, patted dry (one 20-oz. can)
- 1 cup premiere vanilla baking chips
- 1 cup candied cherries chopped
- 1 cup almonds sliced
- 1 cup coconut
Instructions
- Cream butter, oil and sugars, extracts, eggs, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add flour, crushed pineapple, vanilla chips, candied cherries, almonds and coconut.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until very well combined.
- Roll dough into balls and place on greased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes.
- Rotate cookie sheets on racks every six minutes during baking time.
- Cool completely.
17 Comments
Jeanie
December 2, 2018 at 12:24 pm
I took these to a Christmas party…huge success!!! They will certainly become one I will make again. Hubby loved all the flavors. Thanks again.
Teresa
December 3, 2018 at 7:30 am
Hi, Jeanie, so glad you and your hubby enjoyed these delicious cookies. They are a lot of fun to make (as well as eat), this time of year. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and letting me know you enjoyed them.
pamela
November 26, 2018 at 7:35 am
where do u find the candies cherries at in the store
Teresa
November 27, 2018 at 9:05 am
Hey, Pamela. Almost all grocery stores have special kiosks with nothing but baked goods for Christmas baking. They usually have the candied cherries in clear plastic containers next to stuff for fruitcake mix. A lot of times they will have green candied cherries too.
Vickie
December 23, 2015 at 6:47 pm
These are so good! I found that 6 c of flour was plenty. I added extra maraschino cherries and dusted with powdered sugar while they were cooling.
Teresa
December 23, 2015 at 7:30 pm
I love those ideas, Vickie. I’ll have to try adding the powdered sugar and extra cherries the next time I make them! Thanks for letting me know.
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Tamara
January 18, 2015 at 12:02 am
Are candied cherries and maraschino cherries pretty much the same thing & interchangeable?
Teresa
January 19, 2015 at 10:10 am
Hi, Tamara. Candied cherries are made from maraschino cherries, but they are definitely sweeter and stiffer in texture. If you wanted to substitute maraschino cherries for the candied cherries in the recipe, I would see no problem with that as long as you drain, rinse, and pat dry the cherries before using them. Otherwise they will have too much of the brine from the marinade and they will add too much moisture to the recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
Anonymous
October 18, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Hi Teresa! But you put maraschino cherries in the recipe not candied? I’m confused…
Teresa
November 20, 2018 at 1:17 pm
I’m sorry I never saw this comment. I’ve corrected the recipe to reflect candied cherries. Sorry about that.
Danelle
December 18, 2014 at 9:45 pm
Yum! I love all the flavors in these cookies!
Teresa
December 19, 2014 at 7:44 am
Thanks, Danelle. We gave them out in our Christmas cookie buckets this year and everyone loved them.
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