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Lead image of coquito cookies. Coquito cookies on a black plate garnished with toasted coconut, a cookie with a bite removed on a white piece of paper with floral print. Bottom right of image: a red bowl filled with toasted coconut. Top-left image: red and white striped spool of string.

Coquito Cookies with Coquito Buttercream Frosting

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Puerto Rican/Hispanic
Keyword: buttercream, cookies, coquito
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
chilling time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 36
Calories: 276kcal
Author: Marta Rivera
The popular coconut and rum cocktail is baked into pillowy soft cookies and infused into buttercream to create a delightful holiday cookie
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer)
  • a #30 portion scoop (optional)

Ingredients

For the Coquito Cookie Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups (438 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (5 grams) ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (7 grams) baking soda
  • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups, packed (285 grams) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon gold rum or rum extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (250 milliliters) coquito at room temperature

For the Coquito Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 1/2 cups (335 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) coquito at room temperature (or substitute milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (replace with rum extract if you're not using coquito in the frosting)

Optional Toppings

  • toasted coconut flakes
  • ground cinnamon

Instructions

Make the Coquito Cookie Dough

  • In a mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer, blend together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
    Set this bowl aside. 
  • With your mixer on low speed, blend together the butter, brown sugar, and salt until smooth. Scrape down both the bowl and the beaters.
    Once the butter is smooth, add the egg, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract) to the bowl. Blend, once more, on low speed until the egg is fully incorporated into the butter.
  • Add half of the dry (flour) mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed to mix it into the butter.
    Scrape down the bowl and the beaters.
  • Next, add all of the coquito to the batter. Blend on low for 30 seconds. The dough may look grainy at this point.
    Add the last of the flour and blend on low speed for one minute. The dough should look like a very thick frosting.

Chill the Dough, then Bake the Cookies

  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • After chilling and 15 minutes before you plan to start baking, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
    Line two or three sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Use a number 30 portion scoop, or a rounded tablespoon, to scoop the cookies into balls. Deposit 12 of these balls of cookie dough onto the prepared sheet pan.
    Continue scooping the cookies until you have scooped all of the dough.
    If you have more than one sheet pan, you can scoop all of the cookie dough and refrigerate the balls of dough while you begin baking the first pan of cookies. 
  • Bake the cookies for 15 minutes.
    Remove the pan of cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet pan for 1-2 minutes.
    Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, then allow them to cool completely. 

Prepare the Coquito Buttercream

  • With your mixer on low speed, blend together the powdered sugar, butter, and salt in a mixing bowl.
    Because there's more sugar than butter, the mixture may resemble white sand. That's the way it should look.
  • Pour the coquito and vanilla into the sugar and blend again at low speed.
    Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters. Continue mixing on low until the buttercream is fluffy and evenly mixed.
  • If you omitted the coquito, thin the buttercream with whole milk, instead. Just add a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a thick but spreadable consistency.
    Once the coquito buttercream is mixed, covered it with plastic wrap, and set it aside or in the fridge until you're ready to frost your cookies.

Decorate the Coquito Cookies

  • Scoop a generous amount (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) of the coquito buttercream onto the center of each cookie.
  • Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the buttercream into a circle.
  • Sprinkle a generous pinch of lightly toasted coconut flakes and/or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon over the coquito frosting.
    Serve them with coquito, milk, tea, or coffee.

Notes

To Freeze Pre-Baked Coquito Cookie Dough:

  1. Scoop the coquito cookie dough into balls and onto a lined sheet pan as if you were going to bake them straight away. Place the sheet pan into the freezer.
  2. Once the balls of dough are frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer storage bag and freeze them for up to six months.
  3. Bake the cookies straight from the freezer- adding 2 additional minutes to their baking time to compensate for their being frozen.

To Make the Coquito Buttercream (up to 1 week) Ahead:

  1. Store the mixed buttercream in the refrigerator in a covered container.
  2. Twenty minutes before using, remove it from the fridge and allow it to warm up to soften a bit.
  3. Remix the buttercream as needed with a mixer on low speed.

To Freeze the Coquito Buttercream:

  1. Transfer the buttercream to a freezer-safe container.
  2. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
  3. Thaw the buttercream under refrigeration and use as needed.
  • This buttercream recipe makes enough to frost 3 dozen cookies. If you want to use this buttercream for cakes, double or triple the recipe.

To Freeze Frosted Cookies:

  1. Lay the cookies in a single layer on a silicone- or parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
  2. Freeze the cookies until solid.
    Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to two months. 
  3. To thaw the cookies, just remove however many you want to eat and let them thaw at room temperature. 

To Store Frosted Coquito Cookies: 

  1. Eat the cookies within 2 days if you're storing them at room temperature. 
  2.  
    Eat the cookies within 1 week if you're storing them in the refrigerator. Note: the cold air will cause them to taste stale faster than if they're kept at room temperature.

To Stored Unfrosted Coquito Cookies:

  1. Store the cookies in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Store the Coquito Buttercream in the refrigerator in a covered container. 
  2.  Frost the cookies as needed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg