Every winter a group of our dear friends cruise the Caribbean looking for sunshine, sandy beaches and fun! One of our favorite cookies to eat on Royal Caribbean Cruise ships is their Royal Ranger Coconut Cookies. The cookies are so delicious that we are always on the lookout for them. It is a daily scavenger hunt for most of us!

This cookie is a coconut lovers delight.  The secret ingredient that makes them taste so coconutty is Cream of coconut! As an added bonus, every cookie is studded with crunchy toffee bits. Depending on how long you bake the cookies they can either be soft in the center with crunchy edges or the entire cookie can be crisp. You decide! Recipe adapted from Royal Caribbean blog.

Royal Caribbean’s Royal Ranger Coconut Cookies

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon iodized salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream of coconut (I use Coco Re’al)
¾ cup Heath “Bits O Brickle” toffee bits (Bits without chocolate)
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut ( I use Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut)

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix butter and both sugars 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Scrape sides of mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix in cream of coconut then add toffee bits and shredded coconut.

Place dough in a smaller bowl. Press plastic wrap against dough to seal out air. Refrigerate overnight to rehydrate flour and let coconut flavors distribute throughout dough.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop cold dough onto prepared cookie sheet using a 2-inch cookie scoop. 12 cookies per sheet. Gently press dough balls flat using the palm of your hand. Place remaining dough back in refrigerator between batches.  (If dough is not ice-cold, coming immediately out of refrigerator, it will spread too much when baked.)

Bake 14 minutes for soft cookies (white in the middle and light brown around the edges) or 16 minutes for crisp cookies (entire cookie is golden brown). Makes 36 cookies.

Published in The News and Neighbor on March 11, 2020.