Pandan Cookies
These Pandan Cookies are made in a thumbprint style with a buttery shortbread cookie base, rolled in coconut flakes and filled with a dollop of creamy pandan jam. The tropical flavors add a wonderful twist in this classic thumbprint cookie recipe.
Servings: 24 cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature, 2 sticks, 226 g
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 133 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 314 g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For egg wash and topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cream substitute milk or water
- 2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup pandan jam
Instructions
- Beat softened butter with sugar and vanilla in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy.
- Mix the flour and salt in a small mixing bowl thoroughly with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured board and shape into a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- When the dough is ready, take it out of the fridge, divide into 1 oz portions and roll into balls. This will make about 24.
- Beat an egg with a tablespoon of cream, milk, or water, to make egg wash. Add coconut flakes to a plate or a shallow bowl.
- Dip each dough ball in egg wash and then roll in coconut flake. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2” apart.
- Press down on each dough ball using the back of a teaspoon to make the “thumbprint” indentation. Dip the teaspoon in flour each time to prevent dough from sticking.
- Fill each indentation with 1 teaspoon of pandan jam.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. You can keep the cookies in the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
- Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes until coconut flakes are golden brown, one baking sheet at a time.
- Let cookies cool on a wire rack completely before serving.
Notes
- Don’t use your thumb - for a neater and more uniform thumbprint indentation, use the back of a teaspoon instead of your thumb.
- Flour the back of the teaspoon - before using the teaspoon to press the indentation in the cookie dough, dip it in flour to prevent sticking.
- If the dough cracks while you’re making the indentation, it’s not a big deal, you can use your fingers to squeeze the dough back together.
- Add enough jam - you want to use enough jam to maximize the pandan flavor. Since this pandan jam is a pretty thick curd, I used 1 teaspoon for each cookie. I didn’t have an issue with it spilling over the indentation during baking but if you substitute a different jam, you may run into this problem.
Nutrition
Serving: 38g | Calories: 179kcal
