Passion Fruit Coconut Sandwich Cookies
Makes about 20 sandwich cookies
Sweet, buttery coconut contrasts tangy passion fruit in these elegant cookies—and the combo is absolutely irresistible. Luckily, this fancy cookie is fairly simple to make, and you can prepare it up to two days in advance, as long as you keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.
For the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups sweetened, shredded coconut, divided
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the passion fruit buttercream:
¾ cup passion fruit puree*
¼ cup half-and-half
4 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 ¼ teaspoon beaten egg yolk
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
*Passion fruit puree is available at Latino markets. Goya is the brand I used.
To make the sandwich cookies:
Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve ½ cup of coconut, and pulse remaining coconut in food processor, until coarsely ground.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour and coconut. Mix until just combined.
Taking a level tablespoon of dough, shape it into a small disk about 1 inch wide and ¼ inch tall. Place disks on two parchment-lined baking sheets 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets half way through, until cookies are just golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool.
To assemble sandwiches, spread 1 scant tablespoon of passion fruit buttercream on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Roll edges in reserved coconut.
To make the buttercream:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together passion fruit puree, half-and-half, egg yolk, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture is very thick, and you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir, about 1 minute. Strain mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add salt and mix to combine. Then, with mixer on low speed, add the passion fruit mixture. Combine until smooth, scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in vanilla extract.
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2 Comments to “Passion Fruit Coconut Sandwich Cookies”
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Yum, what a great flavor combo. They look fantastic. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog till Monday and I’d love it if you’d come by and link your cookies up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweets-for-saturday-25.html
These look delicious – I’m addicted to everything coconutty, and I bet the creaminess contrasts really well with the tropical passion fruit…