Island Sunset Sugar Cookies
So bright, so juicy. These colorful sugar cookies look like a dreamy island sunset and taste like a tropical getaway.
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These colorful sugar cookies, from my cookbook Sugarcane, are juicy and bright—two adjectives I don’t often use to describe cookies. But let me tell you. If you can’t actually go on an island getaway. You can at least taste it.
The flavor comes from freeze-dried fruit powders—mango, passion fruit, and guava. And I add a few drops of coordinating gel food coloring, to emphasize that dreamy tropical sunset colorscape.
Tips for Success
Ingredients and Substitutions
• Freeze dried fruit powders: An essential ingredient for flavor! I buy the passion fruit powder, guava powder, and mango powder all on Amazon.
How Should I Store Island Sunset Cookies?
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze baked cookies and let them thaw at room temperature overnight.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the egg and coconut extract until combined, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions (about 205 g each).
- Return one portion to the stand mixer bowl. Add the mango powder and yellow food coloring (if using) and mix on low speed until combined. Remove the dough and set aside.
- Add another plain portion to the bowl (no need to wipe out). Add the passion fruit powder and orange food coloring (if using) and mix on low speed until combined. Remove the dough and set aside.
- Add another plain portion to the bowl (no need to wipe out). Add the guava powder and pink food coloring (if using) and mix on low speed until combined.
- You should now have three colored doughs and a plain one.
- Working with 1 dough at a time, scoop 1/2-tablespoon (about 10g) mounds of all 4 doughs onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Organize the mounds as you scoop, creating 20 piles of dough, each with all four colors.
- Roll each pile into a single ball, marbling the colors by squishing and manipulating the dough.
- Transfer 8 balls to a parchment-lined sheet pan (alternating three rows of 2 with two rows of 1).
- Bake until puffed and little cracks begin to appear around the edges, 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack and let cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, using a fresh parchment-lined sheet pan for each batch.
