Coconut Cranberry Yummies are easy, bite sized gluten free desserts. Great for a quick treat, kids lunchbox, or gift to family and friends.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies and Pistachio Cranberry Shortbead Cookies are great Cookie Recipes filled with holiday flavor. These Yummies have all the taste but are low-carb bites that are also perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday gifts, or late-night snacks.
Sabrina’s Coconut Cranberry Yummies Recipe
Fresh cranberries are for more than just sauce, they go with so many other flavors like the sweetened coconut in these Coconut Cranberry Yummies. This light holiday snack is the perfect chewy, sticky, sweet bite with juicy tart berries. Just like coconut macaroons, they are so easy to make and addicting!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk , 14 ounces
- 1 package sweetened shredded coconut , 14 ounces
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well, then stir in cranberries.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto baking sheets; gently shape into mounds.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
- Cool for 3 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Sabrina’s Tips
Make sure your Yummies are evenly baked by spacing them out on the baking sheet with at least 3-inches between each cookie. This will allow the hot air to evenly brown the cookies and bake them through to the center. Also, to create the same shape for each Yummie use a small cookie scoop. This will give you more evenly rounded, smooth Yummies. If you use a tablespoon will give you more variety in shape, and each cookie will look unique.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Cranberry Coconut Yummies are easy, gluten-free desserts ready in 30 minutes! Bite-size treats made with coconut, condensed milk, and fresh cranberries. During the fall and winter months, it’s hard not to stock up on bags of fresh cranberries for baking all year long. They last so long at room temperature and then you can toss them in the freezer, no real prep involved. When you are ready to use them, you just thaw and throw in your favorite baked goods for a sweet, tart burst of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk provides the sticky, chewy texture, while sweetening the cookies at the same time.
- 1 14-oz package sweetened shredded coconut: Of course you need plenty of coconut. Use sweetened shredded coconut for the right texture and flavor in these cookies.
- 1 cup white chocolate chips: White chocolate chips will be mixed into the cookies for a sweet bite and a bit of a change in texture. White chocolate also pairs so well with cranberries!
- ¼ cup ground almonds: Using ground almonds instead of flour in the Yummies makes them gluten free so they are great for cookie exchanges or parties, they can be enjoyed by almost everyone.
- 1 teaspoon almond extract: Add another element of flavor with almond extract in your Yummies. It is a uniquely sweet and fragrant addition and pairs perfectly with the coconut, almond, and cranberries.
- 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries: Fresh cranberries will give you that juicy, tart kick of flavor, and will also add a beautiful pop of color to your Yummies. Roughly chop them into large pieces so they will still pack plenty of punch in each bite.
Can this be made ahead of time?
As long as you keep these Yummies in an air tight container, they will stay fresh for a couple of days. Feel free to make them ahead of time so they’re ready to serve on the day you need them.
How to Store
- Serve: Keep your Coconut Cranberry Yummies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
- Store: These cookies will last for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator stored in a sealed container.
- Freeze: To freeze these, place parchment paper between layers of cookies to keep them from sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature until soft to serve.
Ideas to Serve
This recipe makes about 5 dozen little treats so there’s plenty for you and your Christmas cookie platters, with plenty to spare as holiday gifts. Wrap them up in festive tissue paper and a gift box or place them in cellophane tied with a bow so everyone can see how pretty they are! The Yummies would also be great for a cookie swap. If you have’t been to one, it is a party where everyone shows up with a big batch of cookies for sharing. The cookies are all set out on their platters, and guests are given bags or boxes to gather a bit of all the cookies at the party. You box them up and take them home to share with your family and friends for the holidays.
Frequent Questions
If your Yummies are breaking apart when you move them to the cooling rack, that is likely because they need to rest a couple minutes more on the baking pan first. These moist, chewy cookies are pretty gooey when they’re hot so rest that pan for several minutes somewhere cool and they’ll be ready for the wire rack so they can cool all the way through.
Macaroon recipes include shredded coconut and are baked in clumps that will vary a little in shape due to the shredded coconut pieces. Macarons (with 1 letter o) are the sandwich cookies with smooth, shiny tops. They will be served with different colors, flavors, and fillings.
Variations
- Fruit: Instead of cranberries, use your favorite fresh berries like blueberries, raspberries, or chopped cherries. You can also use diced dried fruit like apricots, mangoes, or pineapple for a more tropical treat.
- Coconut: Instead of using sweetened coconut, try toasting unsweetened instead for a more savory, less sweet bite.
- Nuts: Use ground pecans or walnuts instead of ground almonds. Mix in chopped nuts like walnuts or cashews to the batter for crunchy bites.
- More Chocolate: Dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips mixed into the batter would taste delicious and give bursts of chocolate flavor in every bite.
- Keto: Use the homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe (see below) and swap your favorite granulated sugar substitute like stevia or monk fruit.
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Ingredients: 2 cups whole milk, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Heat: Whisk milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Reduce: Bring to a low simmer and continue to whisk often until the milk has decreased by half (about 30 minutes).
- Cool: Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Cool completely before using. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Related Recipes
More Yummy Cranberry Cookie Recipes
Photos used in previous version of post
