GF Pina Colada Cookie Cups
I recently served these cookie cups as a dessert at our weekend campfire. My neighbors and family raved about how delicious they were. I used fresh pineapple from the pre-packaged produce section of our grocery store instead of using canned pineapple or messing around with peeling and coring a whole pineapple. Make the different components ahead and assemble just before serving.
GF Pina Colada Cookie Cups
Serves Makes 16-18 cookies.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tsp coconut extract
- 2 c Better Batter All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cornstarch (or substitute arrowroot powder)
- Cooking spray
For the cheesecake filling:
- 1/4 pineapple juice
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 c Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp crushed or finely minced fresh pineapple, drained
For the whipped cream:
- 1/4 c cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 tsp coconut extract
Toppings:
- pineapple tidbits
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
Make the cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg and coconut extract and beat until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Cover the dough and chill for at least 6 hours.
Prepare the cheesecake filling. Combine the pineapple juice and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat; whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add in the pineapple and cornstarch mixture along with the minced pineapple. Scoop into a zip top bag and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cookies.
Prepare the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and coconut extract until soft peaks form. Scoop into a zip top bag and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cookies.
Preheat and prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray. Remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and form about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls.
Place in each well of the muffin pan. Repeat to fill the remaining wells of the pan. Use your thumb to press cookie dough into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the well to form a cup shape. Refrigerate 15 minutes to re-chill dough.
Bake. Bake the formed cookie cups for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The centers may be puffed up and/or under baked - that is ok! Use a spoon to gently press the puffed dough back to the sides, reforming the cup shape, while the cookies are still warm. Let the pan cool completely on a wire before carefully removing the cookies.
Assemble. Pipe or scoop the cheesecake filling into the cookie cups. I cut off one corner of the zip top bag and pipe in a mound of filling to each cookie. Top the cheesecake filling with the coconut whipped cream.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry and pineapple tidbit. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: Make a two-bite cookie dessert by using a mini muffin pan and use 1 tablespoon of dough instead. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until very lightly browned.
Adapted from Life Love and Sugar
