Gluten Free Cherry Coconut Drop Cookies

The holidays can be a mine field of gluten laden treats for those who are Celiac or gluten sensitive. Whether that holiday is Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter or any number of other celebrations, it can feel like a person is faced with temptation at almost every turn.

I’m not Celiac but I am gluten sensitive.

These gluten free Cherry Coconut Drop Cookies allow me to enjoy some holiday cookies without the worry about overdoing the gluten.

And they are so easy to make!

Just dump the 5 ingredients into a bowl, mix together thoroughly and drop them by the spoonful onto a baking sheet.

After baking for 10 to 12 minutes and allowing them to cool, you have a treat that you can indulge in while others are eating the gingerbread and sugar cookies.

Another thing I like about them is that despite sweetened condensed milk being one of the ingredients, they don’t taste overly sweet.

Gluten Free Cherry Coconut Drop Cookies

• 1 – 7 oz package of shredded coconut (2 2/3 cups if buying in bulk)
• 2/3 c chopped red or green candied cherries
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ c sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 325 ºF.

Chop the candied cherries into small pieces.

For this batch, I used 1/3 cup of red and 1/3 cup of green candied cherries. If I was making them for Valentine’s Day, I’d use 2/3 cup of the red. For St. Patrick’s Day use all green.

Combine coconut, candied cherries and the cornstarch in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Look closely at the photo above and you can see that the cornstarch has coated the candied cherries so they don’t all stick together in clumps.

Note: If you’re allergic to corn or grain-free, you could quite easily substitute tapioca flour or something similiar.

Next, add the sweetened condensed milk.

For sticky ingredients, like sweetened condensed milk, I like to use one of these adjustable measuring cups.

You simply adjust the outer cylinder to the measurement required, add whichever ingredient you’re using, then push on the bottom of the inner cylinder to push the ingredient out… no having to scrap out sticky ingredients.

Add the vanilla.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together thoroughly.

The dough should stick together when pushed against the side of the bowl with a spoon.

Drop this mixture by rounded teaspoons about 1 inch apart on a greased, floured cookie sheet, one lined with parchment paper or silicon baking sheet.

Two Christmases ago, Dave bought me a set of Silpat baking sheets that I absolutely love!

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.

Remember… it’s always better to start with the lower number and add more time, one minute at a time than to over bake them.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Coconut Cherry Drop Cookies can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for up to a week or frozen and thawed as needed.

Truthfully though, if you have cookie lovers in your house, you won’t need to worry about cookies being around long enough to go stale. In fact, you might want to double the recipe to have extra to freeze.

Serve with your favorite tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

Be sure to try these other Super Mom – No Cape cookie favorites:

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Drop Cookies

Spiced Shortbread

Almond Cookies perfect for Chinese New Year

Linzer Cookies

Use these 5 tips to make your cookies come out perfect every time.

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