Slice-and-bake Santa’s Whiskers Cookies are a festive addition to any cookie tray! They’re buttery, studded with candied cherries, full of almond flavor, and rolled in sweet shredded coconut.
These sweet little treats are made with a rich, buttery dough (almost like Christmas Shortbread Cookies) that’s infused with almond extract. Candied cherries add sweetness and texture, while the coconut on the edges gives the cookies a delicate, crispy coating.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: Sweet, buttery almond cookies with hints of coconut and cherry in every melt in your mouth bite.
Ease to Make: Very easy! Slice-and-bake cookies are beginner friendly and great for prepping ahead of time too. No rolling pin or cookie cutters needed.
Top Tip: Rotate the dough (log) a quarter turn after each slice to help maintain the circle shape.
Freeze: Keep unsliced dough (logs) wrapped in plastic wrap and foil in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Storage: Baked and cooled cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Important Ingredient Notes
The full ingredient list is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here are some highlights.
- Unsalted butter – Soften this to room temperature so it mixes easily with the other ingredients. Forgot this step? Use my guide on how to soften butter quickly if you’re in a hurry.
- Pure vanilla extract – Pure vanilla has more depth and better flavor than imitation vanilla. My homemade vanilla extract recipe is perfect.
- Almond extract – Almond extract has a fantastic cherry-like flavor. It makes these Santa’s whiskers cookies irresistible!
- Candied cherries – Candied cherries can be found in red and green in the holiday baking aisle of the grocery store. If you can’t find them, you can substitute maraschino cherries, but you’ll need to pat them dry so they don’t introduce excess moisture (or color!) into your dough.
- Sweetened shredded coconut – Be sure to use shredded coconut, not coconut flakes. The flakes are too large to stick to the edges of the cookies.
How to Make Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
Mix and Shape Dough.
- Mix the cookie dough ingredients until the dough forms a ball. Add in candied cherries.
- Shape cookie dough into 2 logs, about 2 inches thick.
Chill and Bake.
- Roll cookie dough in coconut then wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least one hour in the refrigerator. Or wrap dough and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Slice chilled cookie dough then bake on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Skip the Chill Time. This sets the dough and prevents spreading.
- Not a fan of coconut? Try rolling the cookie dough log in sanding sugar, sprinkles, or finely chopped nuts instead.
- For evenly sliced cookies, use a sharp knife and wipe the blade clean if there’s leftover dough on it.
- The dough for Santa’s whiskers cookies can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated or up to 3 months in advance and frozen.
- Baked and cooled cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe container.
Holiday Cookie Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
