Today is one of those days when I take a mental trip down memory lane. I blame it on the cold weather, when all I want to do is just curl up on my sofa wrapped myself in a thick blanket and indulge in something sweet with my big pink mug of strong coffee. I start to think about my first baking memory. I think about how simple ingredients can bring so much pleasure, how it can dress up good plain shortbread dough into something sophisticated. When I was nine, my mother would always bake her famous Christmas pie using shortcrust pastry. There would always be left over pastry dough that she would let me play with. And there would also be enough for her to make these lovely cookies. Ever since then her Christmas pie would not be complete until she bakes up some of these for us.
I tweak the original recipe and came up with a nice crumbly version by using shortbread for the dough instead of using shortcrust pastry. But if you are baking up some pie anytime soon then save the scraps for these.
Coconut Raspberry Shortbread
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Flake coconut, sweetened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then add in the vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour until the dough comes together. Wrapped dough with a cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes or until ready to use.
Roll dough on a floured surface and cut it up in to squares or small rectangular cookies. Then brush each cookie with raspberry jam and then sprinkle the coconut on it. Then place it on a cookie sheet and bake it in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let it cool down a minute or so on the cookie sheet.
These look so tasty and delicious! I love the raspberry and coconut combo too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow. These cookies look delish.
So you played with your cookies and invented this delightful concoction as a child and it has now become a family tradtion?
Now, that is a story!
They look too pretty to eat – but I would!
🙂
Valerie
These are gorgeous, I need one right now for morning tea!
Family traditions are the best! These cookies are beautiful with the jewel-like color of the raspberry jam. When I was growing up the cookie we ALWAYS made for Christmas was Spritz- my mom still makes them for us!
Love love love shortbread and how did you know I also love raspberry and coconuts! So when do I receive a box of these delectable cookies? (=
what beautiful pictures and wonderful memories! I love shortbread too, just so simple and pleasing!
A great recipe (and idea) for this time of year!
What a sweet Christmas memory! The cookies look absolutely amazing! I love the toasted coconut topping with the raspberry jam! Wish I had one now!
I don’t know why shortbread recipes aren’t as well-covered as cupcakes on food blogs. They’re my favorite! This combination sounds fresh and amazing!
I love it when food is infused with memories. I think it makes it taste that much better, don’t you? These shortbread pastries looks delicious and i love the raspberry/coconut combo!
Ahhh…shortbread…another one to add to the holiday list! These look delicious!
What a sweet story about baking with your momma! 🙂
Gorgeous photos, too!
I think your recipes are some of the best on the web. Every time I see the latest one, I want to try it…and these shortbreads are no exception. Not only do they sound delicious, but your photographs are always temptingly beautiful…
Those look very yummy!
I always remember what my mother used to make when I was a child. I love all these family memories. This shortbread looks delicious.
What a wonderful treat. I love the mix of flavors.
Wow, this is such a great pair of flavors – coconut and raspberry! Thanks for sharing. These look absolutely delicious!
beautiful shortbread, i love the flavors very much.
btw, did you revamp your site? I love your new logo!
o my these shortbread with coconut and jam toppings look totally luscious!
perfect recipe, i love food that is adapted from childhood..perfect shortbread cookies to honor your time with your mom, love the combo of raspberry and coconut…
sweetlife
the first pic is my fav
I have been thinking a lot about adding different shortbreads to my holiday cookie repetoire – these look absolutely beautiful! Can’t wait to try them!
For me, the best part about this recipe is the simplicity. Shortbread should be just that–clean, simple, and straight-to-the-point. The coconut and raspberry give it a creative flare though, which I love!
I love your presentation! they look like mini sweet pizza: so cute! and they must be so tasty!
This actually sounds really good; raspberry and coconut seems like a killer combination. I agree that they look like mini-pizzas though; looking at them I’m not sure if I should be expecting sweet or salty!
Divine! I am a big fan of bars and shortbread.
Cheers,
Rosa
Well said,simple ingredients can add up to great recipes.
Loved every flavor in these shortbreads.Very neat and well presented.
I loved hearing about your first baking memory…and the wonderful recipe that it inspired! These look perfect, and I would love to add them to my Christmas cookie list. Thank you for sharing. I hope you have a wonderful evening!
Beautiful photos and a beautiful post. This bar cookie sounds so delicious – and looks it too.
Such awesome photos, love them. Loved the memories & I’ve just added this wonderful recipe to my favourite Christmas cookies list (I have a plan to bake cookies for everyone this year), love the colours here. Thanks for sharing.
These look great and sound delicious!
omgosh!! i’m being melted away by your treats!!!!!
oh this is just beautiful and looks amazing!
They look fantastic! I love raspberry so this sounds really delicious 🙂
Oh my goodness, you do know how to combine the most delicious flavors and these are two of my favorite ingredients! Your photos just make me want to eat these all by myself.. 🙂
oh my goodness….I want like 50 pansof these!!! lol
What wonderful baking memories from when you were little:) These look delicious. I love coconut and think it must taste delicious paired with raspberry. Hope you are having a great week!:)
How fun to bake up something that reminds you of growing up. They look scrumptious.
These look fantastic! And I love taking trips down memory lane via food 😀
These look delicious! I love the memories they bring up 🙂
Rolling out pastry scraps until they became slightly grey and shaping them into tiny jam tarts or initials is one of my first childhood memories. I adore coconut so these really appeal to me.
I love short bread. What a great little cookie for an afternoon tea.
*kisses* HH
My mouth just hit the floor.
These are GORGEOUS.
I’d love to have some with my coffee this morning! What a wonderful memory of baking with your mom too.
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Wonderful memories you have! There is nothing better than a buttery, crumbly short bread. Would love this with a cup of tea!
Wow, coconut, raspberry shortbread.
My daughter and I would LOVE these!!!
Can’t wait to make them soon….Lisa
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Lisa
Oh my, those are to die for. I LOVE shortbread.
Oh wow! Great combination- raspberry and coconut. I like just about anything with coconut on it. They look beautiful!
Woah, these look amazing. I love raspberry desserts. I might make these as a pre-Christmas treat.
What a nice and tasty treat…love raspberry in everything…the golden coconut on the bars must taste delicious 🙂
My goodness but these are pretty! I think what I especially love about food is how they are often the only remaining gateway to a past, too wonderful to forget 🙂
Wow…that looks so beautiful, really delicious I love anything with coconut. 🙂
You have just reminded me – we used to have shortbread with raspberry jam when I was little … yummmm!
They sound so easy to make yet look delightfully elegant.
Perfect!
Gosh these look lovely – all my favourite things in one!
A lovely topping for shortbread cookies and thank you for taking us down your personal memory lane. Those are the best stories
These look lovely. I usually make a raspberry almond shortbread cookie at Christmas… with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Mmmmm! They look amazing. When I first saw the picture, I though “ooooh, mini pizzas!” but then I saw the recipe title and realized it was for something MUCH better. =)
This is wonderful! What a lovely combination of flavors… what a nice, simple treat!
mmm…these look so delicious. i’m currently curled up on my couch wishing i had some of these!
These look amazing, your pictures definitely do them justice. Golden brown coconut shavings are the best thing since sliced bread!
My mom would love these. They would remind her of the raspberry jelly roll (w/coconut coating the outside) that she loved and grew up eating.
~ingrid
it is often the simplest things that bring the most pleasure. these are beautiful cookies–love the raspberry/coconut combination–and so nice that they came from a first, and fond baking memory.
I like every single ingredient in these bars! Simple and delicious!
I love raspberry shortbread but the additional of coconut looks divine.
What a wonderful treat. They look so yummy.
These look absolutely delicious! I love playing with shortbread…it’s such a great base!
Want. Really really want! Sad,too, considering I just polished off a chocolate chip cookie! 🙂
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
These are definitely some finger-friendly and taste-buds-worthy shortbread.
These are so pretty! Not being a coconut fan, I bet these would also be good with toasted slivered almonds. 🙂
Oh yum, oh yum, oh yum! These looks delicious, I could eat a whole pan of them.
What a sweet memory! And even sweeter cookies! Love that topping!
These are so pretty! I love your switch to the shortbread crust.
I love raspberry anything! I especially love how simple the ingredient list on this recipe.
Looks delicious!
What a perfect little cookie! These look ideal for the holidays. An excellent way to use up extra dough as well!
I love this; another keeper; anything with raspberry reminds me of my mom and I love them too.
Perfection! It is my strong belief that every cookie should start out as shortbread!
Isn’t it lovely how food can evoke such wonderful memories? My husband would love these cookies. And your photos are gorgeous.
What a beautiful post! Wonderful pictures and the flavor combination sounds delicious!
Aw, thanks for sharing such a sweet memory… And the recipe! Gotta love a cookie with only 6 ingredients. That definitely makes me want to make them even more.
I have no idea why…but my shortbreads dont come out nice at all…its always soggy and drenched in butter:(
im drooling looking at these beauties
Oh wow I love these…these are perfect for the Holidays, beautiful 🙂
what a wonderful memory of you and your mom in the kitchen together! Theresa
Sometimes simple can be extravagant. These looks so good. I respect your baking abilities. I hardly play with dough 🙂
Goodness! So you’ve got the baking genes from your mother!! those little bars look sooo pretty, gleaming like that!
The jam and coconut look delicious! Remembered treats like this one are always the best.
I’d love these for an appetizer party! Actually, I’d love some now!
awwww…great nostalgia and a beautiful result!
Stunning shortbreads!
The picture are so wonderful. I love shortbread just by itself. Even better with coconut and raspberry. Yummy
i don’t know that i’ve combined raspberry and coconut before, but as i love both and can always appreciate a buttery shortbread crust, i’m pretty sure i’d devour heaping portions of these beauties. 🙂
Oh my. These look like perfection in a cookie. I love the story too of your mom’s Christmas pie and how she let you play with the extra dough. How sweet. Photos are stunning as usual. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
These look just adorable!
Oh I think you’ve got a big hit here, they look amazing.
I think this is why we are such great foodies…our childhood memories lead us to becoming great in our kitchens ;o)
The bars look quite festive…hmmm…holidays around the corner…coconut and raspberry will be on a platter for some fabulous color.
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia