You read that right – these cookies are a tropical Crumbl copycat paired with a boozy Baileys Colada buttercream! The moment I saw Baileys come out with this limited Colada flavor I knew I absolutely had to incorporate it into a dessert. I decided to pair this with a copycat recipe of the Crumbl chilled coconut lime cookies and let me tell you, this is a pairing that was meant to be!
These tropical Crumbl cookies are super soft, made with fresh lime juice and zest and have a very subtle hint of coconut. They practically melt in your mouth. The frosting is creamy, with tropical notes of pineapple and coconut, with the perfect Baileys flavor to finish it off.
Top the cookies with a maraschino cherry (you can buy or make boozy cherries for an extra fun twist) and a candied pineapple wedge, and prepare to be transported to a breezy tropical island as soon as you take a bite!
Recipes Used for the Tropical Crumbl Cookies with Baileys Colada Buttercream:
Crumbl Copycat Cookies: Tropical Chilled Crumbl Coconut Lime Cookies by Lifestyle of a Foodie
Baileys Colada Frosting: Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting by Sweet Mouth Joy
The Tropical Coconut Lime Crumbl Copycat Cookies:
Every single Crumbl copycat recipe I have tried from Chahinez’s blog Lifestyle of a Foodie has blown me out of the water. From her Circus Animal Sugar Cookies to her Churro Copycat recipe, I have loved each equally (as well as being huge favorites of my friends and family!).
Unpopular opinion – I don’t particularly love the Crumbl cookies you buy at their store. The copycat recipes, however, that’s a different story. The homemade versions are sweet but not overly-so as their store bought counterparts can be, and overall are just so much softer and more delicious! Don’t worry about this recipe having too much coconut – I found it to be very subtle and it doesn’t overpower the cookie in any way.
Tips for making the coconut lime Crumbl Cookies:
- Use a cookie scoop:
- This saves so much time and ensures all cookies bake evenly. Since investing in some quality scoops I don’t know how I lived without them. I used the medium, 2oz cookie scoop and got 12 cookies worth out of it. The recipe calls for 9 cookies, so you can go larger if you like but I found these cookies to still be soft and quite large.
- Spray and coat your measuring cup before flattening the cookies:
- You will want to keep re-coating the back of your measuring cup with sugar or you risk the dough sticking to it as you lift it off the cookie surface.
- My dough didn’t crackle at the edges, which is only an aesthetic note, however I believe this is because my dough wasn’t cold enough. If you refrigerate your dough before flattening, you should receive the crackled edges like Chahinez has on her blog.
- Don’t be afraid of the coconut extract!
- If you are a coconut lover, this is a moot point. For those of you on the fence about coconut – please know that the flavor from the coconut extract is extremely subtle! If anything, I notice a bit more of a coconut hint from the frosting than the cookie. I urge you to give these a try – they are fantastic! The lime juice and zest adds such a delicious balance of flavor to the entire cookie, there isn’t one flavor that overpowers the other.
The Baileys Colada Buttercream:
This is another one of those frostings that you are going to have a very hard time not eating straight from the bowl and leaving enough to frost your cookies with. I used this Baileys frosting recipe on chocolate cupcakes with Bailey’s original flavor Irish Cream for St. Patrick’s Day, and immediately knew I had to give it a try with this Colada version!
What does Bailey’s Colada taste like?
While you can buy chocolate or strawberry milk, this liquor tastes just like a piña colada milk with a Baileys twist! It is a blend of their classic Irish Cream with sweet pineapple and creamy coconut flavors making it the ultimate tropical indulgence.
What you have leftover you can pour over ice cream, blend with ice and pineapple, or simply enjoy it straight, poured over ice! You will not run out of uses for this fruity Irish Cream after you use it in your baking! If you head to Bailey’s official website, they have detailed recipes for these listed.
Tips for making the Baileys Colada frosting:
- Make more than one batch of the buttercream:
- I added a bit more powdered sugar, Baileys, and a splash extra of vanilla after I eyed the finished batch of frosting and was worried it wouldn’t be enough. I am so glad I did because I had just enough to frost all of the cookies with only one cookie left half-frosted. If you aren’t going to frost them heavily, then you should be completely fine with making the standard amount.
- Make the recipe exactly as stated but sub the Baileys Colada:
- The only change I made to this recipe was using Baileys Colada in place of the classic Baileys Irish Cream. I still added the vanilla and salt as the recipe calls for.
The garnish for the Tropical Crumbl Cookies:
Juicy Maraschino Cherries:
The bright red hue of Maraschino cherries pops so well as the centerpiece of the frosted cookie! They also taste divine when combined with a bite of the piña colada frosting.
- Remove extra juice before topping the cookies with cherries:
- I let the cherries sit on a paper towel for a few minutes before placing them on top of the cookie, to prevent the cherry juice from leaking onto the frosting.
- Buy an alcohol-infused version!
- If you want to go the extra mile, you can make drunken cherries or buy a jar of them! I found Whiskey Tipsy Cherries at Total Wine when I went to pick up the Baileys Colada and was so excited to have this extra boozy twist to add! They don’t have a strong alcohol flavor, but were by far much more plump than the regular maraschino cherries.
The Pineapple Wedge:
The pineapple wedge adds such a beautiful, vibrant color to the cookie and is also absolutely delicious with some of the Baileys frosting coating it!
- Buy dried pineapple rings:
- To prevent the fruit from going bad or leaking into the frosting, I opted to go with dried pineapple. I bought candied pineapple rings and cut them to the desired size before placing on the cookie. I found the rings to be a bit thinner than the pre-cut candied pineapple wedges.
A cookie version of a piña colada! These Tropical Crumbl Cookies with Baileys Colada Buttercream are perfect for when you need an island getaway but must do it from the comfort of your own home. You’ll absolutely love the creamy, boozy, and fruity frosting paired with the coconut lime Crumbl cookie copycat. An added bonus – the bartender won’t have to cut you off if you have too many of these!
If you like this recipe, I think you’ll also love:
- Key Lime Pie Bars with Honey Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
- Boozy Black Forest Hi-Hat Cupcakes
- Copycat Crumbl Churro Cookies
Tropical Crumbl Cookies with Baileys Colada Buttercream
Course: DessertsCuisine: American9
cookies40
minutes8
minutes48
minutesIngredients
1 batch Bailey’s Colada Buttercream Frosting (increase amount if heavily frosting cookies)
- For the garnish
Maraschino cherries (boozy ones for a fun twist!)
Directions
- Bake the Crumbl coconut lime copycat cookies and allow them to fully cool.
- Make the Baileys Colada frosting and increase the recipe by 1.5 times if planning to heavily frost the cookies.
- Place your maraschino cherries on a paper towel to soak up extra liquid before adding on top of the Baileys frosting.
- Cut the candied pineapple rings into wedges.
- Fit a piping bag with an open star tip (I used a Wilton 1M) and starting in the center of the cookie, pipe a swirl of frosting extending to the edge of the cookie. You could also spread the frosting onto the cookie with a knife or icing spatula.
- Top the cookies with a cherry and pineapple wedge and prepare to be transported to a tropical island destination!
Notes
- Allow cookies to fully cool before frosting.
- If you use a 2oz cookie scoop, you will get 12 cookies.
- Sieve your powdered sugar before adding to the frosting to create a smooth consistency without lumps.
- If you plan to heavily frost the cookies as pictured, make an extra half batch of frosting.
Pin for later!
If you make this dessert or have any questions, please leave a comment below! I absolutely love hearing when others are inspired to step into their kitchen and try out something new.
Happy Baking!
XOXO,
