Easy Soft Pineapple Cookies (With or Without Icing)

Soft pineapple cookies smell like heaven on a plate and are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

These Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies are soft, chewy and full of flavor–plus, they’re easy!

a stack of iced pineapple cookies, with the top cookie having a bite removed, exposing the soft and tender interior

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Everybody loves cookies and having a plate of fresh-baked cookies on hand is one of the best ways to bring some cheer to your day.

And as shocking as it may seem, some people never bake homemade cookies or if they do, it’s only around the holidays.

Christmas and cookies go hand in hand but I highly recommend making cookies year-round. There’s just something about a soft cookie that brings such delight!

Cookies are simple, they keep well and they are small so you can enjoy a treat without going overboard.

If you need a great all-purpose cookie, particularly for summertime, this easy pineapple cookies recipe is a great place to start.

Pineapple cookies mix up so easily in your stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer).

The simple addition of crushed pineapple to a basic dough recipe will give you a moist, tender, and incredibly flavorful pineapple cookie.

If you are looking for a cookie that’s perfect any time of year, then you want to make these Hawaiian pineapple cookies. They are so good!

More Tropical Tasting Pineapple Recipes You’ll Love:

Five iced Hawaiian pineapple cookies on a white plate. One cookie has had a bite taken out of it.

Tips for Making Pineapple Drop Cookies

  • Let your ingredients come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing.
  • Don’t forget to reserve some of the pineapple juice for making the frosting. This adds even more pineapple flavor!
  • Use a cookie scoop to get uniform sized cookies. This will help them to bake more evenly.
  • If you plan to ice the cookies, I recommend rolling the cookie dough before placing it on the cookie sheet to bake. This will give the cookies a more even surface that’s easier to ice.
  • Dip the cookies into the icing for the smoothest coating.

How to Make Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies

It’s really easy to make these soft and chewy pineapple cookies with icing.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Butter
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Brown Sugar
  • Egg
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Crushed Pineapple
  • All-purpose Flour
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Nutmeg
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Reserved Pineapple Juice

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Combine the wet ingredients. First, you’ll cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer) until smooth.

Then add the egg, vanilla and crushed pineapple, mixing until just combined.

collage image featuring three photos showing the process of mixing the wet ingredients for the pineapple cookie dough

Add the dry ingredients. Next, you’ll mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add them in until everything is just combined.

pineapple cookie dough after the dry ingredients have been mixed in

Scoop and bake. Next, you’ll scoop the dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes until the bottom edges are starting to turn golden brown. Allow them to cool.

round balls of pineapple cookie dough on a silicone mat on a baking sheet

Add the icing. Last, you’ll make a simple icing by whisking together pineapple juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Dip the top of each cookie into the icing and return them to a wire rack so it can harden.

The tops of the cookies will be satiny smooth once the pineapple glaze has dried!

several pineapple cookies topped with satiny icing, on a cooling rack

Notes and Adaptations:

  • The icing for these cookies is optional. If you aren’t going to use the icing, or if you’re short on time, you can make these as “pineapple drop cookies,” as shown below, and skip the step of rolling the dough into balls. Rolling the dough gives a more smooth and finished look to the cookies, which makes it easier to dip them into icing, but isn’t absolutely necessary. You can scoop out the dough directly onto the baking sheet if preferred.
  • I haven’t tested this recipe with fresh pineapple. You could try adding finely chopped bits of pineapples, but you’d likely need to purchase pineapple juice for the icing, since the fresh pineapple won’t yield much pineapple juice.
  • Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container.

More Delightful Cookie Recipes:

pineapple drop cookies on a baking sheet, fresh out of the oven
Yield: Approx. 3.5 Dozen Cookies

Pineapple Cookies

a stack of pineapple cookies topped with icing

These pineapple cookies are the perfect sweet treat, dotted with bits of pineapple and topped with an optional icing.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

  • 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the Icing (Optional):

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4-6 TBSP reserved pineapple juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until it begins to lighten in color.
  3. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  4. Add crushed pineapple and mix just until incorporated.
  5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
  6. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing only until combined and a soft dough forms.
  7. Scoop dough out and roll into balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown.
  8. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  9. To prepare icing, whisk together powdered sugar and 4 TBSP of pineapple juice. If needed, add more juice, 1/2 TBSP at a time, until preferred consistency is reached. You want it to be thin enough to dip into, but no so thin that it runs off the cookies completley.
  10. Once cookies are cool, dip the tops in the icing, and return to cooling rack so the icing can set to a satiny finish.

Notes

  • The icing for these cookies is optional. If you aren't going to use the icing, or if you're short on time, you can make these as "drop cookies" and skip rolling the dough into balls. Rolling the dough gives a more smooth and finished look to the cookies, which makes it easier to dip them into icing, but isn't absolutely necessary. You can scoop out the dough directly onto the baking sheet if preferred.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

40

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 143Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

Be sure to save this recipe to your desserts board on Pinterest!

a collage image featuring two photos. One photo shows pineapple cookies on a cooling rack, while another shows close-up detail of a pineapple cookie with icing.

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8 Comments

  1. Sharon Haile says:

    I made two batches of this recipe and everyone loved. They were a hit at both events. I looked for a recipe to resemble one that my Mom use bake for me. I added a cup of chopped pecans as did my Mom. I also added pineapple extract for extra flavoe.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you, Sharon! I may need to order some pineapple extract to try the next time I make these, thanks to your recommendation! 🙂

  2. Stephanie says:

    Thanks for the recipe! I was wondering if these cookies bake up chewy like a chocolate chip cookie or cakey?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Stephanie! I think they have a little more lift to them than most chocolate chip cookies, but I’d say they’re still more soft and chewy than cakey. I hope that helps!

  3. Just made a batch of these, and they are delicious! I didn’t have any crushed pineapple, so I threw some pineapple chunks in the blender and it worked well. A very hearty, chewy cookie. I am writing this recipe down and will be making them again!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thanks so much, Alysha! I love hearing that you enjoyed them. 🙂 Great idea to be resourceful and blend up your pineapple chunks!

  4. Do you refrigerate dough before cooking

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Ronda! No, I don’t refrigerate the dough–I just mix and scoop. Enjoy! 🙂

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