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Coconut Crescent Moon Cookies Recipe

Today we’re sharing our mom’s traditional Croatian dessert recipe for making delicious coconut crescent moon cookies (aka kiflice) with an option to also make pretty bow-shapes using the same dough.

Crescent moon cookies on a muffin wrapper.

Coconut Crescent Cookies

These tasty cookies are made by first melting the butter on the stove top and then gradually adding the additional ingredients until worked in to a cookie dough. It’s important to move the butter off the stove top and allow it to cool to a warm temperature before mixing.

small plate of coconut crescent moon cookies and bow shaped cookies

Although the prepared dough is typically formed into crescent moon shapes (also known as kiflice in Croatian), we also like to change things up and form half the batch in to pretty bow shapes. Once removed from the oven, they are coated with a light dusting of icing and vanilla sugar and can immediately be enjoyed!

Coconut Crescent Moon Cookies

Jane and Sonja
Traditional Croatian recipe for making coconut crescent moon cookies.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Croatian
Servings 45 Cookies
Calories 125 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup butter melted
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups fine coconut shavings semi-sweet or unsweetened
  • 3 ½ cups all purpose flour

Sugar Coating

Instructions
 

  • Place cold butter in a medium sized saucepan and melt on low temperature on the stove.
  • Once melted, remove from heat and let it cool down to a warm temperature before proceeding.
  • Add sugar when butter is warm (not hot) and mix until sugar is well combined.
  • Add eggs and continue to mix.
  • Add baking powder and continue to mix.
  • Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add coconut and stir together.
  • Add flour and continue to stir together.
  • Work into a dough.
  • Remove from bowl and continue kneading by hand.
  • Divide dough in half to make two different shaped cookies.

For moon-shaped cookies

  • Break off ½ tbsp size of dough and roll into a ball in your hands. Next, roll the ball into a line with your hands on a flat surface. Taper the ends and gently fold into a crecent shape.

For bow-shaped cookies

  • Break off ½ tbsp size of dough and roll into a ball in your hands. Next, roll the ball into a line with your hands on a flat surface. Press both ends gently with a fork to resemble a bow.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Bake at 355F for 15 minutes.
  • Leave for 5 minutes to cool.
  • Prepare mixture of powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.
  • Dip cookies into sugar mixture and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 41mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 137IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Keyword cookies, dessert
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child grabbing one coconut crescent cookie from a plate

Other Croatian Dessert Recipes

If you’d like to try some other classic Croatian baking, here are some more tasty traditional dessert recipes:

platter of coconut crescent cookies

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Crescent moon cookies with text overlay.
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